I’m a sucker for pop soft-science books that straddle the line between business and economics. I feel the same way about Malcolm Gladwell as I do about Radiohead: I’m so in love with the real thing I’m still here for the knockoffs.
Chip and Dan Heath’s Made to Stick expanded on Gladwell’s idea from The Tipping Point that ideas needed to be “sticky” to be successful, and that was a useful topic to explore – what does make certain things memorable? But guys – you can’t just take an idea from a book and keep turning it into more books. The Power of Moments tries to do for Made to Stick what MtS did for The Tipping Point, and there’s not enough there there.
Yes, people are likely to have the bulk of their experience shaped by a few key highlights (or lowlights for less positive times), but is that really all that surprising? People like the unexpected, but all novelty becomes routine eventually. The hedonic treadmill’s a bitch, guys.
That said, it was well written and an enjoyable read, but not all that memorable, ironically enough. If you enjoyed Made to Stick, this is very much in keeping, and the Heaths balance readability and data excellently. I’m definitely looking forward to their next book.