Why in the late 1980s and early '90s did Los Angeles become the bank robbery capital of the world? What is the Magic Third and what does it have to do with racial equity? What do big cats and clusters of teen suicide have in common? These are just some of the questions Malcolm Gladwell addresses in this provocative new work, which revisits the phenomenon of social epidemics and examines the ways in which we have learned to tinker with and shape the spread of ideas, viruses, and trends--sometimes with great success, sometimes with disastrous consequences.

Gladwell shows that--whether in neighborhoods, schools, zoos, or conference rooms--today's epidemics are turbocharged versions of their earlier counterparts, and we are more tempted than ever to try to manipulate tipping points for our own ends. Yet these efforts often come at a cost, creating difficult tradeoffs and unexpected dilemmas. Above all, we must recognize our responsibility--as individuals and as a society--to take tipping points seriously if we want to change our world for the better. With this thought-provoking new book, his most personal yet, Gladwell gives us the insights we need to meet these challenges in innovative ways.