March 29, 2011 - 8:11pm
Book of the Week: 'What the Dog Saw'
BY ANDREW LAPIN
For those who want to broaden your understanding of the outside world in fashionable, easy-to-digest essays that will give you fascinating tidbits to break out at cocktail parties, “What the Dog Saw” is for you. The book collects essays originally published in The New Yorker over the last decade by revered intellectual journalist Malcolm Gladwell. Odds are that you’ve discussed Gladwell’s work in your Economics, Statistics and/or Psychology classes, as his previous books have attempted to decipher the logic of decision-making (“The Tipping Point,” “Blink”) or rationalize the very existence of exceptional individuals in our society (“Outliers”).
Gladwell’s essays in “Dog” find unique angles with which to approach topics as diverse as gourmet ketchup, homelessness and “The Dog Whisperer” (where the book gets its title). He tracks down the experts in whatever field happens to interest him at the moment and uses their testimony to draw unexpected conclusions. In one, for example, Gladwell makes a convincing parallel between the NFL Draft and the hiring process for schoolteachers. In another, my personal favorite, he discusses, at length, a case where an article of his was plagiarized by a playwright – ultimately deciding that the playwright did nothing wrong. Huh? Turns out Gladwell doesn’t think he should own the exclusive rights to his words, and musicians shouldn’t own exclusive rights to melodies. If this intrigues/enrages you, read “What the Dog Saw”… then tell me what you see.
A side note: Gladwell’s books often have notable Michigan connections, and this one is no exception. A chapter on the birth control pill features an extensive interview with Anthropology professor Beverly Strassman, and later on Psychology professor Richard Nesbitt briefly weighs in on the superficiality of the job interview. Cool stuff. So pick up this book and amaze your friends.
