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xxlua's review
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
for whatever reason i didnt have high hopes for this book when i picked it up, but honestly the first few chapters were really insightful and thought provoking. i appreciated the sociological perspective this book offers.
towards the end of the book however, there were a few ideas that didnt really connect with me. i think the author’s understanding of autism is somewhat narrow. autism is a spectrum and to use blanket statements that all autistic people are ____ or all autistic people see the world ____ way .. simply isnt true. so the notion of police developing “temporary autism” in high pressure situations… eh …. it just didnt sit right with me. i think he could have found a better descriptor.
i wish the author could have taken this information and led us to some insight or conclusions at the end of the book but that didnt really happen either. overall not a bad book, but it could have been better.
towards the end of the book however, there were a few ideas that didnt really connect with me. i think the author’s understanding of autism is somewhat narrow. autism is a spectrum and to use blanket statements that all autistic people are ____ or all autistic people see the world ____ way .. simply isnt true. so the notion of police developing “temporary autism” in high pressure situations… eh …. it just didnt sit right with me. i think he could have found a better descriptor.
i wish the author could have taken this information and led us to some insight or conclusions at the end of the book but that didnt really happen either. overall not a bad book, but it could have been better.
amrabad's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
3.0
Typical Malcolm Gladwell book. Interesting to learn about how initial impressions and gut reactions impact things in a broader sense.
dphillips's review
4.0
I think this quote cited in Blink by Sigmund Freud explains what one should learn from this book. "When making a decision of minor importance, I have always found it advantageous to consider all the pros and cons. In vital matters, however, such as the choice of a mate or a profession, the decision should come from the unconscious, from somewhere within ourselves. In the important decisions of personal life, we should be governed, I think, by the deep inner needs of our nature." If only, as was demonstrated in this book, this was as easily done as said.
ajmcwhinney's review
3.0
This book has some interesting insights and fun little stories about the role that snap judgements that our automatic unconscious plays, whether for good or for bad. I think the book is much more valuable for the anecdotes than any actual conclusions that can be drawn from them, only because I find the conclusions fairly self-evident/not incredibly interesting.
Where this book begins to lose me is in its discussion of how we can stretch these insights to "solve" issues of systemic racism and sexism. Yes, there are clearly things we can do in the moment to begin to alter perception (blind auditions for orchestras have made it so there is gender parity in orchestras mostly now, is one of Gladwell's examples). But does that "solve" anything in the long term? I also don't think we're going to solve police violence by just making police training "better" in terms of improving snap judgments.
I understand that Gladwell wants people to take practical action now instead of mulling over issues that seem too big for us, but I don't think his solutions really play into any long-term strategies for getting at the roots of any large societal problems, like he claims. Practical everyday solutions don't need to be divorced from long-term, bigger thinking, and to assume that they are (or that such thinking inherently stifles action on issues) is poor thinking to me.
Where this book begins to lose me is in its discussion of how we can stretch these insights to "solve" issues of systemic racism and sexism. Yes, there are clearly things we can do in the moment to begin to alter perception (blind auditions for orchestras have made it so there is gender parity in orchestras mostly now, is one of Gladwell's examples). But does that "solve" anything in the long term? I also don't think we're going to solve police violence by just making police training "better" in terms of improving snap judgments.
I understand that Gladwell wants people to take practical action now instead of mulling over issues that seem too big for us, but I don't think his solutions really play into any long-term strategies for getting at the roots of any large societal problems, like he claims. Practical everyday solutions don't need to be divorced from long-term, bigger thinking, and to assume that they are (or that such thinking inherently stifles action on issues) is poor thinking to me.
thekoyakoyakoya's review
informative
medium-paced
3.0
This is a light, easy-to-read book that delivers on an interesting premise, which is exploring how we use our minds to make split-second decisions that can be surprisingly accurate. Though there are times when the terminology can be a bit cumbersome, the general ideas presented are useful and digestible. Gladwell covers many different scenarios and applications with his research — ranging from testing the strength of marriages via facial expressions to the thought processes of cops who fire their weapons at innocent civilians — and brings in the expertise of many scientists to back up his claims. I appreciated how the book covered some sticky subjects like racism and autism, the intricacies of which immediately came to my mind when I read some of the author’s earlier arguments. I was pleased to find that there wasn’t a defeatist attitude about confronting our prejudices in daily life (though I must say that claiming people without autism experience “momentary autism” during stressful situations is an interesting choice of words…), and there is some hope in working toward making smarter decisions based on facts, not stereotypes. Regardless, this is a simple and enjoyable read, ideal for when you have downtime or are even about to board a plane. The main ideas of the book could have perhaps been neatly summarized into an article, but <i>Blink</i> provides an in-depth look at the powers of perception that most of us take for granted and acts as a great stepping stone for those interested in discovering more about the world of the unconscious.
bsolarz's review
3.0
3.5 stars - did quite enjoy it but dragged on a bit towards the end and I didn't feel like it had a very conclusive ending.