The author of this article is writing for the casual reader of Gladwell's book who comes away thinking they have learned some history. That person may weigh the

The author of this article is writing for the casual reader of Gladwell's book who comes away thinking they have learned some history. That person may weigh their enjoyment of the story more or less strongly against whether it says something true about history, so may or may not appreciate Gladwell's emphasis. Either way, this article allows them to put the story better into the context of the history it purports to describe.