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1.64k reviews for:
David Y Goliat: Desvalidos, Inadaptados Y El Arte de Luchar Contra Gigantes / David and Goliath
Malcolm Gladwell
3.82 AVERAGE
1.64k reviews for:
David Y Goliat: Desvalidos, Inadaptados Y El Arte de Luchar Contra Gigantes / David and Goliath
Malcolm Gladwell
3.82 AVERAGE
informative
reflective
fast-paced
goliath power is never as strong as it seems - david gains leverage by working alternate to the logic of brute force. A book on the logic of the little guy. Trocme in Vichy France, a part on education and the myth of the smaller class - which was weak - The three strikes law in California, and how it fails vs. Mennonite forgiveness in Winniped. The advantage of being a big fish in a small pond, curing lukemia, and the civil rights movement - the power of a photograph in a town that faced resistance with power.
I don’t understand why we put Malcolm Gladwell on such a pedestal. He’s a decent journalist, good at telling a story, but not a social scientist. His thesis is poorly reiterated throughout, so all this is is a collection of stories, including some inspiring anecdotes. So mid.
Why did David beat Goliath? Why do seemingly smaller entities beat larger ones, in war or other situations? How can apparent disadvantages be turned into advantages?
I think that's the premise of the book. And there's some information about how the smaller ones can choose not to play by the rules of the other, and thus create advantages to their own. But then Malcom Gladwell goes on to tell a bunch of other stories that don't really seem to convey any sort of message, except for the unexpected things happening. They're interesting to read and quite capturing, but I always felt that it wasn't really adding much to the actual story...
The inverse U-curve, stories about discovering treatments for leukemia, the Three Strikes Law and Martin Luther King are good reads and well written, but it still feels like something is missing in the end. Should you read the book? Sure, but don't expect too much from it.
I think that's the premise of the book. And there's some information about how the smaller ones can choose not to play by the rules of the other, and thus create advantages to their own. But then Malcom Gladwell goes on to tell a bunch of other stories that don't really seem to convey any sort of message, except for the unexpected things happening. They're interesting to read and quite capturing, but I always felt that it wasn't really adding much to the actual story...
The inverse U-curve, stories about discovering treatments for leukemia, the Three Strikes Law and Martin Luther King are good reads and well written, but it still feels like something is missing in the end. Should you read the book? Sure, but don't expect too much from it.
This is definitely the least boring of Gladwell's books, so that's a start. Every time I read one of his books, the premise is great, but the execution doesn't always live up to what I expect. For the most part that wasn't the case this time. It's the constant overlapping of stories that bugged me in this one; I understand relating back to previous stories to prove his point, but it was never just a few lines about how they related, it was huge chunks, paragraphs. It was very distracting in places, to the point I'd forget the actual tithe if the chapter and have to go back to see who was actually supposed to be the main focus. Luckily for Gladwell, he writes well and is engaging, so I kept going. This is his best so far, though I've yet go read Outliers, so we shall see. If you loved Tipping Point and Blink, you'll love this one. If you were bored reading those, I'd still recommend giving this one a try, it's the most interesting by far.
As with most of Gladwell's books, this was interesting and thought provoking but lacked substance. I feel like his books are exercises in mind expansion rather than statistical analysis or reflections of universal truths. That isn't by any means a bad thing.
Another great Gladwell read (or "listen" as it may be for me, as I listened to the audio of this book.) I recommend Gladwell on audio if you haven't listened to him. He reads his own books... and it's just delightful!
If you like Malcolm Gladwell's other books, you'll like this one. I thought it was thought-provoking and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Very interesting for sure. Lost a bit of the rhythm for me from like the 65-85% portion but tied together nicely at the end.
My second reading I felt the opposite. I kept up until the last two chapters and then got totally lost. Wish for a real conclusion.
My second reading I felt the opposite. I kept up until the last two chapters and then got totally lost. Wish for a real conclusion.
Oddly relevant for this strange COVID-19 pandemic/civil rights movement era, this book is a collection of eloquently written, thought-provoking anecdotes that weave together with one central message: everything is not always as it seems- the obvious choice, the assumed winner, may actually not be the one with the advantage. The tale of David and Goliath isn’t just one for the religious texts- it’s something we see in our lives everyday.