David and Goliath

Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants

By: Malcolm Gladwell

Narrated by: Malcolm Gladwell

Length: 7 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

Audie Award Winner, Nonfiction, 2014

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 best-selling 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 best-sellers - 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.

©2013 Malcolm Gladwell (P)2013 Hachette Audio

Poignant and Inspirational

The book starts a bit slow and there is a lot of repetition of themes in the earlier chapter that can make it a bit hard to get into. However, if you can stick it out, the story builds into one of the most inspirational books I have read in years.
The author does a great job blending the personal stories with hard data and facts to make a compelling story. As a person who has struggled with shame over their neurodivergence, this book reframed so many things I had considered weakness and made me feel like I had something worth contributing to the world too.
I loved the audiobook so much that I bought a copy for my father as well, who has dyslexia and struggled in school. I will never forget him calling me after listening to the chapter on Dyslexia and telling me how in his 50+ years, he had never heard of any other people, especially in successful roles, who had shared his experiences and difficulties in school.

I have never looked at it that way

I finished this book with a new prospective on a number of issues. Some things changed my mind, so reinforcing my current feelings and others are going to be some great conversation starters.

The reality of something that seems to be true juxtaposed again research of what is actually true.

I liked how much I learned and may re-listen so the knowledge sinks in even more!

The storytelling stood out the most. Very engaging.

The storytelling stood out the most. Very engaging.Once you start it it’s very hard to stop. The characters were well chosen and thoroughly mischaracterized in history until Gladwell brought their true heroism to life.

Classic Gladwell... A fascinating perspective.

What did you like best about this story?

Malcolm Gladwell sees the world through the eyes of an objective observer. He takes nothing at face value and in this book, he takes us behind the scenes of some well known, and unknown underdog stories.

The fun thing about this book is that for most people the title would simply be a symbol of the little guy who doesn't stand a chance against some unbeatable giant, but Gladwell sees this classic story from an entirely different perspective. He shows us that *David* was clearly the superior fighter. He breaks it down so clearly that you see that Goliath simply didn't have a chance.

Once he establishes this fundamental shift in perspective, he then dives into a series of stories of people who succeed not in spite of their adversities... but because of them.

As always, Galdwell doesn't just base his positions on his own opinion, but based upon intensive research. For example, in a study of the greatest leaders of all time, he made a list of all of the people in the Encyclopedia Britannica who had more than two columns written about them. He then researched every name in the list to determine the percentage of them who lost a parent at a young age and was able to demonstrate that a disproportionate number of great leaders had indeed been from shattered families.

I was particularly interested in his research in education, where he demonstrated solid reasons why emphasis on smaller class sizes and affirmative action were off target, and why aiming for Ivy League schools isn't always in the best interest of the student.

Above all, Malcolm Gladwell has delivered another classic book that simply makes you think outside the box. In this particular book, he also makes it easier for you to look adversity in the eye and say... "thanks".

Thought provoking

it challenged my understanding of commonly held beliefs. I will be listening to it again.

Great as always.

What did you love best about David and Goliath?

His performance was great. Malcolm Gladwell keeps the reader wanting more. The story was great and hope to read more from him.

Not Your Usual Gladwell Book

Any additional comments?

Select stories from the Old Testament/Torah have been written and re-written for children for decades. The biblical story of David and Goliath is as well-known as Jonah and the fish. The application of the underdog overcoming all odds to beat the giant has been repeated and applied to one person suing Proctor & Gamble and winning, a 60 year old woman swimming from Cuba to Florida, and to a small cadre of soldiers winning independence from a powerful mother country. Stories such as these surround us, and yet, we are always amazed and we always want to read the story again.

The physiological/physical examination of Goliath’s acromegaly and pituitary macroadenoma has been noted in previous publications. It is the case of innocent childhood bravado up against a physically impaired adult coming together in an unexpected way, a fresh approach, that results in a new conclusion. The same surprise at results is recorded by Gladwell as he examines the easily believed study that shows smaller class size results in better performing students to be false and more money doesn’t result in more happiness. Let’s just fire the bad teachers and accept that money can’t really buy happiness.

I have read all of Malcom Gladwell’s books. This one is the dullest of all. Nothing new has been revealed. No reasons are given to be excited at saying you have read this book. He has researched this extensively, well, maybe too much, to arrive at conclusions that are not profound. His dull, nearly monotone voice is empty of enthusiasm and is “music” to sleep by. If you have read Blink! The Outliers, or The Tipping Point, you must read this one to hear what I mean.

Not Quite Up to His Previous Standard

Malcolm Gladwell typically provides highly interesting insights and food for thought challenging popular perceptions. The best example in this book is the title story of David and Goliath. He shows quite persuasively that David was no innocent shepherd boy, but a highly skilled variant of a well-known military fighter of his time: the “slinger” who attacked his opponent from a distance with well-directed and lethal stones from a slingshot. He caught Goliath by surprise, but his weapon and role were not that great a surprise.

That said, Mr. Gladwell does make a couple of claims in this book that in my mind were not well-founded. The first related to the supposed strategic mistakes made by the British Army in Northern Ireland in the early 1970’s in trying to bring peace to that troubled region. The second is his claim that the California “Three Strikes” law eventually proved harmful to the state. I think the Northern Ireland conclusion is overdrawn. Yes, the British made many mistakes in that peacekeeping role. However, I do not believe they were the strategic dunderheads that Mr. Gladwell suggests they were. They had a very difficult problem, with IRA terrorists on one side and extremist Ulster “orangemen” on the other. In the case of the California “Three Strikes” law, I live in California. I voted for Three Strikes and believe it has played an important role in bringing down California crime rates. Has it been too severe in particular cases? Yes. Does it have room for improvement? Also yes. But has it been a mistake overall? I think not and respectfully disagree with Mr. Gladwell on his conclusion.

Gladwell doesn't disappoint

What made the experience of listening to David and Goliath the most enjoyable?

Malcolm Gladwell provides clear analysis of a very human and fascinating issue. Explores the issue of winners and losers considers situations then the "little" man wins against what seem to be "insurmountable odds."

What other book might you compare David and Goliath to and why?

It expands on themes discussed in Blink. I was interested in the number of successful people who suffered loss or great difficulties when they were young.

Have you listened to any of Malcolm Gladwell’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

He is clear and perfectly understandable. He tell a great story for each of the scenarios he provides. He is able to explore the research behind the issues without ever being dull or pedantic.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I did read it in one sitting. I plan to go back a read it again.

Any additional comments?

Just fabulous.