Generally speaking people like to have as much information as possible before making big decisions. Malcolm Gladwell's book takes a close look at the split-second decisions we make over and over without conscious knowledge. This may be called intuition, a flash of insight, or, as described in his book, "thin-slicing." But they have in common those impressions and judgements that come without the large amount of data and time that we often think as necessary to make informed decision.

In general, this is a well-written book about a fascinating topic. Gladwell discusses several ideas, such as how (and how often) our unconscious mind "thin-slices" a moment to gather and sift through lots of information very quickly. The middle part describes when and why such impressions can go wrong. Last he covers how we can train and improve our ability to gain credible moments of insight.

Arcane medical and psychological terms are kept to a minumum. Rather, Gladwell uses dozens of short anecdotes and experiments to illustrate his ideas. Because of this the book reads easily while the author's points remain clear. His points are clear and well laid out. There are ideas in this book and are thought provoking and, in some cases, could alter how some people approach their own minds and lives.

Unfortunately, the book also bogs down in places. In the first chapter, Gladwell discusses several stories to which he then refers over, and over, and over. Before reaching the middle of the book I was already tired of recalling details of kouroi, marriage relations and gamblers. Additionally, there are occasions where Gladwell gets a little too involved in making braod generalizatoins about topics which don't seem related to his main points at all. Additionally, some examples he gives of when thin-slicing breaks down have the feel of being tossed in as self-explanatory but on close examination lose impact. There isn't much discussion on recognizing when you are getting a good thin-slice and a reading is merely interference.

If you've ever wanted to understand why your brain sometimes says one thing while your "gut" says another, or why some people can size up some situations so quickly, read this book. If not, reading this book may make you wonder why you weren't interested. Overall, Blink was an enjoyable and insightful read and one that I recommend. I would read another book by Gladwell.