Questions for: What the Dog saw and Other Adventures

Malcolm Gladwell

  1. Which essay stayed with you the longest, and why?
  2. Was there an essay that changed the way you think about an everyday topic?
  3. Did you notice any common themes running through the collection?
  4. How does Gladwell make complex ideas accessible to general readers?
  5. Which essay did you find the least convincing? What didn't work for you?
  6. Gladwell often begins with a seemingly ordinary story before revealing a larger idea. Was this approach effective?
  7. How does he use anecdotes and research together? Did you find the balance persuasive?
  8. Did his writing ever feel too simplistic or overly speculative? Why or why not?
  9. Are there examples where Gladwell seems to draw conclusions that go beyond the available evidence?
  10. Did reading this collection make you more curious or more skeptical about popular science. writing?
  11. Many essays explore how experts think differently from everyone else. Which examples stood out?
  12. What does the book suggest about intuition versus analysis?
  13. How does Gladwell challenge conventional wisdom?
  14. Which essay best illustrates the importance of perspective or seeing a familiar problem in a new way?
  15. Did any essay make you reconsider your own assumptions or habits?
  16. Was there a topic you wished Gladwell had explored more deeply?
  17.  If you could discuss one essay with the author, which would you choose and what would you ask?
  18. Who would you recommend this book to? Who might not enjoy it?
  19. If you had to summarize the book's central message in one sentence, what would it be?