Review: David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants
David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants by Malcolm Gladwell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Excellent read. Gladwell has carved a niche out of challenging conventional assumptions. His basic premise is that the perceived weaknesses of the underdogs is often their greatest strengths. His case is compelling.
As expected, Gladwell makes his case from history and scientific studies. He mines history for some rare hidden gems. I always learn some facts and esoteric details from the stories he uses. I also appreciate the way he uses the data from studies. Data in and of itself is meaningless. It’s just a bunch of numbers. Data has to be interpreted to be meaningful.
I will caution you that there is some offensive language in this book. It is not a lot and this is a case where it’s contextually accurate and warranted. We should be offended by what was said. We tend to romanticize the past over time, but we shouldn’t lose touch with the reality.
I recommend this book. It is informative and personally edifying. It is the perfect type of book to give your mind a break from work, or some other reading you have been doing. I don’t mean it is a light and fluffy read. I don’t read a lot in this genre and I find it intellectually refreshing and stimulating to give the mind some variation from time to time.
