You may be familiar with Gladwell’s previous books, The Tipping Point, Blink, and Outliers; all on the best sellers lists. What the Dog Saw is a collection of his articles from The New Yorker magazine over the past decade. The articles are not overly long, generally 20 pages or so, which is nice if you’re looking for quick reading. Gladwell has arranged the articles in categories, but they do not need to be read in any order; each one stands on its own merit.
What I enjoy about Gladwell is that he can take a subject, perhaps something that you have never really thought about, like ketchup or hair color, and draw you in. He reveals the history and background of a subject to give you a glimpse of the story behind it. His tone is conversational; you feel as though you’re reading a fictional story, but these articles are actually well-researched works of non-fiction. Some of the articles may have been more apropos when they were first published, but most of them are timeless works that will appeal to anyone.
I read the ebook version of this title, which you can download here. We also have the print version, which you can find in our catalog.
Goshy, I loooooove Gladwell’s writing. Other than Anne Lamott he’s one of the few modern day writers whose work I purchase every one of. I still look at the ketchup-mustard connection because of him.
A collection of essays sounds interesting.