I'm Malcolm Gladwell, author of The Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers, What The Dog Saw, David Goliath, and Talking to Strangers.

3 books (not yours) that you think should be essential reading for American adults?

i think that it would be real useful, right now, for Americans to read, or re-read, the New Testament, so they could see that Jesus spent nearly all of his time speaking to the poor and welcoming immigrants, refugees and outcasts. kind of a good thing to be reminded of these days.

And the other two?

then i recommend that americans go back and read the new testament a second and then a third time

Technically, the New Testament is 27 books.

nice ;)

Hearing you discuss how unfair the David v Goliath battle (can't remember if it was a TED talk or Radiolab) was has really changed my perspective on how history is written by the victors.

How do you think the current US presidential administration will be portrayed in 50 or 100 years?

i have vowed that at no point during the promotion of this book will i utter the "T" word. :)

Hi Malcolm, thanks for doing this AMA. I’ve been a huge fan of Revisionist History and your books for a couple years now (currently reading Talking to Strangers). What do you think makes a good podcast, and what inspires the themes of each season for Revisionist History? ^{Also what did you and Camille get on the LSAT?}

EDIT:Formatting

podcasts work best when there is a least one voice on the episode that the listener cares about. like when i did the boston tea party episode this season. l interviewed a hilarious tea expert named tony glebley, and after the interview was over i was sure that the episode would work because i was sure that almost anyone would want to listen to tony.

Would you rather take one punch from Mike Tyson or have his voice for the rest of your life?

i love this question. i'll take his voice. not sure i would survive the punch

What thing(s) do you most wish Americans understood better about Canada?

the best thing about canada--that americans don't recognize--is that we're a country whose citizens look for reasons to agree with each other. as opposed to vice versa. this is my great frustration with the US. i don't think americans really are divided. i just think that they work really hard at playing up their differences.

Did your research in your new book lead you to think that Jerry Sandusky is innocent?

oh man. that's a tough question. after hours and hours of reading through the court transcripts, all i can conclude is that the case is really really weird and difficult. something happened. i'm just not sure anyone knows what it was. the fact that the kid who was seen in the shower with sandusky--which got the whole case started--never testified, because the PROSECUTION didn't believe his story, is something of a red flag...

Are you certain that the prosecution didn't believe his story? Could it have been that they were worried that his change in statements could have been used to impeach his credibility and the credibility of the case in chief?

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Edit: In other words, can you say for certain that it was not a tactical decision vs. a credibility decision?

i do think there were worried about the witness's credibility. i mean--the boy in the shower surfaces after ten years and says--nothing happened! and then a week later, he lawyers up and changes his mind and the prosecution concludes that his statement was written by his lawyer. that's a bit . . . awkward.

Man, I can’t wait to read someone’s blogpost titled “Malcolm Gladwell is a Sandusky Denier”

please. i am agnostic on the case, not in denial.

How did you get started with your books? What prompted you to research the ideas presented in The Tipping Point?

And what's your favorite movie or tv series?

Yes! How did you pick up on those interesting phenomenons that are so easily overlooked?

its really hard! i spend the whole year gathering ideas and then halfway thorugh the production season i PANIC. i can't even think of what it will take to create another season without my heart racing with anxiety!

What is your response to this review, particularly this excerpt?

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https://twitter.com/johnfpfaff/status/1171461869392912384

well, this is a good example of why i sometimes find reviews of my work very frustrating. this particular passages critiques the basis for the romantic notion that poets commit suicide more than other professions. but i only referred to that belief in the context of a chapter where i ALSO critiqued the romantic interpretation of poet's behavior. sometimes critics work very hard to create controversy where none exists.

How many comedians have brought up your comments regarding their job being easy? Did you realize you were entering the danger zone?

hah! very funny. but remember. i didn't saw that the job of comedian was easy. I just said that the job of a teacher was harder. big difference. i'm not sure i could handle either of those gigs.

Being a teacher myself, I can tell you that the thought of doing 5 minutes of stand-up is more than a little daunting. Haven't you ever done a guest lecture or something of the sort?

i have done lectures. but no one is putting me under any pressure to be funny in my lectures, and i don't have to worry about unpredictable responses from my audience, like a teacher does. i suspect that you are unaware of how skilled you are!

I’m about halfway through the new audiobook and I’m already questioning my own judgements I’ve cast on people based on their facial expressions or lack thereof. In particular, I’ve judged someone harshly for showing lack of remorse...and now I feel unsure. Have you felt anything similar during your research for the book?

oh sure. i've become obsessed with watching people's faces as they listen to other people. its incredibly how many different ways people signal interest. some people will say (convincingly) that they are FASCINATED by what they are hearing. but their faces look completely bored. i wonder if i'd be better off as a conversationalist if i were blind

Hi Malcolm! I'm due to fly overseas in October right before your Edmonton show-- its honestly too bad! Thanks for everything you and your team do, its incredibly informative and so intriguing to listen to.

My question is, what were those final LSAT scores between you and Camille?

More seriously, what do you really want to achieve with the Revisionist team? What do you want Revisionist History and your next titles to achieve ultimately? :)

i see lots of questions about who did better at the LSAT, me or camille. i am taking that information to my grave! what do i want to achieve with RH? i want people to get better at changing their minds about things. i think that ability is the hallmark of a thoughtful person.

Follow-up: what episode(s) do you think have been the most impactful?

the RH episode that i STILL get the most comments one was the one about vassar versus bowdoin. i think that i must be on a dart-board all over the bowdoin campus.

