Author : Malcolm Gladwell

Year : 2005

Type: Non – Fiction

Genre : Social & Psychology

Rating : 4 star of 5

In ‘Tipping Point’ Malcolm Gladwell wrote about the world around us and how we understood that world. Now in ‘Blink’ he explains how we make snap judgements in our everyday living in that same world. According to him, our inner self has that wonderful ability to aid us decide – if we pay close attention to it. I think, he seems to know what he is talking about; to be honest.

Before I go further, let me say that this is the kind of book that you’d read once in a while, not because you needed help with your everyday decision-making tasks but more so because, somewhere along the way you heard about Malcolm Gladwell or read his earlier book. Like I said, he wrote ‘Tipping Point’ and it was a bestseller. I picked ‘Blink’ to read for the same reasons.

Nonetheless, ‘Blink’ was quite engaging really and Gladwell captivates you with his layman psychology above all. You want to know why?

Well first off, ‘Blink’ thrived on simplicity. I never once felt overwhelmed with the depth of information and examples the book offered. Gladwell does not patronise you in any way either. The sample cases he referred to were scientific no doubt; with measurable data. But despite the neuroscience theme, the book wasn’t a difficult read at all. It turned out rather enjoyable in fact.

However, it’s always difficult to express how you feel about a book that’s based on neuropsychology. I mean, human nature is a complicated subject; and we question and argue theories about it every day. So, with ‘Blink’, you have a choice to either test the book’s prognosis or dump it as rubbish. You don’t have to agree with Gladwell at all but he does make you think. That in essence, was his aim for ‘Blink’ I believe – self-inspection.

In his own way he stamps that, although we live in separate societies and in different cultural economics, our decision-making senses work the same way regardless where we come from. When you look at Gladwell’s arguments, you’ll see that his revelations were very insightful and clever. They were also well-placed and proven facts backed by very knowledgeable scientists and psychologists.

So, although many readers criticised ‘Blink’ for its lightness, I found the book enlightening no matter and so did majority of others. After all it was another bestseller was it not?

My other recent book reviews

• Mao Zedong by Jonathan D. Spence
• Beware the Small States: Lebanon, Battleground of the Middle East by David Hirst

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