• The Tipping Point

  • How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
  • By: Malcolm Gladwell
  • Narrated by: Malcolm Gladwell
  • Length: 8 hrs and 34 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (22,153 ratings)

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The Tipping Point  By  cover art

The Tipping Point

By: Malcolm Gladwell
Narrated by: Malcolm Gladwell
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Editorial reviews

Why we think it's Essential: Like the best social dynamics professor you never had, Malcolm Gladwell deconstructs a wide range of phenomena (from the reduction of crime in New York to the rise of Sesame Street) to deliver a fascinating understanding of how "social epidemics" spread. And while author/narrators are often a mixed blessing, Gladwell is so friendly and well-paced that I was actually disappointed when The Tipping Point was over. - Ed Walloga

Publisher's summary

From the bestselling author of The Bomber Mafia: discover Malcolm Gladwell's breakthrough debut and explore the science behind viral trends in business, marketing, and human behavior.

The tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire. Just as a single sick person can start an epidemic of the flu, so too can a small but precisely targeted push cause a fashion trend, the popularity of a new product, or a drop in the crime rate. This widely acclaimed bestseller, in which Malcolm Gladwell explores and brilliantly illuminates the tipping point phenomenon, is already changing the way people throughout the world think about selling products and disseminating ideas.

“A wonderful page-turner about a fascinating idea that should affect the way every thinking person looks at the world.” —Michael Lewis

©2007 Malcolm Gladwell (P)2007 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"History takes on a whole new perspective as he describes events of early America that specifically follow his theories of 'selling the public on an idea' and 'social epidemics.' Feedback from market mavericks further substantiates Gladwell's viewpoints." (AudioFile)

"Gladwell, a New Yorker staff writer, offers an incisive and piquant theory of social dynamics that is bound to provoke a paradigm shift in our understanding of mass behavioral change." (Booklist)

"Hip and hopeful, The Tipping Point is like the idea it describes: concise, elegant, but packed with social power. A book for anyone who cares about how society works and how we can make it better." (George Stephanopoulos)

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What listeners say about The Tipping Point

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

My tipping point…for audio

Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point was the first book I ever listened to, well at least completely. I had a hard time grasping all the characters and unfolding plot lines in fiction at first – and had listened to the beginnings of some novels as many as seven times – before I fell in love with being read to in The Tipping Point.

I’m not sure if it was Gladwell’s fascinating concepts, or the feeling as if he was talking right with me, but I remember listening the whole way through, alone at home, one quiet autumn night.

…And the rest is history. I’ve listened to many more books since then – both fiction and nonfiction – but this one will always remain a favorite of mine.

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59 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Sociology for the masses.

Another hit by Mr. Gladwell. He take something as dry as sociology and presents the theories in vignettes that are so interesting, yet are factual demonstrating the points he is walking the reader through. I wish more teachers were as stimulating as him. One other point, this book is read by the author which I really appriciate. This gives you more the intent and tone of the original author.

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53 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Makes sense to me.

It really makes you think, but it doesn't hurt your head. Well written, easy to understand, interesting, engaging... and the information is actually useful. I loved it.
Okay, so M. Gladwell says some things that wouldn't make him popular everywhere. Doesn't that make us wonder about his critics' motives? He cites his research, but doesn't bore with citations... he's trying to be interesting enough to be read. Generally, his opinions are clearly delineated from the facts used to create them, so I feel he treats his subjects fairly while trying to advance ideas and concepts. I don't agree with everything the book says, but it does make me think and I believe we could all learn something if we consider its end message.

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53 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Marketing has a lot to learn from this book

Valuable insight into why somethings take off and others possibly flop. Not sure if "The Tipping Point" is the answer or one of the contributors to why things happen. My experience is that everything is connected to each other in various degrees, but this book sure puts a good case for the authors theories. A little confusing in parts, but the authors voice is easy to listen to. A valuable book for marketing type people. Worth the listen to.

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44 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Exceptional!

This is one of the greatest books I ever listened! We are programmed to think in a linear growth model and in a cause-effect model. This book shows that we need to abandon these easy models. Great book-you should not miss it!

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40 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

There are better Gladwell Books

If you are fan of Gladwell, this book is more of the same: great stories distilled from studies by random social scientists. If you are looking for a first book of his to listen to, I would recommend 'Outliers' instead--it is more coheisive and an all around more compelling book. One thing about this version of the Tipping Point was the weird musical interludes at the end of each chapter--I have never heard anything quite as tacky in other Audible books. Some producer made a bad call on that one.

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33 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic!

Malcolm Gladwell's book are very alike- full of stories behind a theory. This one is about the tipping point, something that can turn the luck of something/ someone around, and he tries to explain how we could achieve it.
Very good book. In my opinion, is 5 stars, the level of Outliers, and better than Blink.
Worth the read!

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30 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

On and on and on and on and.... you get the idea.

I'm a fan of Gladwell, but found this pretty repetitive and boring to be honest. (I haven't even finished it yet, can't bring myself to!)

Great concepts but they could be expressed in a more concise and compelling way. Found the book to be too long-winded for my tastes.

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30 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent

This is one of the best books I have ever read. Some of the examples actually gave me goose bumps and still do when I think of them. I was able to also implement some of the ideas in my business and I have made some great decisions based on Gladwell's suggestions. Most recommended.

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27 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Book, especially for listening

I enjoyed this book so much, I had to listen to it a 2nd time and then some. I especially like the fact that the author reads his own book. I suspect it adds more emphasis in the right areas... Same is true of his other book "Blink" too!

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26 people found this helpful