Hahaha and considering your circles that makes sense.

close second: mcdonalds broke my heart. for obvious reasons

I am halfway through the Talking to Strangers audiobook and am impressed with how it was produced and how much more compelling it is to listen to than traditional audiobooks.

How has doing a podcast changed the way you wrote this book?

doing a podcast makes you very aware of emotion. as my friend charles always says, we think with our eyes and feel with out ears. so when i started writing TTS--which is a VERY emotional book--i immediately started to think about how it made much more sense for the audiobook to resemble a podcast. i actually think the audiobook is a "better" book than the physical in this case. actually hearing sandra bland, or the CIA guy discussing "enhanced interrogation" or any of the other voices, makes the story really REAL

Is there a revisionist history episode that deserves a second look? An episode that was probably overlooked or misunderstood in your opinion?

nothing would be truer to the spirit of revisionist history than someone doing a revisionist history of revisionist history. :)

You and the documentarian Ken Burns have recently shared an interest in the country music genre. Have you ever considered working together on a project?

i would do that in a heartbeat. are you kidding. ken! call me!

Hi Malcolm! Welcome to the AMA. I have really enjoyed how you have been able to create quality content across platforms. Who are some of your favorite creators?

i have many. but i've long been in awe of how bill simmons manages to so effortlessly be interesting, day in day out, on such a wide variety of topics.

If you had to interview/meet one person alive today and one person from the past who would they be?

easy. Alexander Pushkin, the patron saint of the audio company I just started with my friend Jacob Weisberg named. . . . Pushkin Industries! He was a brilliant, bi-racial writer. I mean. . .

Is it hard to change your mind? When have you ever completely changed your stance on something, even with minimal evidence or influence.

i actually think its easy, because the world is much more forgiving of mind-changing than you think. if you read my books, you'll see that i had a chapter on crime in The Tipping Point that I have been repudiating ever since.

In Talking with Strangers, and besides Harry Markopolos, did your research lead you to examine those people who are actually really good at reading people and discerning truth vs deception?

i did that in blink--and in a New Yorker piece I wrote years ago on the work of Paul Ekman. The super-detectors, as a group, are fascinating. but they are really, really rare.

I'm a 33 year-old woman with a huge crush on you. Love your podcast! I'm a more recent transplant to NYC, so my question is how has NYC changed since you moved here in the 90s?

welcome to NYC! the city is cleaner and richer and arguably more boring. but the coffee is DEFINITELY better.

Who is your favorite superhero and why?

well, she's not a "classic" superhero. but my favorite superheroish runner of the moment is the bad-ass scottish miler laura muir. watch her race sometimes!

What's your take on Eliud Kipchoge's attempt to go sub-2 in the marathon?

kipchoge is the greatest runner i've ever seen. but i'm still dubious he can break two. it is absolutely SURREAL to think that a human being can run that fast for that long...

Howdy sir. Thanks for the good reads & listens.

I'm intrigued with your five liquids thing. Just wondering if there are any times where you broke your rules, though? Alternately, would be interested to hear about a time when you were severely tempted, but ultimately remained true.

Meantime, remain excellent.

very interseting. all rules, of course, are made to be broken. my adherence to the five liquid rule--espresso, tea, water, milk, red wine--is observed in the main. but last night, for example, i had a martini. it wasn't bad. but the effect of having it was only to reinforce my commitment to the BIG FIVE. one thing i will never drink, by the way, is white wine. why? its like bad red wine.

Hello Malcolm! The message I took from your book Outliers was that talent doesn't mean much in a long run but can be a good start. So my question is: how many publications did you write before the Outliers and did you find a talent for writing in yourself in the beginning of your career?

i'm not sure that's what i meant in outliers. the bigger point in that book was that talent is not enough: that it also requires luck and assistance and LOTS of hard work. in my case, i did a solid ten years on a newspaper (10,000 hours!) before i was anywhere close to ready to write a good book. and then another ten years at the new yorker before i was ready to create a quality podcast.

What's your biggest fear in life?

that i will wake up in the morning and not be excited to start the day

What would you say is essential when listening to people from a different political affiliation?

How can we make those interactions more constructive?

Specially with Canada and the US heading to elections soon, this should be on everyone's agendas.

here's the thing. political beliefs represent only a TINY fraction of someone's overall set of beliefs. i would listen to their differences and then encourage them to talk about the things the two of you have in common. way more productive use of your time

Sir, having read two of your books during my college course I am very interested in you as an individual.

What would you say is the one childhood experience that has influenced your life the most?

i used to go for long walks with my dad. he would a) never slow down for me, even though my legs were way shorter, which i thought was beautiful, because it meant he saw me as an equal. and b) almost nothing was said on those walks, which made me realize that for him my company was sufficient. i have never forgot either lesson.

IF you had to give up one: running or reading, which would it be?

definitely running. because i could always still walk and bike, right? but without reading i would be a lost soul....

Favorite indulgent breakfast food?

i don't eat breakfast! i find it a baffling meal. i mean who wants to load up on calories after they've JUST been asleep. seems crazy to me.

Malcolm would you rather have no knees or no elbows? Meaning that either your arms or your legs would be straight for the rest of your life and You lose the ability to flex at either your knee or elbow joint. The limbs are still functional only not bendable

easy. i'll give up the elbows. although having said that, i'm not so sure why i chose elbows. is there a consensus on this? data? polling of the relevant experts? :)

What's your biggest weakness as a writer?

its the flipside of my strength. i'm an intellectual serial monogamist. i fall in love with the newest, best idea!