What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures

Whatisthedifferencebetweenchokingandpanicking?Whyaretheredozensofvarietiesofmustard-butonlyonevarietyofketchup?Whatdofootballplayersteachusabouthowtohireteachers?Whatdoeshairdyetellusaboutthehistoryofthe20thcentury?Inthepastdecade,MalcolmGladwellhaswrittenthreebooksthathaveradicallychangedhowweunderstandourworldandourselves:TheTippingPoint;Blink;andOutliers.Now,inWhattheDogSaw,hebringstogether,forthefirsttime,thebestofhiswritingfromTheNewYorkeroverthesameperiod.Hereisthebittersweettaleoftheinventorofthebirthcontrolpill,andthedazzlinginventionsofthepastasaucepioneerHowardMoscowitz.GladwellsitswithRonPopeil,thekingoftheAmericankitchen,ashesellsrotisserieovens,anddivinesthesecretsofCesarMillan,the"dogwhisperer"whocancalmsavageanimalswiththetouchofhishand.Heexploresintelligencetestsandethnicprofilingand"hindsightbias"andwhyitwasthateveryoneinSiliconValleyoncetrippedoverthemselvestohirethesamecollegegraduate."Goodwriting,"Gladwellsaysinhispreface,"doesnotsucceedorfailonthestrengthofitsabilitytopersuade.Itsucceedsorfailsonthestrengthofitsabilitytoengageyou,tomakeyouthink,togiveyouaglimpseintosomeoneelse'shead."WhattheDogSawisyetanotherexampleofthebuoyantspiritandunflaggingcuriositythathavemadeMalcolmGladwellourmostbrilliantinvestigatorofthehiddenextraordinary.