Java Man

Java Man, by Malcolm Gladwell, is about the rise of caffeine over the years. He begins by introducing Coca Cola. He then goes into greater detail, talking about tea and soda and coffee. His essay goes into great detail about coffee, making it the main focus in this piece. Gladwell breaks down the evolution of caffeine in coffee over years and years.
He tells of the coffee houses of the 18th century and how they gave birth to a new era for caffeine drinkers. His thoroughly researched facts present themselves when he is talking about the rise of coffee and caffeine. For example, he talks about the statistics of how coffee's affects differ greatly from person to person. The caffeine in coffee has double the affect on a 100 lb woman than it does on a 200 lb man.
Gladwells arguments and research are very interesting. For someone to research the effects of caffeine in coffee, tea and soda, and how the concentrations in each differ is very interesting. He does a very good job as well, in finding the right things to back up his arguments. I completely agree with him that caffeine is a drug and that its effects can have a great impact on someone, but I also agree that it is a very safe drug that no one should really be afraid of.
Gladwell presents his arguments well, and with his careful research, he does a good job of being convincing about the effects of coffee on the human body. His compelling arguments really drew me in, and as the reader I think that is important. Good job Gladwell!