Malcolm Gladwell Writes

I’m an authorholic. Every few years I seem to discover a writer whose style and content grab me, and if it is not their first book, I find I have to read everything else they’ve written. Immediately. However, it is such a wonderful feeling for the first couple of books that I can’t resist, and any subsequent pain or disappointment for my OI (overindulgence) is compensated for by the exhilaration felt initially. So to the latest ‘drug’ of choice, it is Malcolm Gladwell.

The first book I read of his was What the Dog Saw: and Other Adventures (his latest, used copies available from Amazon.co.uk from £7.99). It is a combination of real-life stories about people and personalities, many obscure, and on subjects and concepts which I would not necessarily have pursued if left to my own devices. However, the author makes them engrossing and add this to a style which is both fluent and flowing, and one can understand why Gladwell is such a popular writer.

Once finished I couldn’t wait to get hold of his earlier books. Outliers was the next and in many ways I liked it even more. It is also non-fiction but deals with very different material to WTDS. Are all the facts presented correct? Well they certainly seem logical. They are supported by graphs and examples, that it is difficult to believe they are erroneous and that he would risk incurring the wrath of those he quotes. Certainly much of what is written has made me reappraise views and opinions I previously held.

I now have two more books of his to look forward to and I can’t wait. I shall therefore have to close, make myself comfortable and start to read Blink. Will this be the one that broke the camel’s back? I hope not. Meanwhile I’d love to hear what authors other readers have become addicted to!

For more information about Gladwell and his books go to: http://www.gladwell.com/