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1.63k reviews for:
David Y Goliat: Desvalidos, Inadaptados Y El Arte de Luchar Contra Gigantes / David and Goliath
Malcolm Gladwell
3.82 AVERAGE
1.63k reviews for:
David Y Goliat: Desvalidos, Inadaptados Y El Arte de Luchar Contra Gigantes / David and Goliath
Malcolm Gladwell
3.82 AVERAGE
I got hooked on journalistic non-fiction because of Malcolm Gladwell; I've read most of his books. This is the first time where there were many times when I didn't slavishly agree with each and every idea and premise. When every example did not further thrill and convince me. This time, I agree with big picture framework of the book, I don't feel like the real world examples were plentiful or varied enough to fully convince me through and through. If this had been a seminar discussion, I would have loved it, but as it is, I find myself asking questions, pondering arguments, and shaking my head in disagreement -- but without the pleasure of human company to rattle these ideas about with. So, friends, if you read this, let's grab a coffee or a glass of wine and talk!
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
informative
medium-paced
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
I LOVED David & Goliath. I've read almost all Gladwell's books. I remember reading The Tipping Point on a plane over 10 years ago and thinking it was genius. It was the first time I'd read any type of pop-psychology book with case study after case study to prove what seemed to me fascinating points. Gladwell's style is unique. If you've read one book, you can predict that same style in all his book, but if you like that style, I find that you may get tired of it after say the 3rd book. That's why I set aside my Gladwell fanfare until my friend recommended this book and the library had it for free. I listened to the book narrated by the author and listened at 1.25x or 1.5x depending on my mood. And I LOVED IT!
I found David and Goliath to be one of my favorites, if not THE favorite. As a business coach, I see the pattern of self-pity over the so-called "disadvantages" of life in almost everyone I speak with, and why is this pattern so obvious to me? Because I used to be the queen of doing this in my own life. Naturally, you gain some real perspective on the meaning of disadvantage. I do have a real example and that is my brother and his handicap, and so I've seen him turn that severe handicap into a brilliant weapon of success and achievement and even happiness in his life. So this topic, The Advantages of Disadvantages (AND Disadvantages of Advantages) spoke loud and clear to me. If you read this book for this insight alone, it's well-worth the investment.
Some more ideas that I jotted down as I read the book, which I list below, are:
What is a real advantage?
Seeing of advantage from a different light
Effort over ability
Seizing your disadvantages
Letting go of prestige and reputation and do what needs to be done to get it done.
No we can’t vs no we won’t (in relation to saying no to your kids).
"We your parents choose not to do that (or give you that), even if we can afford it, because it doesn’t align to our values." I don't have kids but I LOVE this!
Surprise: You can be too rich!
And the school studies were so eye-opening to me. Fascinating about how your likelihood for getting say a science degree depends on how smart you FEEL among your peers so if you are at the bottom of your class at Harvard, you are still a genius but you’d feel like a failure because you are surrounded with better geniuses and you are just as likely to drop out as if you were attending No-Name-University in NoWhere, State. This is so true. I'm grateful for the first time ever that my Dad didn't send me to Brown University, also my obsession at the age of 18!
Dyslexia and the interesting advantage link.
"What is learned out of necessity is hugely more valuable."
Link between career achievement and childhood bereavement
Fave Quote:
"Acquired Courage: Courage isn’t something that you already have that makes you brave when the tough times start. Courage is what you earn when you’ve been through tough times and realize that they’re not that tough after all!"
I found David and Goliath to be one of my favorites, if not THE favorite. As a business coach, I see the pattern of self-pity over the so-called "disadvantages" of life in almost everyone I speak with, and why is this pattern so obvious to me? Because I used to be the queen of doing this in my own life. Naturally, you gain some real perspective on the meaning of disadvantage. I do have a real example and that is my brother and his handicap, and so I've seen him turn that severe handicap into a brilliant weapon of success and achievement and even happiness in his life. So this topic, The Advantages of Disadvantages (AND Disadvantages of Advantages) spoke loud and clear to me. If you read this book for this insight alone, it's well-worth the investment.
