• 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 (24,267 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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Awesome book. Great read.

It's a great book. Good insight on why you would expect. I think it's well written.

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Excellent and insightful.

Gladwell's use of factual stories captured my attention. I appreciate the way he presents the human condition from so many different perspectives.

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Very useful

Where does David and Goliath rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Greatly enjoyed the book. Fascinating facts about class sizes giving adequate pool size to ferment improvement in students...

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first time with author

excelllent. so informative and enjoyable! first time with author, will not be last. looking forward to his other books.

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Very moving book

I finished the book in 1 week but only because my time was limited. The anecdotes were powerful and real. Thank you for this book.

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A perspective changing read!

What I once thought of ascweakness, I now see as the foundation for my strengths. Awareness sets me free!

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    4 out of 5 stars

Stunning and provocative

Love creative ideas for finding big fish in smaller pond opportunities. The ending stories about forgiveness over harsh justice are inspiring.

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A great Malcolm Gladwell Read

I find Malcolm Gladwell to be a brilliant writer. his stories are intriguing and thought provoking and this book much of the same.

One of my favorites of his. This book goes through a number of stories of people who and triumphed in the face of misfortune and their methodology for how it was done. Very interesting, and as usual has enlightened my life.

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Very good

I didn't expect to enjoy this book as much as I did! 1st time reading (listening) Malcolm Gladwell.

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    3 out of 5 stars

Very interesting, but too idealistic at times.

What did you love best about David and Goliath?

Fascinating content. Inspiring at times. Good narration by the author.

Would you be willing to try another book from Malcolm Gladwell? Why or why not?

Yes.

What about Malcolm Gladwell’s performance did you like?

Great voice. A little over-dramatic at times, but still a pleasure to listen to.

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

No.

Any additional comments?

Some of the material is a bit too much of a stretch to believe and thus creates doubt about the validity of the rest of the material. Sometimes it sounds as though he has really skewed his perspective to make reality fit his book, rather than the other way around. Even so, it's great food for thought, but should not be confused with the truth of any particular topic he explores.

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