Page 40 - Sharp November 2024

You’re approaching these questions at such a different time than your first book, but also as such a different writer. What were the unique challenges that arose in Revenge of the Tipping Point?
It was really quite mixed, actually. In some ways, it was a lot simpler, especially in terms of reporting. It’s a lot easier to get people to call me back than it was 20 years ago. That comes with a reputation, and the degree to which that helps with reporting can’t be understated. But, at the same time, there was also a challenge in referencing and being in conversation with a book that also has its own reputation. With Talking to Strangers, for instance, I was starting from scratch with a new idea. It was a nice clean slate. But this was the first time I’ve ever written a book where I was wrestling with work I had already done, which was quite challenging.
The Tipping Point really made my reputation, in some ways, and now it feels necessary to update it for the world we’re in today. But I have to work within the theoretical structure of the original work. From a structural stand- point, it was an interesting challenge that I’ve never had to deal with before.
Are there other works — books, podcast series, articles — that this made you want to revisit?
I like the idea. I thought it was really fun and interesting to explicitly revisit and, in some ways, challenge something I did a quarter-century ago. Initially, I wanted to do a simple revision. But I realized quickly that I was not nearly the same person as I was 25 years ago. The world was not nearly the same. Of course, it turned into a much more complex project, one that also became quite personal. So, yes, I think it’s something I’d consider exploring again, maybe not just with my own work, but other works that surround societal behaviour that feel so resonant but need to be looked through a modern lens.
So much of your work — whether it’s The Tipping Point, David & Goliath, Blink, or this latest book — is predicated on your ability to scan the world for curiosities that the rest of us have overlooked. Is that a mode you get in when preparing for research or are you automatically attuned to it, the way a painter might see the world in a painterly way?
I think I’ve always been inescapably curious that way. But I suppose that’s the writer’s job, generally. Where other people might notice a pattern and say, “Oh, that’s interesting,” I think our job is to ask, “Is that a story?” These patterns and oddities in life aren’t just interesting to us. They’re the raw materials of our work. At this point, I’ve been doing it for 40 years, so I find those raw materials just seep in. But it also comes with practice. I try to read intently, watch intently, be present. Being a writer, in many ways, is being active in the world.
Part of the curiosity that drives your work comes in your interviewing, which is at the core of both your writing and Revisionist History. From 40 years of experience, what are the most critical traits in being an exceptional interviewer?
It’s funny you mentioned this because, for the longest time — for most of my career — I do not think I was a good interviewer. But I’ve gotten better. A large part of that is because of the podcast, like you said. The volume of interviews for it is so extensive. So, I suppose my tip would be intensive practice.
More importantly, I’ve learned so much of it has to do with deep listening. At the end of a good interview, you should be exhausted. You can’t be listening superficially; your job as a writer is to understand what people mean, not what they say. And then, you’re also there to assist your subject in telling your story. You’re a partner with them. So, it takes a lot of work. But if you do a good job, you’ll know it, because you’ll be exhausted.
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“I suppose that’s the writer’s job, generally. Where other people might notice a pattern and say, ‘Oh, that’s interesting,’ I think our job is to ask, ‘Is that a story?’ These patterns and oddities in life aren’t just interesting to us. They’re the raw materials of our work.”