Book Review: Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

I had this book recommended to me by a few people, and was also mentioned in a few books that I had read. I put it on my Christmas wish list and figured if I got it, then I would read it. My sister got it for me, and I eagerly dove into the book.

Mr. Gladwell does a great job of really dissecting what makes epidemics become epidemics. What causes drastic drops in crime rates, a huge jump in retail sales, or Paul Revere’s ability to prepare the colonies for the British. Although there are not necessarily things that you can duplicate per se, there are principles that you can implement to start an epidemic of sorts.

As I look at this book with a church or ministry mentality, I can’t help but think about the power of the few. Really, the 20% of the people within churches are what makes the church what it is. According to Gladwell, the Connectors, Mavens and Salesmen are that 20%. I immediately began to think about who those people were in my life, and how I go about employing them to implement the vision. I am more of the innovator and the visionary type of person. I need the Mavens and Connectors and Salesmen to help me get the vision off the ground and into the community. It really challenged me, and how I can leverage the people around me for ministry.

The only issue I had with the book is that Gladwell suggests in his conclusion that we ought to promote experimentation with our teenagers, and specifically in the area of drugs. He says that they don’t have a huge sticky factor. While I agree that drugs do not have a huge sticky factor in some kids, I think there are more productive things for kids to do other than illegal drugs. He even makes the point that some kids were experimenting with suicide and were successful in their experimentation. There is absolutely nothing productive to come out of that. I feel the same way about underage smoking, drinking, and drugs. He makes the point, too that kids smoke because the cool people smoke. Again, I agree that kids have a measure of that peer pressure and wanting to fit in with certain crowds and be like certain people, but why on earth would we promote something that is illegal and destructive?

Other than the last few paragraphs, I thought this was a terrific book, filled with a ton of insight into how you can create a movement. There is a ton of research and examples that Gladwell draws from. So if you are contemplating starting a movement, pick up the book.