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Book Review of The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference

The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
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"The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell provides wonderful perspective on 'how little things can make a big difference'. Most of us are familiar with the cultural business axioms of our day - 'swallow the big frog', 'first things first', 'low hanging fruit' but what is the biggest frog, which fruit it the lowest?, or what should be the first thing? Sometimes the answer isn't the obvious one.

I thoroughly enjoyed "The Tipping Point". Learning of the distinct types of people that can effect change, I got excited because I could identify people who fit these categories.. We are aware that being in the right place at the right time can change your life and the lives around you, but is there more to it than that? Every catch yourself wondering why a song is popular, or how Cabbage Patch dolls became such a hit, or why ship-lap has become so popular for interior design? While many people would like to be change agents, there are those who influencing change is an innate part of who they are, not something they do. With a historical lens of Paul Revere to Paul McCartney, Malcolm Gladwell illustrates who these people are.

From conversations with Big Bird to the development of Blue's Clues; from fighting crime by cleaning the subway; from defining unlimited production growth in terms of a defined limit, The Tipping Point illustrates how change can be impacted with real examples out of recent events. As the book is dated 2002, it would be interesting to see what Malcolm Gladwell's perspective would be on our post-9/11 world.

Easy to read. Thoughtfully written, addressing sometimes complex subjects in a straightforward fashion while not insulting your intelligence. Educational and entertaining. Wonderful book [5/5]