With Gladwell, there's no mystery in his method and you're never left unsure of his meaning. He implores you to step-back and consider his insight, from a new point of view. He's an author inasmuch as he produces books. He is a writer inasmuch as he generates the written word, but above all, he is a campaigner: standing-up for the rights of obscure facts; that you don't yet know, but which are critical for you to understand.

His style is so fascinating, because at first glance, there appears to be no style at all. However, mention the concept of a narrative thread, that jumps from one country to another, from one epoch to the next and back again, mix it with a sense of urgency; to get you to the good stuff without delay, and add-in some social-science study that you'd never before heard of, but will now struggle hard to forget, and you have your confection: the perfect Gladwell Cocktail.

Of his own style, he says he's keen to "...let the idea be the hero of the story" and there is a lot to be said of his unfussy style. He's often heard saying that in order to be a journalist, one has to subjugate oneself, in relation to the person that one's interviewing... but in his books, he takes it one step further, and subjugates style in service of the message. With Gladwell, it's all about everything, apart from Gladwell.

This man cracked-open a gash in my head, and let the sunlight in.

- Pal Blanko