Rating: 
Summary: Thought-Provoking, But Not Scientifically Sound
Review: Take Malcolm Gladwell's book for what it is--an extremely entertaining book positing some very interesting and compelling ideas that may or may not be scientifically sound. A scientist reading this book would likely pull his or her hair out at all of the subjective assertions made but I found the overall thesis engaging (albeit not necessarily all that unique) and the writing style the very definition of "couldn't put it down." I also found Mr. Gladwell's descriptions of past scientific experiments and their results a great primer for those of us not quite up to speed in the world of psychology (great cocktail party conversation material). Finally, while I had probably the most problems with his analysis of teen smoking, I thought Mr. Gladwell's suggested solution to be one of the most original recommendations I've seen on the subject. Here's hoping he's sending plenty of copies to policy makers in Washington, DC.
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Summary: Tipping Point - How to make it happen.
Review: There are several books of this genre, like The Anatomy of Buzz, Seth Godin's two books and Engaged Customer. While the examples given in The Tipping Point were interesting, it does not really tell a reader how to make a situation tip. What are the buttons to push. It just makes an interesting read especially that research done at the seminary.
Rating: 
Summary: Epidemically Good!
Review: I really enjoyed this book. It was well written, informative and the author reduces the complexities of epidemic-building into atangible, useable, model. For anyone who wants or needs to start or stop an epidemic, a must read.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting book, but not all I'd hoped for
Review: A couple of friends recommended this book to me, so I got a copy to see what they were so enthused about. The author uses a number of interesting examples to support his point that there's a point that the ordinary becomes extraordinary. As I went through school and life, I learned the phrase "critical mass" to describe the same concept that Gladwell calls "the tipping point." I was hoping for more. As a business owner, I was looking for a how-to book, which this could have been. Instead, it's more of an historical narrative. If you like to read thought-provoking case studies, you'll enjoy this volume. It was interesting and entertaining for me as airplane reading. The reader is left to his own devices to explore ways to apply the information shared in the book. The author is a former business and science writer for the Washington Post, now a staff writer for The New Yorker. This fact explains why the book seems to be a collection of feature stories that might have some sort of connection. Gladwell does organize his presentations, talking about stickiness, the power of context, the power of translation, three rules of epidemics, and the law of the few. I would have liked to see more strength to the reasoning behind the organization. If you like good stories that look at some familiar-and some not-so-familiar-stories from a different perspective, read this book. If you're looking for a book to show you how to move your product, cause, or company to that critical mass or tipping point to become tremendously successful, keep looking.
Rating:
Summary: Extraordinary Book, Great Read, Mind Candy
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this book! He has a rare gift, this is extremely well written, he is an extraordinary wordsmith. That said, the subject was, for me, a radical shift in viewing the world and the players in it! I especially appreciated his descriptions of the people who help move the Idea Virus' along and why they do it. The case studies and his theories were well presented and made perfect sense! Great job, Mr. Gladwell. Looking forward to your next book, on whatever subject!
Rating:
Summary: A very readable little book with some interesting big ideas
Review: This is a real page-turner of ideas. I'm in no position to judge the soundness of the author's claims, and I'm not about to chase up his footnotes, but I certainly found it highly readable and stimulating. I devoured it in a couple of train journeys and have recommended it to anybody who'll listen. There are enough big basic premises to get your teeth into, but not so many as to make it indigestible. I read it in between shots at Pinker's "How the Mind Works", which feels like a much denser, more complex and more "scholarly" work. The author seems to have done a fair bit of face-to-face research to get his story, and that helps to make it feel warm and personal. Come to think of it, he even brings Paul Revere to life, so he clearly has a knack with people! Whether or not the author originated the concepts he presents, and whether or not they stand up to academic scrutiny, they became very "sticky" in this book - to borrow one of the most intuitively apposite ideas. If you're a heavy-duty academic or social studies professional, it may well raise more questions than it answers - like how did he do it? But if you're the sort who likes double-feature think pieces in serious mass-circulation magazines, this is a book for you.
Rating:
Summary: The Tipping Point: How To Change the World-Maybe
Review: If you ever have had the thought that you could change the world if only you had the right sort of event-producing jiu-jitsu , then this is the book you'll want to read. The Tipping Point is an investigation into the process by which small causes can produce big effects. Gladwell takes the reader through the key factors that cause epidemics of all kinds - from infections to crime waves to the baffling successes of what seem like unlikely business ventures. He discusses what he shows to be the key agents of change: the few who influence the many, and how they do so. By example and by clear elucidation of theory, he has created a how-to book on changing the world. Sadly, the book itself apparently has not become epidemic; the ideas it presents are not, in Gladwell's words, sticky enough, and so it may be that his message will never find its way to a large number of people. But this may be just as well. Do we really want to see great numbers of this world's people acquire the power to change it radically?
