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A review by richardbakare
David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants by Malcolm Gladwell
4.0
Gladwell possesses a beautiful writing style that can pull you into any topic in a way, such that you never want to pull away. He applies that skill masterfully here in assessing the true nature of Strengths and Weaknesses. Navigating through different periods of history he dissects Paper Champions (Goliaths) who lost to or at least could not dissuade the Davids on the other side of the valley. Using the narratives of the overlooked stories of the voices history often forgets, Gladwell demonstrates three key phenomena that demonstrate how we often over estimate strengths and focus in too greatly on apparent weaknesses.
Without giving away spoilers, the three concepts I found most fascinating in this book were most importantly, our inability to see past advantageous and disadvantages on the surface. The tale of David and Goliath being the most prominent allegory of this dilema. The second key concept is the problem of the Inverted U-Shaped Curve. This problem illustrates how more is not often better and after a certain point does more harm than good; i.e. you cannot always just throw money and resources at the problem. Lastly, Gladwell does a great job detailing how Power / Leadership cannot succeed without Legitimacy. Moreover, that it cannot be won through brute force but must happen at the ground level, eye-to-eye.
Every time I read Gladwell, I feel like I am getting a MasterClass in history. Talking to Strangers remains my favorite of his books but they are all amazing in their own way. This one in particular is especially meaningful right now in 2020. The stories and perspectives in it may be the best guide on how to persevere and resist in the face of seemingly overwhelming circumstances.
Without giving away spoilers, the three concepts I found most fascinating in this book were most importantly, our inability to see past advantageous and disadvantages on the surface. The tale of David and Goliath being the most prominent allegory of this dilema. The second key concept is the problem of the Inverted U-Shaped Curve. This problem illustrates how more is not often better and after a certain point does more harm than good; i.e. you cannot always just throw money and resources at the problem. Lastly, Gladwell does a great job detailing how Power / Leadership cannot succeed without Legitimacy. Moreover, that it cannot be won through brute force but must happen at the ground level, eye-to-eye.
Every time I read Gladwell, I feel like I am getting a MasterClass in history. Talking to Strangers remains my favorite of his books but they are all amazing in their own way. This one in particular is especially meaningful right now in 2020. The stories and perspectives in it may be the best guide on how to persevere and resist in the face of seemingly overwhelming circumstances.