David and Goliath

By: Malcolm Gladwell

Narrated by: Malcolm Gladwell

Length: 7 hrs

Publisher's summary

David and Goliath is the dazzling and provocative new book from Malcolm Gladwell, best-selling author of The Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers and What the Dog Saw.

Why do underdogs succeed so much more than we expect? How do the weak outsmart the strong? In David and Goliath Malcolm Gladwell takes us on a scintillating and surprising journey through the hidden dynamics that shape the balance of power between the small and the mighty. From the conflicts in Northern Ireland and Vietnam, through the tactics of civil rights leaders and the problem of privilege, Gladwell demonstrates how we misunderstand the true meaning of advantage and disadvantage.

When does a traumatic childhood work in someone's favour? How can a disability leave someone better off? And do you really want your child to go to the best school he or she can get into? David and Goliath draws on the stories of remarkable underdogs, history, science, psychology and on Malcolm Gladwell's unparalleled ability to make the connections others miss. It's a brilliant, illuminating book that overturns conventional thinking about power and advantage.

Author, journalist, cultural commentator, and intellectual adventurer, Malcolm Gladwell was born in 1963 in England to a Jamaican mother and an English mathematician father. He grew up in Canada and graduated with a degree in history from the University of Toronto in 1984. From 1987 to 1996, he was a reporter for The Washington Post, first as a science writer and then as New York City bureau chief. Since 1996, he has been a staff writer for The New Yorker magazine.

His curiosity and breadth of interests are shown in New Yorker articles ranging over a wide array of subjects including early childhood development and the flu, not to mention hair dye, shopping and what it takes to be cool. His first book, The Tipping Point, captured the world's attention with its theory that a curiously small change can have unforeseen effects, and the phrase has become part of our language, used by writers, politicians and business people everywhere to describe cultural trends and strange phenomena. His other international best-selling books are Blink, which explores how a snap judgment can be far more effective than a cautious decision, and What the Dog Saw, a collection of his most provocative and entertaining New Yorker pieces.

©2013 Malcolm Gladwell (P)2013 Audible Ltd

Critic reviews

"A global phenomenon... there is, it seems, no subject over which he cannot scatter some magic dust." ( Observer)

Thank you Malcom

To all the Davids out there, GO! DARE!
I found the stories quite enlightening and while I have a few (maybe one or two) points of divergence, this book is definitely a resource.

There are Goliath in this world, in every sphere of life.... But every single one of them can be defeated. Including sicknesses such as Cancer!

great insight

A radical and new look at what can get accomplished if we do not get slotted into routine and cliché thinking that hardship creates the under dogs but can give you a sense that this hardship fuels your way out of this situation and meet tremendous success.

Clear the decks, this one will grab your attention

Did all 7 hours in one day.. couldnt stop listening.. and I'm not a book person, but im going to start trying to be. Great captive voice the writer has as well. All the small intertwined and captive stories, has you thinking non stop.

Brilliant book, very well narrated

Thoughtful and insightful… Another amazing book from Malcolm Gladwell! The stories are touching, the theme well thread throughout.

Narration was also brilliant!

Inspirational

Love the book, took no effort to finish it. Food for thought. Can certainly recommend it.

A great listen for its time.

The book is a great listen. it is interesting as it meanders throughout the storyline linking one price to the next and to previous chapters.
My only complaint would be that if you have listened to Revolutionist History, you may be disappointed by the delivery. The quotes and actual accounts are more impactful if made by the person saying them - which is the format Gladwell has developed in his newer work.
However, this should not detract from a great, thought-provoking book.

Not Your Usual MG

If you're a Gladwell fan like me, expect something different. Contrary to Outliers (which I found brilliant) , this book feels more like a collection of case studies so ideas are not as structured as in some other books but the book presents profound ideas and refers back to those ideas as it examines individual cases.

I thoroughly enjoyed this title and it was lighter than some of the other material I usually read; refreshing!

Out of the box, thin evidence, great storytelling.

Kia ora koutou,

I enjoyed David and Goliath, as a mix of fascinating anecodots the writer links together in support of his main premise: Underdogs, like David, are not always as weak as they appear, as disadvantages can lead to strengths, and the apparent strength of favourites, like Goliath, do not always produce the beneficial results expected. Gladwell argues that material resources, such as are at hand amongst big companies/nations and movements, can be misused. Conversely, he contends also that painful circumstances, oppression and a lack of CONVENTIONAL strengths can lead to the formation of the type of CHARACTER which leads ultimately to victory in ways more important than wealth, comfort or life.

In making these points he borrows from a diverse set of anecodots, such as the approaches of the Irish to the British in the Troubles, main figures in the American CRM in the 60s to racist leaders and David's response to Goliath - and much more.

In some ways the links between various stories was tenuous and lacked depth and evidence, but in other ways they were interesting and surprising.

I'd recommend giving this a read and considering how winning doesn't always look like more money, a bigger army or getting revenge. In fact, it can look like quite the opposite.

Nga mihi

Amazing Read!

absolutely loved and resonated with central theme of this book! highly recommended collection of inspirational ideas and stories.

Impactful

Great “read” with lots of lessons.
I recommend this book to many that have inferiority complex.