The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big DifferenceThe Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
Score Modern
What it's about
Malcolm Gladwell asks why some ideas, products and behaviors suddenly spread like epidemics, from Hush Puppies shoes becoming fashionable to New York's crime rate collapsing in the 1990s. He argues it comes down to a few kinds of people who spread things, to messages that 'stick', and to small changes in the environment.
Why it's worth reading
The Guardian named it one of the best books of the 21st century, and it made Gladwell famous. It's quick, clever and full of stories.
You'll love it if you liked
Outliers: The Story of Success
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
The Body Keeps the ScoreGood to know
Some of its research, especially on broken-windows policing, has been questioned since. Gladwell revisited it in Revenge of the Tipping Point.
By the numbers
- Readers44 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics51 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller68 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #40 of the 85 self-help and business books we rank
- #59 of the 119 science and ideas books we rank
- #459 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #882 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Practical, Thought-provoking
More by Malcolm Gladwell
Outliers: The Story of Success
Blink
Talking to Strangers
Revenge of the Tipping PointIf you like this, read next
Atomic Habits
Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as If Your Life Depended on It
Thinking, Fast and Slow
The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End
Maybe You Should Talk to SomeoneExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Science and ideas booksTop 25 · 119 ranked
Self-help and business booksTop 25 · 85 ranked
Modern booksTop 25 · 1,573 ranked
Books of the 2000sTop 25 · 490 ranked
Fantasy booksTop 25 · 459 ranked
Mysteries and thrillersTop 25 · 555 ranked
Literary novelsTop 25 · 309 ranked
Memoirs and biographiesTop 25 · 290 rankedQuick answers
Is The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference worth reading?
Yes. The Guardian named it one of the best books of the 21st century, and it made Gladwell famous. It ranks #882 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 74.2 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference about?
Malcolm Gladwell asks why some ideas, products and behaviors suddenly spread like epidemics, from Hush Puppies shoes becoming fashionable to New York's crime rate collapsing in the 1990s. He argues it comes down to a few kinds of people who spread things, to messages that 'stick', and to small changes in the environment.
How long does it take to read The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference?
About 7 hours (279 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference?
If you liked it, try Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey or The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk.