David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants

Malcolm Gladwell

Oct 2013 · Little, Brown

About this ebook

Explore the power of the underdog in Malcolm Gladwell's dazzling examination of success, motivation, and the role of adversity in shaping our lives, from the bestselling author of The Bomber Mafia.

Three thousand years ago on a battlefield in ancient Palestine, a shepherd boy felled a mighty warrior with nothing more than a stone and a sling, and ever since then the names of David and Goliath have stood for battles between underdogs and giants. David's victory was improbable and miraculous. He shouldn't have won.

Or should he have?

In David and Goliath, Malcolm Gladwellchallenges how we think about obstacles and disadvantages, offering a new interpretation of what it means to be discriminated against, or cope with a disability, or lose a parent, or attend a mediocre school, or suffer from any number of other apparent setbacks.

Gladwell begins with the real story of what happened between the giant and the shepherd boy those many years ago. From there, David and Goliath examines Northern Ireland's Troubles, the minds of cancer researchers and civil rights leaders, murder and the high costs of revenge, and the dynamics of successful and unsuccessful classrooms—all to demonstrate how much of what is beautiful and important in the world arises from what looks like suffering and adversity.

In the tradition of Gladwell's previous bestsellers—The Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers and What the Dog Saw—David and Goliath draws upon history, psychology, and powerful storytelling to reshape the way we think of the world around us.

Ratings and reviews

I love Malcolm Gladwell's books and have read almost all of them (if not all) and enjoyed them thoroughly. I think I got everything I needed from just the first few chapters from this book. Not that some of the later stories weren't interesting, I think they just weren't necessary for the point being made. Enjoyed the thesis idea, but the execution left something to be desired. That said, I will read Gladwell's next book as soon as it comes out (or as soon as it's on sale somewhere).

I bought this book thinking it would outline the advantages of having disadvantages. While it does contain examples of this, most of the book is just a collection of case studies and stats which contain insight into the basic plight of underdogs. I found the examples to be both shallow and repeatitive. Most of the stats and information can be found in 100 level tech schools as I find myself having already learned the lessons.

Although I sometimes find myself questioning certain details related to the conclusions in Gladwell's books, I rarely doubt his broader assertions. And I always enjoy his storytelling. In David and Goliath, he makes a compelling case that the real advantage less established players have when facing entrenched rivals is not so much the element of surprise as it is the predictability of one's lumbering opponent. Gladwell uses a range of examples to make his points, ranging from California's three-strikes rule to doctors fighting childhood leukemia.

About the author

Malcolm Gladwell is the author of five New York Times bestsellers: The Tipping Point,Blink, Outliers,What the Dog Saw, and David and Goliath. He is also the co-founder of Pushkin Industries, an audio content company that produces the podcasts Revisionist History, which reconsiders things both overlooked and misunderstood, and Broken Record, where he, Rick Rubin, and Bruce Headlam interview musicians across a wide range of genres. Gladwell has been included in the Time 100 Most Influential People list and touted as one of Foreign Policy'sTop Global Thinkers.