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1.62k reviews for:
David Y Goliat: Desvalidos, Inadaptados Y El Arte de Luchar Contra Gigantes / David and Goliath
Malcolm Gladwell
3.82 AVERAGE
1.62k reviews for:
David Y Goliat: Desvalidos, Inadaptados Y El Arte de Luchar Contra Gigantes / David and Goliath
Malcolm Gladwell
3.82 AVERAGE
challenging
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Only having experienced Malcolm Gladwell’s writing in “Blink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking”, I thought of him as a guy who is a good writer who uses interesting stories (often true life ones so he claims) to state rather obvious themes and conclusions. These conclusions may not always be scientific.
The main thematic thrust of his “David and Goliath” book is in the title: smaller organizations and/or individuals can often “win” against bigger organizations or bloated corporations because they are leaner and meaner (one of the reasons would be a lack of bureaucracy). A person walking down the street may be able to spout this off the top of their head but Gladwell makes the concept sound fascinating, dressing up his message in clever analogies and accounts, while sounding profound in the process. As the book moves on, particularly toward the back half, the reader becomes less and less convinced that the information Gladwell is selling and the analogies he drenches throughout his narrative necessarily line up with what he wanted to do from the outset.
Gladwell talks about underdogs playing basketball, how a significant percentage of CEOs and other leaders have dyslexia, children who lose parents, students who attend mediocre schools and even individuals who are discriminated against. His argument remains that these disadvantages can be turned to advantages hence the Biblical account of David slaying the giant. Some of his writing seems a little neat and tidy compared with the roadblocks that society puts in front of some people that is entirely out of their control.
All of this to say, there are still fascinating gleanings that we can take from the work. I have read the actual Biblical account of David and Goliath dozens of times and have heard sermons on the encounter between the shepherd’s boy and the giant Philistine but I have not delved into the expert analysis of the episode. To be sure, Gladwell is not representing even the mid-range of scholarly commentary at the beginning of this book when he talks about David and Goliath but the ideas he brings out of the text are interesting to consider. He theorizes (as others have) that Goliath had poor eyesight while being an intimidating brute in combat. The poor eyesight condition, according to Gladwell, could have come from acromelagy, a disease of the pituitary gland. Gladwell also talks about the necessary component of “slingers” in those battle times and those would be individuals who had slingshots to fire at the opposing armies and some perhaps could sling a rock from 200 yards toward their target. There are other issues that are not addressed by Gladwell (as Goliath wearing a helmet and why not?). Some even ponder if Gladwell chose the right “moral” to bring out of the David and Goliath account.
If someone enjoys Gladwell’s work, they probably will enjoy this book. For others or for those compelled to learn more about David and Goliath, I would recommend looking elsewhere.
Here are some quotes:
“Giants are not what we think they are. The same qualities that appear to give them strength are often the sources of great weakness.”
“Any fool can spend money. But to earn it and save it and defer gratification—then you learn to value it differently.”
“We spend a lot of time thinking about the ways that prestige and resources and belonging to elite institutions make us better off. We don’t spend enough time thinking about the ways in which those kinds of material advantages limit our options.”
“The excessive use of force creates legitimacy problems, and force without legitimacy leads to defiance, not submission.”
“When people in authority want the rest of us to behave, it matters—first and foremost—how they behave.”
The main thematic thrust of his “David and Goliath” book is in the title: smaller organizations and/or individuals can often “win” against bigger organizations or bloated corporations because they are leaner and meaner (one of the reasons would be a lack of bureaucracy). A person walking down the street may be able to spout this off the top of their head but Gladwell makes the concept sound fascinating, dressing up his message in clever analogies and accounts, while sounding profound in the process. As the book moves on, particularly toward the back half, the reader becomes less and less convinced that the information Gladwell is selling and the analogies he drenches throughout his narrative necessarily line up with what he wanted to do from the outset.
Gladwell talks about underdogs playing basketball, how a significant percentage of CEOs and other leaders have dyslexia, children who lose parents, students who attend mediocre schools and even individuals who are discriminated against. His argument remains that these disadvantages can be turned to advantages hence the Biblical account of David slaying the giant. Some of his writing seems a little neat and tidy compared with the roadblocks that society puts in front of some people that is entirely out of their control.
All of this to say, there are still fascinating gleanings that we can take from the work. I have read the actual Biblical account of David and Goliath dozens of times and have heard sermons on the encounter between the shepherd’s boy and the giant Philistine but I have not delved into the expert analysis of the episode. To be sure, Gladwell is not representing even the mid-range of scholarly commentary at the beginning of this book when he talks about David and Goliath but the ideas he brings out of the text are interesting to consider. He theorizes (as others have) that Goliath had poor eyesight while being an intimidating brute in combat. The poor eyesight condition, according to Gladwell, could have come from acromelagy, a disease of the pituitary gland. Gladwell also talks about the necessary component of “slingers” in those battle times and those would be individuals who had slingshots to fire at the opposing armies and some perhaps could sling a rock from 200 yards toward their target. There are other issues that are not addressed by Gladwell (as Goliath wearing a helmet and why not?). Some even ponder if Gladwell chose the right “moral” to bring out of the David and Goliath account.
If someone enjoys Gladwell’s work, they probably will enjoy this book. For others or for those compelled to learn more about David and Goliath, I would recommend looking elsewhere.
Here are some quotes:
“Giants are not what we think they are. The same qualities that appear to give them strength are often the sources of great weakness.”
“Any fool can spend money. But to earn it and save it and defer gratification—then you learn to value it differently.”
“We spend a lot of time thinking about the ways that prestige and resources and belonging to elite institutions make us better off. We don’t spend enough time thinking about the ways in which those kinds of material advantages limit our options.”
“The excessive use of force creates legitimacy problems, and force without legitimacy leads to defiance, not submission.”
“When people in authority want the rest of us to behave, it matters—first and foremost—how they behave.”
adventurous
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
An excellent book! It got a little repetitive eventually, but still very inspiring. Really enjoyed the storytelling in this one. As someone who bought this on Audible, I also loved the fact that it's narrated by Malcolm Gladwell himself - he really brings this book to life. If you're looking for an easy to read/listen to, yet thought-provoking non-fiction book, I definitely recommend checking David and Goliath out!
informative
medium-paced
Learned a lot; discovered some backstories and contradictions behind headlines and popular myths. The power of David against Goliath is of course always inspiring
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
I'm not sure if the rise of the podcast is better or worse for these books. There are always wonderful ideas and themes expressed in Gladwell's works and that of the underdog is no exception. However, I could just as easily see the same impact in an hour or 90 minutes of a podcast. Is the medium the reason for the over explanation? That said, it's probably because I wasn't fully captivated with every topic. I think the basketball team was especially overdrawn.
Overall, as usual, it's an incredible view of how what seems to be a handicap can affect greatness. My fear is, like with his other books I've read, the majority of this will not be retained.
Overall, as usual, it's an incredible view of how what seems to be a handicap can affect greatness. My fear is, like with his other books I've read, the majority of this will not be retained.