“The Tipping Point ” by Malcolm Gladwell

Gladwell does a decent job of explaining what is behind trends–from Hushpuppies in the Village in New York to the rise and decrease of Crime in the same city, Gladwell argues that what we often believe causes a trend may not be the real reason. The real reason often lies in decisions made by a handful of “Mavens,” “Connectors,” and “Salesmen” whose natural efforts create the right environment for trends to grow.

The point of such a book is obviously to spur discussion among marketers as to the best methods for selling products. The book works in creating a sense of wonder at the complexities of human relationships. For instance, Hushpuppy shoes worn by a group of kids in the Village of New York specifically because they weren’t trendy  (so that those kids may appear different, or rebellious– thus making them cool) caused the shoes to become “cool” and the trend towards everyone wearing the shoes to develop, leading to an explosion in the sale of Hushpuppies.

One can’t help but think of the analogy of a butterfly flapping his wings in the forest, which results in a hurricane elsewhere. The links that must happen to cause that effect are remarkable. So too is the idea that any of these “trends” could be predictable. In essence, if you can figure out who the cool people are and get them to work for you–thus selling out their coolness–you could easily manufacture trends ad-nauseum. But does it work that way?  Whether it does or not, Gladwell weaves a fascinating tapestry that is well worth reading. **** Four Stars.

I’d Rather We’d Got Casinos and Other Black Thoughts by Larry Wilmore

Dissappointed wouldn’t be too hard a word to use in describing my feelings about this book. Larry Wilmore is one of my favorite TV personalities. I’ve always admired his role as The Daily Show’s Senior Black Correspondent. And the fact that he is the emmy-winning creator of the Bernie Mac Show is a testament to his wit and humor. But in this new book, Larry mixes used premises with tired punchlines to create a book that I could swear I’ve read before–only it was funnier then. If there’s a single original joke in this book, it’s escaped me. I halfway expected him resurrect Dick Gregory’s “sandwich” verses “sammich” debate from his “Bible Tales” back in the seventies.

Daily Show host Jon Stewart was being kind when he wrote for the cover, “Without a doubt the finest book of humor ever written by a guy standing behind me right now.” It is exactly the best thing that can be said about this book. But I’ll try one more, The title is clever and the jacket is well designed. I might also offer Mr. Wilmore takes a nice photo.

This is what the book feels like: It feels like he didn’t have his heart in it. I don’t know what else to say. It feels like the publishing company was pressuring him to write something and/or he needed the money, so he wrote. Something. Or rewrote. “Jesus is black because…” I really expected more–especially for $24.

Even if the book lacked wit or originality, I would hope that it would at least offer some type of insight into the social zietgist. Nah. Nada. Larry sounds like he wants to be a black Republican, but he lacks the arrogant conviction. He wants to be funny, but he lacks the “ha.” I have this sense he doesn’t want to be here. And I suggest you oblige him. **(Two Stars)