Blank: The Power of Not Actually Thinking at All (A Mindless Parody) [Paperback]

Noah Tall (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 7, 2006

This book appeals to readers of parodies; readers of "Blink" 400,000 copy bestseller. Its extract appeared in national newspaper eg "The Mirror". Its reviews were featured in men's magazines eg "Nuts", "Bizarre". A smart, hilarious parody of Malcolm Gladwell's bestselling "Blink". Stop! Don't think! You already know what this book is about. That is the power of "Blank: The Power of Not Actually Thinking at all". Your brain has already decided whether you're going to like "Blank", whether its cover goes with your shirt, and whether it will make you look smart if somebody sees you reading it on the train. Chances are you and your shirt are both liking it a lot, you're going to buy several copies, and you don't even know why! That's why you've absolutely got to read "Blank": to find out why your brain keeps doing these wacky things without your permission. In "Blank", a hilarious parody of the number-one bestseller it looks eerily like (and sort of rhymes with) and that your brain wisely advised you to just read a review or magazine excerpt about while avoiding the actual book itself.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Noah Tall is a longtime subscriber to The New Yorker and other magazines that people leave on their coffee tables when they want to look smart. He has also been a member of NAMES, the dyslexic branch of MENSA, since 1598. He is the author of the acclaimed national bestseller The Flipping Point, which has yet to be published.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial (February 7, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060875763
• ISBN-13: 978-0060875763
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,244,298 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Good premise. Unfunny text., May 8, 2010

By 

Shmuel Gershon "sgershon" (Israel) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Blank: The Power of Not Actually Thinking at All (A Mindless Parody) (Paperback)

Although the idea is good (There's "Blink!", there's "Think!" and there's "Blank?"), and the quotes on the back are funny, the book itself is not funny.
The author tries very hard to be funny, and that makes it weak. He uses almost-funny names, and a succession of forced-weird situations and comments in a desperate tentative to crack the reader up.

Instead of entering into specifics, a suggestion: Read the entire "Look Inside" sample of Amazon before deciding, to be sure this kind of humor makes you laugh.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It's time to stop thinking folks, November 2, 2008

By 

Travis Stein (Houston, TX (USA)) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Blank: The Power of Not Actually Thinking at All (A Mindless Parody) (Paperback)

Being only 83 pages and a virtual bargain on the Amazon marketplace, Blank is a book that you must pick up if you're looking for a short/humorous book. Having not read the original Blink, I found it pretty humorous just as a stand-alone humor book. The author is Noah Tall, who belongs to the organization known as NAMES , the dyslexic branch of MENSA. The book features characters such as chess playing midgets disguised as taunting and obnoxious children, escapees from mental institutions pretending to be Antiques Roadshow experts, or bagpipers who are shot 247 times by the police just to make sure they hit their mark. Some parts of the book are just plain odd but a majority of the parts are amusing and very fun to read through. For a buck or whatever the price is these days on Amazon, pick this book up. You won't regret it for an afternoon pick me up and remember if this stuff doesn't work in real life, as the author says "you're doing it wrong, you MUST be thinking."

:D

-Travis

5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A brisk and stimulatingly funny read! Not to be missed!, February 16, 2006

By 

Ned Dworkin - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blank: The Power of Not Actually Thinking at All (A Mindless Parody) (Paperback)

Fans of Malcolm Gladwell's "Blink" may still find plenty of room in their admiration of the author to admit the possibility that his work is subject to affectionate parody. This amusing send up of Gladwell's book is a perfect companion piece to his thought-provoking effort, in that this one provides no provocation for thought at all -- in fact, it exhorts the reader to stop thinking altogether. When you come to think about it, that's a pretty good prescription for laughter. The author, whoever he may be (the pseudonym is almost translucent) also displays a deep understanding of deli meat, always a strong element in any truly satisfying work.