• 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 (24,266 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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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

This book was so much more than I thought!

I enjoy the Freakanomics book very much. I love to look at things differently. I was so happy to hear that this book in alot of ways, but more philosophically, looks at issues that many of us struggle with. I am a therapist, I work with high-risk clients. Listening to audiobooks has become an important self-care tool for me. This book is so honest and uplifting!

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Thought provoking book.

Malcolm Gladwell has written many great books. This is among his best. I plan to listen to it again to get the full message.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Overall, glad I listened.

Not sure I totally agree with all of his points. However, I do like hearing his viewpoint. It stretches my mind and makes me think.

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awesome

what I love about this book is the consistency with the ideas described from the beginning.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Truly Inspiring

I enjoyed listening. Very inspirational, I stand in awe of those with such courage and

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

2nd Gladwell Work, Still Impressed

The most entertaining part of his books are the stories that he brings to light; the conclusions he draws from those stories should be taken with a grain of salt, but are not lacking in definition.

The first work I read was Outliers and would recommend it.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Malcolm Gladwell delivers again!

This was my second Gladwell Audiobook and I feel that they have both been relevant, thought provoking, and entertaining, and everyone should read/listen to what this author has to say

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Nice angle

Refreshing to hear some someone thoughtful talk about how advantages and disadvantages are perceived, and carefully measure this perception against case studies.

As with most Malcolm gladwell stuff, it's super thoughtful and interesting, but the extent to which it may be true is questionable... But I still thought it was worth my time.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Already loved the author...still awesome

What did you love best about David and Goliath?

Weaving of stories to provide relevance to these concepts.

What did you like best about this story?

The right amount of detail. Also the author's voice is easy to listen to. Each story told was fact-based, provided insight not commonly known and supported the authors general premise and specific points.

What about Malcolm Gladwell’s performance did you like?

Voice and pace.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Why disadvantages aren't

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Just Gladwell

This man has always something to say. He delivers. As always. Such a pleasure to see the world through his eyes

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