Why did crime in New York drop in the middle of the 90s? Why is teenage smoking out of control? Why are television shows like "Sesame Street" good at teaching kids how to read?

In "The Tipping Point," "New Yorker" writer Malcolm Gladwell looks at why major changes in society happen suddenly and unexpectedly. Just as a single sick person can start an epidemic of the flu, so too can a few fare-beaters and graffiti artists fuel a subway crime wave, or a satisfied customer fill the empty tables of a new restaurant. These are social epidemics, and the moment when they take off, when they reach their critical mass, is the Tipping Point.

Gladwell uncovers the personality types who are natural pollinators of new ideas and trends. He analyzes fashion trends, smoking, children s television, direct mail, and the early days of the American Revolution for clues about making ideas infectious.

"The Tipping Point" is an intellectual adventure story with an infectious enthusiasm for the power and joy of new ideas. Most of all, it is a road map to change, with a profoundly hopeful message: that one imaginative person applying a well-placed lever can move the world. "