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The latest episode of The Martha Stewart Podcast welcomed best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell to the microphone where he gave a special look at his life as a writer before drawing out an exclusive story from the podcast host.
What started as a conversation between Martha Stewart and Gladwell about his books reached a tipping point when the pair disagreed on how dangerous New York City was in the 1990’s.
Gladwell remembered a city stricken with crime waves while Stewart recalled never feeling unsafe in the city until 9/11. In fact, the only time she ever felt unsafe before then was during a failed mugging outside of her publisher’s office.
“It was not a pleasant experience, but I thought it was just kind of a weird occurrence,” said Stewart. “I knew people got mugged but you’re in the big city.”
She had the only copy of her latest cookbook in her bag and was heading towards the publishing office at 3:00 p.m. in Midtown East. As she exited a side street and prepared to walk across Park Avenue, Stewart was attacked by a strange man who demanded she hand over her money.
“(He) bashed me on the shoulders from behind and I dropped my manuscript,” she said. “I said to people standing around me, ‘Help me please!’ Nobody would help me.”
Stewart reached down and grabbed her bag, turned to the mugger and said, “You get out of here!” She then ran across the street and into her publisher’s building. She remembers her shoulders hurting for some time after the incident, but it wasn’t enough to make her afraid of New York City.
“Go to any city,” she said. “Go to Europe, go anyplace you (could) get mugged.”
Gladwell then shared his own mugging stories, specifically how he negotiated with his mugger on taking his money instead of his whole wallet. The two talked about more than just their brushes with criminals. They also discussed their favorite places to travel, their favorite sports, and the term Gladwell coined in his first novel The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference. He also gave an overview of his latest book, The Bomber Mafia, and what inspired him to write it.
Listen to "Martha & Malcom" to hear their full conversation on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you listen to podcasts. Subscribe to The Martha Stewart Podcast to get notified when Martha releases her latest interview.
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