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

Always Compelling

For me True stories are the ultimate in their ability to educate and inspire! I have read this book 3 times....so far.

My favorite Gladwell

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

The fact that Malcolm reads his own books, gives the listener a better understanding of his meaning and makes the books main points hit home.

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

Outliers

Which character – as performed by Malcolm Gladwell – was your favorite?

All in Chapter 4: The Theory of Desirable Difficulty

Feed your mind and marvel!

What could be better than reading Gladwell's fascinating streams of stimulating research and brilliant insight...?... Well, hearing him recount these investigations. With mesmerizing dynamism and thoughtful twists, I found Audible's David and Goliath hard to "put down." Very much worth one's time. You'll want to share these stories with friends, families, co-workers, etc.

Interesting read

Any additional comments?

David and Goliath is definitely an interesting book and are at times very hard to put down. Malcolm Gladwell has really found a lot if interesting cases though i sometimes felt that it was more a story of extraordinary people than an investigation into the case of the underdog against the giant. I sometimes had the feeling of the book loosing focus and burying itself in the story of an individual though it always returned and made sense of the case. The narration by Malcolm Gladwell was a little soft for me and would have preferred someone with a slightly harder voice, but otherwise good narration. Overall a very interesting book thats definitely worth the a credit, especially if you enjoyed his other books.

Really made me think!

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

N/A

What was one of the most memorable moments of David and Goliath?

The last vignette regarding André Trocmé and Le Chambon. I was deeply moved by the courage of this man and this town.

What does Malcolm Gladwell bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

It was very personal. Since the narrative described actual conversations with his subjects, it felt very authentic.

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

I teared up a little at the end...

Any additional comments?

Some of his conclusions are not as obvious as presented, but I did find myself getting carried away by the narrative. His hypothesis made me question the way that I analyze problems and interpret situations. Very thought provoking. Malcolm Gladwell is one of those people on my list of "if you could have dinner with anyone past or present." Great job...again, Mr. Gladwell.

Great Gladwell, keep 'em coming!

If you could sum up David and Goliath in three words, what would they be?

well worth reading

What did you like best about this story?

the research drove each point home

What about Malcolm Gladwell’s performance did you like?

It was him, more should do this

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

the first few chapters were the best, starts to feel just a bit belabored after the point has been driven home

Surprising? How unexpected outcomes, are not!

Ever so polished, Malcolm Gladwell delivers beautifully on this expose of unexpected outcomes, stories well-told of history’s mismatches. Upon closer inspection the underdogs throughout time were not as deficient as they might have seemed and front-runner favorites did not outmatch their opponents as it appeared. Overwhelming odds are often out of context and frequently in favor of faith-filled humble but confident shepherds like David while stacked against big arrogant bully’s like Goliath even when it might not seem so.

Love Malcolm Gladwell

This is written much like Gladwell's podcast A Revisionist History. I really like the podcast and I really enjoyed this book as well.

Another great book my Malcolm Gladwell

I hope Malcolm Gladwell writes 20 more books. He has never written a bad one.

Overcome Adversity

A great topic and great discussion. With a portion of the story dedicated to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I am glad to have read this over the MLK weekend. It also has a great section on dyslexia and I have family members that have struggled with this disorder and I recommended that they read the book as a testament to understanding their struggle.