Malcolm Gladwell
Malcolm Gladwell is a prominent Canadian journalist and author, known for his influential works that explore social science themes. Born on September 3, 1963, in Fareham, England, he moved to Canada at a young age and developed an early passion for writing, influenced by his family's literary background. Gladwell's career began in journalism, initially working for the American Spectator and later as a science writer for the Washington Post and a staff writer for The New Yorker. He gained widespread recognition with his first book, *The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference* (2000), which delves into how ideas spread and gain traction in society.
His subsequent books, including *Blink* (2005) and *Outliers* (2008), further established him as a thought leader, examining topics such as rapid cognition and the factors behind extraordinary success. Despite his popularity, Gladwell's work has faced criticism for its reliance on anecdotal evidence and perceived simplifications of complex issues. In addition to his books, he hosts the podcast *Revisionist History*, which reinterprets historical narratives and has garnered significant acclaim. Gladwell continues to engage audiences with his unique perspectives on everyday phenomena and human behavior, making him a notable figure in contemporary literature and media.
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Malcolm Gladwell
Canadian journalist and author
- Born: September 3, 1963
- Place of Birth: England
Biography
Malcolm Gladwell was born in the market town of Fareham in southeast Hampshire, England, on September 3, 1963, to parents Graham Gladwell, a mathematician and engineering professor, and Joyce Nation, a Jamaican-born physiotherapist. His family moved from England to Canada when he was six years old, and he grew up in Elmira, Ontario.
![Malcolm Gladwell speaks at PopTech! 2008 conference. By Kris Krüg [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons 89405608-93523.jpg](https://imageserver.ebscohost.com/img/embimages/ers/sp/embedded/89405608-93523.jpg?ephost1=dGJyMNHX8kSepq84xNvgOLCmsE2epq5Srqa4SK6WxWXS)
![Author Malcolm Gladwell in 2014. By PEN American Center (Philip Kerr and Malcolm Gladwell) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons 89405608-93522.jpg](https://imageserver.ebscohost.com/img/embimages/ers/sp/embedded/89405608-93522.jpg?ephost1=dGJyMNHX8kSepq84xNvgOLCmsE2epq5Srqa4SK6WxWXS)
From his early childhood, Gladwell was intrigued by the written word. Both of his parents were published authors, and he was raised in a Mennonite home without a television set. He read the Bible as a child, and at the age of sixteen he won a writing competition for his written interview with God. While still in high school, Gladwell published an article in Ad Hominem: A Journal of Slander and Critical Opinion.
Despite this early success, Gladwell never thought of journalism as a career. After he graduated with a history degree from the University of Toronto in 1984, he tried to get a job in advertising, but had little success. On a whim, he accepted a job at a conservative magazine, the American Spectator, but he was eventually fired because he overslept. In 1987, he joined the staff of the Washington Post, where he was a science writer and later the New York bureau chief. In 1996, Gladwell became a staff writer at the New Yorker magazine.
Although Gladwell is generally considered a business writer, particularly after the publication of his first book, The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference (2000), he preferred to think of himself as someone who observes the things that most people take for granted. The Tipping Point spent twenty-eight weeks on the New York Times Best Sellers list and more than two years on BusinessWeek's bestseller list.
In The Tipping Point, Gladwell provides a map to describe how ideas travel through word-of-mouth and connections, which he dubs "connectors, mavens, and salesmen." The book combines his obsession with the mundane, such as subway graffiti, television programming, and the indicators of a successful marriage, with his ability to turn such subjects into fascinating stories. Gladwell's second book, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking (2005), examines how people process the information they receive through first impressions and how these impressions, which Gladwell calls "rapid cognition," can be channeled into productive thinking.
In 2008, Gladwell published Outliers: The Story of Success, which explores why certain people reach much higher levels of success than the rest of humanity. Success stories examined include professional hockey players, physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, and English pop-rock superstars the Beatles. The work proved extremely popular, helping to elevate Gladwell to something close to a household name. However, it also drew much criticism, particularly from intellectuals who charged Gladwell with valuing anecdotal evidence over experimental and statistical research and writing in a patronizingly simplistic style.
Gladwell's next book was What the Dog Saw (2009), a selection of his New Yorker articles. He followed this with David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants (2013), in which he takes a closer look at the different factors behind unlikely successes, including how social advantages or disadvantages can play out in unexpected ways. As with his earlier works, it sold well and was praised by many for its original thinking, but was also critiqued for repackaging conventional wisdom and presenting some dubious claims.
In 2016 Gladwell launched the podcast Revisionist History, which focused on rethinking the common understanding of historical subjects. It earned positive attention and ran for multiple seasons. Gladwell built on this success by partnering with Jacob Weisberg, who had been editor-in-chief of the Slate Group, to launch a company focused on audio-based content including podcasts, audiobooks, and other formats.
Gladwell published his novel The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War in 2021. He followed that novel with Revenge of the Tipping Point, a sequel to his critically-acclaimed work The Tipping Point, in 2024.
Bibliography
Collins, Bryan. "What You Can Learn About Success from Malcolm Gladwell." Forbes, 16 Aug. 2018, www.forbes.com/sites/bryancollinseurope/2018/08/16/what-you-can-learn-about-success-from-malcolm-gladwell/#3962536534b0. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.
Fikes, Robert. "Gladwell, Malcolm (1963–)." BlackPast.org: Remembered & Reclaimed. BlackPast.org, n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2015.
Goldberg, Emma. "Malcom Gladwell Holds His Ideas Loosely. He Thinks You Should, Too." The New York Times, 26 Sept. 2024, www.nytimes.com/2024/09/26/business/malcolm-gladwell-revenge-of-the-tipping-point.html. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.
Peiser, Jaclyn. "Jacob Weisberg Leaves Slate to Join Malcolm Gladwell in Podcast Venture." The New York Times, 12 Sept. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/09/12/business/media/jacob-weisberg-slate-malcolm-gladwell.html. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.
Poole, Steven. "The Big-Brained Salesman." New Statesman 4–10 Oct. 2013: 34–37. Print.
Tkacik, Maureen. "Gladwell for Dummies." Nation. Nation, 4 Nov. 2009. Web. 13 Jan. 2015.