Chapter Five: The Power of Context (Part Two): The Magic Number One Hundred and Fifty Summary and Analysis

To explain this second side of the power of context, Gladwell asks the audience to consider the success of Rebecca Wells' novel The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. The novel, Wells' second, enjoyed only moderate success in hardback format. Once it was released in paperback, the novel took off slowly, but soon reached the bestseller list. Book clubs became the key to Wells' success.

Book clubs, Gladwell explains, create the best environment for such a book. The book lends itself to a book club environment due to its highly relatable subject matter and multifaceted plot. By their nature, book clubs remain small and close knit groups. Just this type of group, Gladwell...