Audiobook Sample
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- Title: Contagious: Why Things Catch On
- Author: Jonah Berger
- Narrator: Keith Nobbs
- Length: 06:50:00
- Version: Abridged
- Release Date: 05/03/2013
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Genre: Business & Economics, Marketing & Advertising, Non-Fiction, Social Science
- ISBN13: 9.78E+12
As someone who has spent decades analyzing how stories spread across cultures and mediums, I found Jonah Berger’s “Contagious: Why Things Catch On” to be a revelatory intersection of marketing science and narrative theory. The audiobook experience, narrated with crisp precision by Keith Nobbs, offers a compelling case study in how ideas propagate – a phenomenon I’ve observed both in literary canons and viral internet trends.
Berger’s six principles of contagiousness (Social Currency, Triggers, Emotion, Public, Practical Value, and Stories) resonate deeply with my academic work on cross-cultural narratives. I recall teaching a seminar at Berkeley where we analyzed how Murakami’s surrealism spread globally – not through traditional marketing, but through the very mechanisms Berger describes. The ‘social currency’ of being the first to discover an obscure Japanese author, the ’emotional’ resonance of his lonely protagonists, and how his ‘stories’ became vessels for discussing modern alienation.
Nobbs’ narration deserves particular praise for its academic yet engaging tone – a balance I strive for in my own lectures. His pacing mirrors Berger’s methodical arguments, slowing slightly during complex concepts like the STEPPS framework, then accelerating through anecdotal examples with the energy of a TED Talk. The audio production enhances comprehension, with subtle pauses that function like paragraph breaks in a scholarly article.
Berger’s analysis of “The New York Times”‘ most-emailed articles particularly fascinated me, recalling my research on how literary criticism goes viral. His finding that awe-inspiring content spreads fastest explains why Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” analysis pieces outperformed standard reviews – a phenomenon I’ve tracked across three languages.
The audiobook’s greatest strength lies in its interdisciplinary approach, blending behavioral economics with narrative theory. However, as a literature scholar, I wished for deeper exploration of how cultural context modifies these principles. My Tokyo students shared earthquake preparedness memes differently than my California students – a nuance beyond Berger’s largely U.S.-focused case studies.
Compared to similar works like Malcolm Gladwell’s “The Tipping Point”, Berger offers more actionable frameworks while sacrificing some storytelling flair. Nobbs’ narration bridges this gap, injecting warmth into data-heavy sections. The 5-hour runtime feels ideal – comprehensive yet concise enough for commuters, a format I’ve come to appreciate since recording my own podcast.
For listeners, I recommend pairing this with the “Harvard Business Review”‘s podcasts on narrative psychology. The combination creates what I call ‘stereo learning’ – hearing complementary ideas through different audio formats, much like reading a novel in both its original and translated versions reveals new dimensions.
In scholarly solidarity,
Prof. Emily Chen
