Malcolm Gladwell certainly can write well. “Blink” is the first book by him which I’ve read, and it is first of all a perfect example of what most high school teachers tell you to do in an essay: write about what you’re going to write about, write about it, and then go over what you’ve written.

The premise behind “Blink” isn’t all that outrageous: there can sometimes be a lot behind very quick decisions. In the blink of an eye, a person can gain a lot of information which, in some cases, outweighs much more heavily involved analysis. Gladwell goes through both the good and the bad sides of such phenomena, referencing a huge number of cases both in science and in general practice.

What perhaps is best about the style of “Blink” is that it is rather easy to read, and there are a number of different cases which point in along the same directions. On the other hand, certain points are made over and again in much the same style that it can be a tad frustrating: many of the examples are quite similar, and the theory in some ways does not advance beyond a certain complexity. This is, eventually, mostly in that there really isn’t much left to the theory to explore. It is an enjoyable, somewhat quick read which won’t hurt the brain, but will do something to stimulate it.