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

Integrity vs power of authority

The theme of Integrity vs power of authority is very compelling and not often see in the highlights of history. But often scene in the details of life that provides better quality of living as an individual or as a community.

Malcolm outdoes himself on this one

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

As an author who narrated my own first work, I love to hear an author who does the same. As the person who created the story, they are the only one's who can truly capture the nuances, emotions and meanings of each syllable, and Gladwell take the cake on this one.

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

I can only compare this to other Gladwell books, because of this extremely unique perspective, storytelling and research. I would put this one more on the level of "Blink," my favorite until this.

Which scene was your favorite?

As a father, the stories of the parents whose daughters were murdered.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I actually teared up several times, especially hearing about the murdered children.

Any additional comments?

Kudos.

great

loved every minute of it. this book gives you a new insight on how to view problem December for you and/or disabilities.

Thought-provoking, brilliantly told stories.

Absolutely excellent! It is a bonus that Malcolm Gladwell himself is the reader of the audiobook. I have already recommended this book to many people. Treat yourself! You won't regret it.

Predictably Outstanding

Any additional comments?

When you buy a Gladwell book, you start with some pretty high expectations. And, as usual, I think he delivers another outstanding volume with David and Goliath. If you don't learn something, you're just not trying real hard! Strongly recommend this one...

Empowering

Not only the content of itself is great, since the author himself reads it, it makes an excellent combination.

Great to know, for all of us who are the underdogs

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

There were many of them but one in particular was being a Big fish living in a small pond.

Any additional comments?

It's Okay not to follow life by the book; doing unorthodox actions will also do the job, as long as it makes sense.

Loved it

This was very thought provoking, as are all of Malcolm Gladwell's books. I highly recommend it.

Interesting but repetitive

Would you consider the audio edition of David and Goliath to be better than the print version?

I would guess they are equal but I have not read the print version.

If you’ve listened to books by Malcolm Gladwell before, how does this one compare?

I have read 5 Galdwell books and this falls dead smack in the middle. Below Outliers and Tipping Point, but much better than Blink and What The Dog Saw.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The first third of the book was the most interesting, then it became derivative.

Any additional comments?

This comes across as a negative review, that is not my intent. I enjoyed the book very much. Falls in my top 5 books for 2013, just not as good as previous works by Galdwell. .

Underdogs!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

It's nice to set conventional wisdom aside for a day and re-evaluate what you see around you. It can often lead to very interesting insights. Malcolm Gladwell does this very, very well.