At the beginning of the 21st century in the non-fiction category, Malcolm Gladwell's “The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference” should be in the top three books on anyone's reading list (along with Thomas Friedman's “The World Is Flat” and Stephen D. Levitt's “Freakonomics”).
Starting tonight and continuing into next month, the small but powerful book is the centerpiece of the Cayuga Reads Program.
Led by Seymour Library and incorporating other partners, including the Auburn Enlarged School District and Cayuga Community College, Cayuga Reads is a community-wide collaboration. The premise, done across the nation with different books, is to have whole communities read a book that is easily accessible (in this case it is not only available in paperback at $14.95, but can be picked up for loan at Seymour Library) and have the community make it the focus of discussions.
No policymaker worth their job should not have read this book by now, one that looks at not only how “social epidemics” are started - from simple items such as how the Hush Puppy shoe brand saw a resurgence after being in a few fashion shoots in New York after years of decline, or the mass popularity of the children's show “Blues Clues,” to why smoking, despite years of hard evidence against it, still continues to attract smokers and the explosion of teen suicides on one South Pacific island. For those who want to sell a product or a policy, this is a must read.
Lost in most of the focus on “social epidemics” is a secondary theme that Gladwell makes in his book about “connectors” - those who are able to literally connect one group to another. They may not be the people who do the work or provide all the information, but they are the individuals who make things happen because of their institutional memory and contacts - they are critical to make ideas, and more importantly, communities thrive. They aren't the usual suspects, such as mayors and other elected officials. They are often those who reside in a community who serve on boards or head local organizations that can put someone on the right track.
Tonight, at 7, the Seymour Library hosts a discussion on the book and a week from today, at the same time and location, a panel discussion on “Change Agents” will occur. They finish with a “Media Literacy” speaker on Nov. 8. For more information, contact Seymour Library or go to their website at seymourlibrary.org.
When the book first came out in 2002, it made this column's annual Christmas book list - it is still as timely in 2007.
Cosentino, a former mayor of Auburn, can be contacted at cozguytho@aol.com.
Led by Seymour Library and incorporating other partners, including the Auburn Enlarged School District and Cayuga Community College, Cayuga Reads is a community-wide collaboration. The premise, done across the nation with different books, is to have whole communities read a book that is easily accessible (in this case it is not only available in paperback at $14.95, but can be picked up for loan at Seymour Library) and have the community make it the focus of discussions.
No policymaker worth their job should not have read this book by now, one that looks at not only how “social epidemics” are started - from simple items such as how the Hush Puppy shoe brand saw a resurgence after being in a few fashion shoots in New York after years of decline, or the mass popularity of the children's show “Blues Clues,” to why smoking, despite years of hard evidence against it, still continues to attract smokers and the explosion of teen suicides on one South Pacific island. For those who want to sell a product or a policy, this is a must read.
Lost in most of the focus on “social epidemics” is a secondary theme that Gladwell makes in his book about “connectors” - those who are able to literally connect one group to another. They may not be the people who do the work or provide all the information, but they are the individuals who make things happen because of their institutional memory and contacts - they are critical to make ideas, and more importantly, communities thrive. They aren't the usual suspects, such as mayors and other elected officials. They are often those who reside in a community who serve on boards or head local organizations that can put someone on the right track.
Tonight, at 7, the Seymour Library hosts a discussion on the book and a week from today, at the same time and location, a panel discussion on “Change Agents” will occur. They finish with a “Media Literacy” speaker on Nov. 8. For more information, contact Seymour Library or go to their website at seymourlibrary.org.
When the book first came out in 2002, it made this column's annual Christmas book list - it is still as timely in 2007.
Cosentino, a former mayor of Auburn, can be contacted at cozguytho@aol.com.
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