To try and get your opinions ... if you're interested, there's another book, "Th!nk: Why Crucial Decisions Can't Be Made in the Blink of an Eye" by Michael R. LeGault. The heading and first sentence in the book jacket say, "This isn't the time to Blink. It's time to THINK! -- before it's too late. Outraged by the downward spiral of American intellect and culture, Michael R. LeGault offers the flip side of Malcolm Gladwell's bestselling phenomenon, Blink, which theorized that our best decision-making is done on impulse, without factual knowledge or critical analysis."
I personally disagree that Blink reaches that theory or conclusion, but I do invite those who have disagreements, doubts, and questions about what was written in Blink to chime in. I recall that there were people from Stanford who had a lot of questions for Malcolm Gladwell when he spoke at our Books Inc. in January 2005.
-- Sharlene Gee
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I haven't read this book. It does sound interesting, but what I don't like (from what I read about it on Amazon) is he's trying to capitalize off of _Blink_ and the easiest way to do that is attack a straw man argument that _Blink_ never makes. Gladwell even says that there are problems that are insight puzzles and logic puzzles. Certainly for some problems you have to analyze and think and take your time. In other problems no amount of that will help.
I read the first three chapters and the last (titled "How to Save Civilization in One Easy Step"). I usually finish probably 98% of all books I start; I couldn't get through this one. I was off to a bad start in the first chapter because I didn't like the long, reactionary tirade against Blink and Malcolm Gladwell, and I disagreed with LeGault's conclusions. I have difficulties understanding the author's message because of the way he delivers it. I can't distill his point from all the diatribe. He seems to criticize American society at length; it just gets tiresome. He's like a stranger you meet somewhere that bombards you with his or her negative opinions and offers nothing constructive.
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