malcolm gladwell

Here's a link to the blog of Malcolm Gladwell, my favorite non-fiction writer and writing hero. He writes for The New Yorker, and has also published two books, of which I've read the latest, Blink (2005), a few years ago. He's a fabulous writer--articulate, lucid, able to explain complex ideas and specialist information very clearly to the non-specialist. His writing is usually an interesting blend of social science (psychology, sociology, etc.) with astute observations and insights. Being the social science fan that I am (I often dream of re-doing my undergraduate education with a double major in English and Economics, still minoring in French; or English and Sociology with French minor), I love reading his articles and learning about his latest topic. His writing always inspires me: the way he thinks, moves from research evidence to argument and back, how he structures and organizes his argument. His writing seems to suggest, even demonstrates, an extremely clear and precise mind. As a writer myself, I want to emulate that poise and power with the written word!

Anyway, this is a long prologue to the current topic of his blog: the controversy over performance-enhancing drugs in sports. Fascinating stuff; check it out!