Some more ideas that I jotted down as I read the book, which I list below, are:
What is a real advantage?
Seeing of advantage from a different light
Effort over ability
Seizing your disadvantages
Letting go of prestige and reputation and do what needs to be done to get it done.
No we can’t vs no we won’t (in relation to saying no to your kids).
"We your parents choose not to do that (or give you that), even if we can afford it, because it doesn’t align to our values." I don't have kids but I LOVE this!
Surprise: You can be too rich!
And the school studies were so eye-opening to me. Fascinating about how your likelihood for getting say a science degree depends on how smart you FEEL among your peers so if you are at the bottom of your class at Harvard, you are still a genius but you’d feel like a failure because you are surrounded with better geniuses and you are just as likely to drop out as if you were attending No-Name-University in NoWhere, State. This is so true. I'm grateful for the first time ever that my Dad didn't send me to Brown University, also my obsession at the age of 18!
Dyslexia and the interesting advantage link.
"What is learned out of necessity is hugely more valuable."
Link between career achievement and childhood bereavement
Fave Quote:
"Acquired Courage: Courage isn’t something that you already have that makes you brave when the tough times start. Courage is what you earn when you’ve been through tough times and realize that they’re not that tough after all!"
informative
reflective
fast-paced
Many writers have tried to emulate Gladwell's style, but no one does it quite like him. The book is based on a simple premise -- that what seems like an advantage is sometimes a disadvantage, and vice versa, opening with an explanation of how the David and Goliath story is typically misread (i.e., it is not, in fact, that surprising that David defeated Goliath). This basic premise is then drawn out in a multitude of more specific points illustrated with stories and statistics.
As in prior books, there are points at which Gladwell oversimplifies. At one point, he makes it sound as if the photo of police dogs attacking children was singlehandedly responsible for the success of the civil rights movement. But what Gladwell does extremely well is his storytelling and his use of those stories to explain what can sometimes be very complex ideas. I read a lot, and ideas, no matter how good, rarely stick with me, but stories I can remember for a long time, and sometimes will then remember the ideas that those stories were intended to illustrate. For this reason I find myself referencing Gladwell's other books in conversation more than many other books, and it's likely that I will reference this one as well -- particularly in relation to the David and Goliath story, and the explanations about class size and college selectivity.
If you're OK with the occasional leap in logic, I recommend this book for the opportunity to turn some ideas on their head and for the memorable examples throughout.
As in prior books, there are points at which Gladwell oversimplifies. At one point, he makes it sound as if the photo of police dogs attacking children was singlehandedly responsible for the success of the civil rights movement. But what Gladwell does extremely well is his storytelling and his use of those stories to explain what can sometimes be very complex ideas. I read a lot, and ideas, no matter how good, rarely stick with me, but stories I can remember for a long time, and sometimes will then remember the ideas that those stories were intended to illustrate. For this reason I find myself referencing Gladwell's other books in conversation more than many other books, and it's likely that I will reference this one as well -- particularly in relation to the David and Goliath story, and the explanations about class size and college selectivity.
If you're OK with the occasional leap in logic, I recommend this book for the opportunity to turn some ideas on their head and for the memorable examples throughout.
As is often the case with Gladwell, some of his evidence is not as strong as the rest. Nonetheless, he brings up interesting issues and sparks conversation. I'd recommend this to Gladwell fans, but for those who haven't read his work, I'd start with Outliers or The Tipping point instead.
The book visits several different stories involving adversity or "uphill battles" starting with David and Goliath and working up to situations such as war, crime, and learning disabilities. Gladwell narrates these stories and the positive or unlikely events that come about not just in spite of adversity but because of it. The book has a variety of interesting facts and stories, but the theme was so redundant that the book got boring to me for the middle third. My interest peaked again when Gladwell began discussing crime--specifically the three strikes law and restorative justice practices (though not outright called restorative practices). However, this is mainly because of my interest and experience with these topics rather than the book itself becoming less redundant.
informative
reflective
medium-paced