International best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell, a staff writer for The New Yorker and the former New York City bureau chief of The Washington Post, stopped at the Penn Bookstore yesterday to talk about his first book, The Tipping Point.
In front of about 20 faculty members and students, Gladwell said his book is primarily about change, and why change occurs so unexpectedly.
"The subtlest changes can turn a disaster into a success," Gladwell said, adding that Sesame Street producers averted cancellation by creating a new muppet -- Big Bird. "Big Bird saved Sesame Street. Who would think that a chicken could save a TV show?"
According to Gladwell, the smallest ideas or behaviors can make the largest impacts on society. He calls this concept a "social epidemic" because, like a small virus, one person's ideas or actions can spread quickly and affect the lives of an entire group of people. The title of his book, The Tipping Point, refers to the point in time when a virus has affected the maximum number of victims.
Gladwell's interest in this idea was sparked by his coverage of the AIDS virus in 1982. When the virus' impact extended from a small percentage of gay men to the worldwide population, he fully understood the concept.
The Tipping Point discusses other issues such as word of mouth, why the crime rate in New York City dropped in the mid-1990s and why teenagers continue to smoke even though they know the hazards involved.
Gladwell added that college students can definitely benefit from reading his book, since it is very relevant to their lives.
After reading the book, "I want students to have a hopeful look at what makes change possible," Gladwell said. "People think that they can't create a social change without resources, but the can make a dramatic difference."
Penn History Professor Emily Thompson, who teaches a course in technology, said she's been a fan of Gladwell's New Yorker articles for a long time.
"I like how he takes ideas in science and technology and writes about them in an enjoying way that the audience can perceive," said Thompson, who assigned an article by Gladwell to her students, "The Science of Shopping."
Gladwell's appearance even brought a Penn graduate back to campus.
"I saw a flyer about Gladwell's speech [at the bookstore] and his book seems really interesting, so I decided to come hear him speak," said Greg Loftus, a 2000 alumnus.
