The next Book Group meeting will be hybrid (in-person and by Zoom) on May 14, 2025, from 6:30 to 8:30 PM. Back again in our rotation is a non-fiction pick; this time it’s Revenge of the Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell.
Why is Miami…Miami? What does the heartbreaking fate of the cheetah tell us about the way we raise our children? Why do Ivy League schools care so much about sports? What is the Magic Third, and what does it mean for racial harmony? In this provocative new work, Malcolm Gladwell returns for the first time in twenty-five years to the subject of social epidemics and tipping points, this time with the aim of explaining the dark side of contagious phenomena.
Through a series of riveting stories, Gladwell traces the rise of a new and troubling form of social engineering. He takes us to the streets of Los Angeles to meet the world’s most successful bank robbers, rediscovers a forgotten television show from the 1970s that changed the world, visits the site of a historic experiment on a tiny cul-de-sac in northern California, and offers an alternate history of two of the biggest epidemics of our day: COVID and the opioid crisis. Revenge of the Tipping Point is Gladwell’s most personal book yet. With his characteristic mix of storytelling and social science, he offers a guide to making sense of the contagions of modern world. It’s time we took tipping points seriously.
“Rigorously researched—but always with a witty flair—its’ a must-read for longtime Gladwell fans or readers simply curious about the quiet, surprising origin stories of the crises and questions that define contemporary life.” Francesca Billington, Oprah Daily
“Gladwell is a great storyteller and writes with a contagious sense of curiosity, with each revelation seeming as exciting to him as it is to readers…Revenge of the Tipping Point provides an opportunity to assess his success and his critics’ arguments.” Economist
If you are interested in attending, RSVP to John Campbell to receive the location address and Zoom link, which will be published about a week ahead of the meeting.