• David and Goliath

  • Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants
  • By: Malcolm Gladwell
  • Narrated by: Malcolm Gladwell
  • Length: 7 hrs and 1 min
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (24,236 ratings)

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David and Goliath  By  cover art

David and Goliath

By: Malcolm Gladwell
Narrated by: Malcolm Gladwell
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Editorial reviews

Editors Select, October 2013 - Get ready to have your view of the world turned upside down. Malcolm Gladwell - best-selling author of Blink, The Tipping Point, and Outliers - returns to present new ways of looking at why being among the advantaged is not always advantageous. David & Goliath explores the \"art of battling giants\" through the personal accounts of underdogs and misfits whose wild success stories are often falsely considered flukes. This is not a sentimental celebration of good things happening to good people. In true Gladwellian fashion, the real reasons behind so many pull-from-behind wins are completely unexpected. And if you've ever heard any of the author's many speaking engagements you know to expect a lively listening experience with Gladwell narrating the book himself. (Tricia, Audible Editor)

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

What listeners say about David and Goliath

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  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Sometimes Interesting

narrator was great story was boring @ times intro was amazing the details of David the slinger 💥

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

To many stories, to long to get to the point.

The book does have a wealth of knowledge, but to many stories. I like stories, but it needs to get to the point faster.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Slide into mediocrity

I’ve read every one of Gladwell’s books and it pains me to say it that this one is far and away his worst book. Normally with a Galdwell book, I can’t stop reading/listening, but this meandering uninteresting and seemingly pointless book really misses the mark for me.

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    1 out of 5 stars
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No content

The first chapter is all this is worth. History lessons out of context trying to relate to the title.

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Fantastic

Malcolm Gladwell is always a delight. I laughed out loud on several occasions, choked back tears, and gave an astonished 'huh' nearly every chapter.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Ingenious

A must read by everyone and I mean everyone. You will think outside your box!

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A real eye opener

Malcolm’s books usually don’t have much of actionable information and this one is not the very different in that regard. But as usual his books are real eye-openers in terms of how the world actually functions. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It gives a hope for the underdogs. Not all is lost against giants.

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always great

Malcolm gladwell does it again. Researched, reasoned and read by the author. will read the next

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Giants in the Land

This was one of the first ebooks I read. Examining my own giants inspired me to write a poem. “Giants in the lLand”. I have just finished the audio book and it was like the first time. Thank you Mr. Gladwell for this wonderful book.

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Worth Reading - Intelligently

Often insightful, always preachy, and sometimes the arrow misses. Some analogies are wrong because the unsaid underlying facts and causes are not recognized.

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