Second That Emotion: How Decisions, Trends & Movements Are Shaped

Branding and research strategist Holden examines the processes by which decisions are made and movements grow or stumble, drawing on a wide variety of topical subjects to illustrate his theses. Would-be social architects may be disheartened to discover that while Holden does believe we can understand the often irrational and counter-intuitive ways people arrive at their beliefs, this does not translate into shaping those beliefs according to some grand plan; contingency and happenstance still play crucial, unavoidable roles. Although engaging and entertaining, Holden’s work feels more anecdotal than scientific, more pop culture than scholarly, its glib collection of just-so stories diverting without being convincing; a glimpse at the end notes reveals heavy use of sources like IMDb and Wikipedia. As a result, while this book can be recommended for its entertainment value, its utility as a serious work is open to question. Illus. Agent: Second City Publishing. (Sept.)