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giftsintogold 's review for:
David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants
by Malcolm Gladwell
After reading a lot of the reviews of this book, I am led to argue that most of the reviewers are too focused on whether or not his arguments are true or not. Whether or not the research is exhaustive or not seems to be missing the mark.
Gladwell's title by itself is controversial. He is arguing a philosophical point. What I was left with after reading the book is a greater perspective of the advantages/disadvantages of being either the Goliath or the David. It really depends on your perspective. It doesn't have to be about right or wrong. It is simply different views.
With regards to that I feel Gladwell was pretty even-handed about the different sides of the perspective. For example, in the story of the basketball team that went to nationals, he did not argue that the team did it the "right" way. He simply argued that by looking at things differently they were able to accomplish things that would not have been likely if traditional strategies had been followed.
In the two stories of young women being murdered, Gladwell was a little more political about how the different parents pursued their resolution with the situation. Both situations were terrible and must have really hung heavy on the parents as illustrated in the book. (I was pretty struck by the horror of the stories.)
As others have said, Gladwell is a good story teller who knows how to lay out his side of the argument. Whether or not it is scientifically sound misses the beauty of his skill. A story doesn't have to be right or wrong. It simply enables us to see the world through different eyes. Something that Gladwell accomplished for me through this book.
Gladwell's title by itself is controversial. He is arguing a philosophical point. What I was left with after reading the book is a greater perspective of the advantages/disadvantages of being either the Goliath or the David. It really depends on your perspective. It doesn't have to be about right or wrong. It is simply different views.
With regards to that I feel Gladwell was pretty even-handed about the different sides of the perspective. For example, in the story of the basketball team that went to nationals, he did not argue that the team did it the "right" way. He simply argued that by looking at things differently they were able to accomplish things that would not have been likely if traditional strategies had been followed.
In the two stories of young women being murdered, Gladwell was a little more political about how the different parents pursued their resolution with the situation. Both situations were terrible and must have really hung heavy on the parents as illustrated in the book. (I was pretty struck by the horror of the stories.)
As others have said, Gladwell is a good story teller who knows how to lay out his side of the argument. Whether or not it is scientifically sound misses the beauty of his skill. A story doesn't have to be right or wrong. It simply enables us to see the world through different eyes. Something that Gladwell accomplished for me through this book.