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

~ (Author) "In 1997, Merv and Mona, a married couple from Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, arrived at an awfully clean laboratory at Vanderbilt University to visit a..." (more)
Key Phrases: speed dating, Extra Lean Deli Slicing, New York, Leonard Slye (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

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. Using what scientific researchers call 'Extra–Lean Deli Slicing' (or would, if they actually bothered to research it), 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 No. 1 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, the brilliantly impulsive and slightly irresponsible Noah Tall explains how people as diverse as General Custer, Roy Rogers, a semi–famous rock star, and the entire New York City Police Department either won big or lost miserably as a result of their minds going completely blank.

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 highly acclaimed national bestseller The Tippling Point, which has yet to be published.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Harper Paperbacks (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 (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #826,121 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

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

Amazon Verified Purchase

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

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Forgettable, January 18, 2009

By	Sally - See all my reviews

Forgettable Blah - blah. I have read in some of Seth Godin's and Eric Sink's books about how you first select that which you can sell and only then do you create the product. This book is exactly of that sort. Capitalizing on the catchniness of Blink and riding its coat tails, this book is about getting itself sold to you. Well, I took the bait, plopped down my $ and reading it was my penance. Utterly devoid of anything of interest or of use. Trite and overworked. Stay away

Yes indeed it IS mindless drivel - just like the subtitle ( A mindless parody) says..

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

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.