Blink
Malcolm Gladwell
2005
320 pages
Published by Back Bay Books
********************
FTC: I realize that I no longer need to tell you when I bought a book (as is the case for Blink), but honestly, you’ve got me paranoid.
********************
I was not a fan of the first Gladwell I tried…the audio version of The Tipping Point. It suffered in comparison to Freakonomics, which I listened to first, and loved. Blink was better, but it’s not going to change my world. However, I have it on good authority that What the Dog Saw seriously rocks. And when Other Jill says read, I listen. (Eventually. I have a bajillion other books I should concentrate on first.)
Blinkis about how we make decisions. Gladwell talks about thin slicing (making sense of situations based on the thinnest slice of experience) and snap decisions and the power of charisma and thinking outside of the box and facial expressions. He wants people to trust their judgment…experience gives us the ability to act instinctively, we just have to also be aware of things that will disrupt that judgment. However, if you don’t have experience with the situation, than it’s better if you take the time to think it out.
Remember way back when when I asked you all for questions to inspire me? Well, I think this is the last batch…
Care asked:
I have Blink – do you think I will like it? Why did you read it this?
I’m a poor judge of whether or not someone will like a book, but I’ll go out on a limb and say yes. And I actually read this book on the recommendation of my yoga instructor. She loves the books I recommend to her, so I decided to read something that she’d talked about, for a change.
Jenny asked:
How did you feel about Blink: Too much anecdotes & not enough Serious Facts, or just the right balance for a fun read? Are you now paranoid about making the wrong split-second decisions?
I thought it was a good balance, but yes, I am now paranoid. Actually, I have no faith in my gut response to anything, so I haven’t changed anything. But I did like how Gladwell avoids the word intuition.
Is the FTC not interested in us anymore? lol
Haven’t read any Gladwell and I feel terribly out of the loop for it.
Andi´s last [type] ..Bloodchild is Bloody Fantastic! and RIP V!
I have a copy of What the Dog Saw, and have been curious about this book as well. It sounds like it might make a really good read for me, so I will be checking it out, though I might end up feeling a little paranoid myself!
zibilee´s last [type] ..Of Bees and Mist by Erick Setiawan — 416 pgs
Hm, there’s another book out about making choices that might be better than this one. I enjoyed What the Dog Saw – it’s the only Gladwell book I’ve experienced.
I’ve had blink on the shelves for quite a while now, but I haven’t ever had the urge to pick it up. I honestly have no idea where I got it in the first place.
Trisha´s last [type] ..RIP- The Perilous Challenge
I find, with every Gladwell book that I’ve read, that there is an interesting gem of an idea, but the execution is generally overly long and the concept is not that applicable to actual life. It’s usually worth it for me to read them, like BLINK, because that gem of an idea is so darn good.
Jessica´s last [type] ..New Releases – September 2010
I don’t know I don’t like reading these kind of books.
Veens´s last [type] ..Really Random Tuesday 2
I really enjoyed Freakonomics, so you would think I would have at least some interest in Gladwell’s books, since it seems they are similar. I think, if anything, I would read What the Dog Saw.
Stephanie´s last [type] ..August Wrap Up
Oh, and have you gone and tried the Implicit Association Tests, or whatever they’re called? I went straight to the website to see how I would do. I utterly failed at the men/women-work/home test, but I think that is largely because my mother was a stay-at-home mum.
Jenny´s last [type] ..Bad Motherhood for Amateurs- Ayelet Waldman and Michael Chabon
I’ve heard that blink is fabulous! I really need to check it out.
She´s last [type] ..Phantoms in the Brain – VS Ramachandran
I think I really need to get on the Gladwell bandwagon at some point. I mean, a Two Jill recommendation cannot be ignored.
Jenners´s last [type] ..RIP V Challenge
Ahhhh, now I see why you wondered why I was “leading you on” so to speak about What the Dog Saw. (We’re in the Midwest and I don’t always have connectivity so I’m just catching up when I can.) But actually, at the time I spoke to you in Morro Bay, we had only listened to Part I, in which Gladwell was just doing biographies of people, and they were totally fun! It wasn’t until maybe disk 5 that he started in on his very questionable “research” conclusions. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the tape anyway, because he is a good story teller and besides, it gives people lots to talk about when you can dissect his specious claims. I still recommend him for a road trip, in spite of now having given very negative reviews for 3 of his books!
rhapsodyinbooks´s last [type] ..Review of “What the Dog Saw” by Malcolm Gladwell