The Thousands

Journalism is essentially a simple game. Curiosity is the basic precursor to discovery, so it all comes down to a willingness to question.

A staff writer at The New Yorker, Malcolm Gladwell understands this guiding principle. But what differentiates him from other long-form journalists – and what make this collection so compelling – is the sort of questions he asks.

These twenty brilliant, engaging essays – each of about twenty to thirty pages, all previously published in the magazine – deal with a myriad of fascinating junk: that maybe criminal profiling is shamefully inaccurate; maybe betting on failure in financial markets is more profitable than betting on success; and maybe hair dye advertisements underwrote the rise of 20th century American feminism.

Gladwell’s angles are always obscure; few ask the sort of questions he does. His writing is direct and meticulously factual, but never dry. Each piece is a miniature world, personal and complex. And Gladwell knows the right questions are only half the job. Above all, he’s an expert storyteller.