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Summary: Learning How to Grow Faster from the Metaphor of Epidemics!
Review: Tipping points are those places where geometric increases follow, that are temporarily unbounded by other limits. For example, when lily pads cover a little more than half of a pond, the rest of the pond's surface will soon follow. That last doubling will cause almost more surface to be covered than all of the prior growth, but will take only a fraction of the time. Although this book focuses on tipping points, it is really about systems dynamics -- how related phenomena build on each other in feedback loops (for example, how adding food to the environment for rapidly growing species expands their populations). This subject is an essential part of books like The Fifth Discipline, The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook, The Dance of Change, and The Soul at Work. Because the book never makes that connection to systems dynamics, most readers won't either. That's a problem because you will need the tools from these other resources and disciplines to apply this book's thesis of pushing the tipping point. Missing this connection is the book's main weakness. For people who are interested in how to start (or stop) trends, this book is a useful encapsulation of much of the best and most provocative behavioral research in recent years. Unless you follow this subject closely (someone the author would call a Maven), you will find that much of this is new to you. On the other hand, if you have been involved in the marketing of trendy items or stopping medical epidemics, this will seem very elementary and old hat. I found the book to be a pleasant and quick read of how behaviors move from equilibrium into disequilibrium, caused by some factor that creates the tipping point to expand or decrease the behavior. If you are like me, I suspect you will, too. If you want to apply these lessons, you will probably find the book's explanation of the concepts to be just a little too general for your real needs. A good related book to fill in your sense of how human behavior works is Influence by Robert Cialdini. Essentially, the book's thesis is that trends grow by expanding the base of those who will spread the word of mouth and be listened to, aided by powerful messages that stick indelibly into the mind and an environment that psychologically encourages the trend. The weakness of that argument is that it fails to fully address the physical needs that might be served to support the trend. Sure, psychology is important, but so is physiology. To the author's credit, the examples clearly deal with physiology (such as the smoking and children's television sections), but the book's thesis does not really do so. It is a strange omission. I think some people will be confused about what to do as a result. Clearly, this book is about identifying what causes behavior through careful measurement. The examples are especially interesting because the common sense causes are seldom the right ones. For example, some children do not seem to pay much attention to a given educational television show while they play with toys. Actually, these children are picking up as much information from the show as those that do pay undivided attention, because no more than partial attention is needed for these viewers. This reminds me of the lessons about human behavior in the beer game example in The Fifth Discipline where role-playing beer retailers, wholesalers and manufacturers willy-nilly over order and over produce beer because of misinterpreting a temporary shortage as a permanent one, creating a long-term disaster for all concerned. The obvious is often obviously wrong. Anyone applying these ideas needs to develop those causation-finding measurement skills. Since the book does not provide much guidance beyond examples of successfully and unsuccessfully using them, about all you can hope for is to remember to get expert help and double check the expert's conclusions with measurements. Almost any reader will at least get a few great stories to use at the next cocktail party or dinner, assuming your companions have not yet read this book. Have fun, and enjoy more irresistible growth as a result!
Rating:
Summary: Decent read
Review: Enjoyed it.. simple read yet makes you feel like it has grounded and smart application. I think it can apply to anyones interest. At times it can make you feel like part of the herd that is manipulated by others and at other times a single person that can create change. Save money and wait for the paperback though.
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Summary: Do You Want Real Change or Just Busy Work?
Review: For most of 2000 I heard friends and colleagues talking about The Tipping Point. About the middle of the year I finally bought a copy, but I did not get around to reading it until the winter holidays. I wish I had read it sooner! It is possible to debate some of the research. It is possible to say that we have heard this before. But, it is not possible to say that the core concept is incorrect. The Tipping Point helps make sense of the confusion we feel when some large efforts at change seemed to go nowhere, and some small efforts at change are right on target and make a transformational difference. Many organizational leaders are overwhelmed with the effort it takes to engage in transformational change and transition. They do not understand that it is more important to work with the people who have key relationships, knowledge, and influence than it is to work through the committees, councils and board. True change and transition happens at the grassroots when key leverage points are successfully engaged. True change and transition spreads like epidemics, only they are social epidemics. Relationship and community building are crucial to change and transition efforts. The best products and processes do not work without the best relationships. We all know this, but Malcolm Gladwell provides us with more than principles. He provides us with stories with which many of us are familiar that cause us to rethink actions we are taking in other arenas. It causes us to apply the principles to our life and work. Buy the book! Do not buy it because the author and publisher needs to sell more books, because at this writing it is rated in the top 100 books being sold by Amazon.com. Buy the book because it is well worth the read, and it will contribute to your life and work.
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