Malcolm Gladwell Joins Texas Book Festival Lineup

AUSTIN, TX — The upcoming Texas Book Festival will feature New York Times #1 best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell among its marquee lineup of authors in October, officials announced on Wednesday.

Gladwell will present his new book, Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don’t Know, on Saturday, Oct. 26 at 1 p.m. Book tickets to see Gladwell present this “classically Gladwellian adventure” are available via the Texas Book Festival website and will highlight the troubles and scandals from history through today, festival officials said.

Gladwell is the author of five New York Times bestsellers—The Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers, What the Dog Saw, and David and Goliath—and has been included in TIME magazine’s “100 Most Influential People” list and touted as one of Foreign Policy‘s “Top Global Thinkers.”

The author's new work is described as "a challenging and controversial excursion through history, psychology, and scandals taken straight from the news." Gladwell revisits the deceptions of Bernie Madoff, the trial of Amanda Knox, the suicide of Sylvia Plath, the Jerry Sandusky pedophilia scandal at Penn State University, and the death of Sandra Bland — throwing our understanding of these and other stories into doubt.

It's Gladwell's first book since his #1 best-seller David and Goliath, and with it he has produced a gripping guidebook for troubled times, festival organizers said.

Courtesy image.

Book tickets for this session are available now via Texas Book Festival’s website and cost $35. Purchasing a book ticket grants admission for one to the Festival session and one pre-signed copy of Gladwell’s Talking to Strangers. Seating for this session will open at 12 p.m. on Saturday, October 26th, and book tickets are required to attend.

The 2019 Texas Book Festival is co-presented by H-E-B and AT&T. Other major sponsors include Brigid Cockrum and Family, Kirkus Reviews, Central Market, Texas Monthly, Tocker Foundation, Buena Vista Foundation, C-SPAN 2/Book TV, St. David’s HealthCare, Austin American-Statesman, and Pentagram. Texas Capital Bank is a contributing sponsor of the Malcolm Gladwell event.

For more information on the Texas Book Festival, visit www.texasbookfestival.org, and follow along on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @texasbookfest.

WHEN: Saturday, October 26th at 1 p.m.

WHERE: First Baptist Church | 901 Trinity St.

TICKETS: $35 | Includes pre-signed copy of Talking to Strangers and admission to event.

WEBSITE: https://www.texasbookfestival.org/malcolm-gladwell-austin-october-26/

ABOUT TEXAS BOOK FESTIVAL

With a vision to inspire all Texans to love reading, the Texas Book Festival connects authors and readers through experiences that celebrate the culture of literacy, ideas, and imagination. Founded in 1995 by former First Lady Laura Bush, Mary Margaret Farabee, and a group of volunteers, the nonprofit Texas Book Festival promotes the joys of reading and writing through its annual Festival Weekend, the Texas Teen Book Festival, the Reading Rock Stars Title I elementary school program, the Real Reads Title I middle and high school program, grants to Texas libraries, and year-round literary programming. The Festival is held on the grounds of the Texas Capitol each fall and features more than 275 renowned authors, panels, book signings, cooking demonstrations, and children’s activities. The 2019 Texas Book Festival Weekend will take place October 26 - 27. Thanks to generous donors, sponsors, and 1,000 volunteers, the Festival remains free and open to the public. Visit www.texasbookfestival.org for more information, and join the conversation using the hashtag #txbookfest on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @texasbookfest.