"The Tipping Point"

As part of an assignment for my class, I was told to read “The Tipping Point” by Malcolm Gladwell. Although I had never read the book before, I have heard many wonderful reviews about it. My high school guidance counselor first told me about the book. She always said it’s one of those books that will give you a whole new look on life and will take you very far. I actually bought the book for my boss at my internship at Comcast over the summer. I had been working for her for the past three summers and at the end of every summer she ended up getting promoted yet she was always trying to find ways to better herself career-wise, so I thought this book would come in hand and she loved it.

            I agree that “The Tipping Point” is something that everyone should read, especially in today’s society. We live in a time where there are so many trends, it seems as if there’s something new picking up every day. Most of these trends are short-lived and might not even make it to see a new year. But some manage to have the fuel behind them to break the tipping point and become a crucial part of our everyday lives. Gladwell finds that there are three common characteristics among those trends that cross the tipping point- the law of the few, the stickiness factor, and the power of context. If a trend holds these three traits, chances are it will become a lasting phenomenon.

            One of the things I really like about “The Tipping Point” is that it can easily be applied and related to real life situations. While I was reading, I thought about how social media follows the teachings of the author. Sites like Facebook and Twitter take up so much of our time these days and it’s amazing to think how quickly they became worldwide movements. But if you read “The Tipping Point” you will understand the schematics behind their success.

            I highly suggest that everyone reads this book to get a new perspective and understanding in life. I think it’s a read that can help take you far both in life and in your career (which is something every college senior wants to hear these days).