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David and Goliath
- Narrated by: Malcolm Gladwell
- Length: 7 hrs
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David and Goliath
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Summary
David and Goliath is the dazzling and provocative new book from Malcolm Gladwell, best-selling author of The Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers and What the Dog Saw.
Why do underdogs succeed so much more than we expect? How do the weak outsmart the strong? In David and Goliath Malcolm Gladwell takes us on a scintillating and surprising journey through the hidden dynamics that shape the balance of power between the small and the mighty. From the conflicts in Northern Ireland and Vietnam, through the tactics of civil rights leaders and the problem of privilege, Gladwell demonstrates how we misunderstand the true meaning of advantage and disadvantage.
When does a traumatic childhood work in someone's favour? How can a disability leave someone better off? And do you really want your child to go to the best school he or she can get into? David and Goliath draws on the stories of remarkable underdogs, history, science, psychology and on Malcolm Gladwell's unparalleled ability to make the connections others miss. It's a brilliant, illuminating book that overturns conventional thinking about power and advantage.
Author, journalist, cultural commentator, and intellectual adventurer, Malcolm Gladwell was born in 1963 in England to a Jamaican mother and an English mathematician father. He grew up in Canada and graduated with a degree in history from the University of Toronto in 1984. From 1987 to 1996, he was a reporter for The Washington Post, first as a science writer and then as New York City bureau chief. Since 1996, he has been a staff writer for The New Yorker magazine.
His curiosity and breadth of interests are shown in New Yorker articles ranging over a wide array of subjects including early childhood development and the flu, not to mention hair dye, shopping and what it takes to be cool. His first book, The Tipping Point, captured the world's attention with its theory that a curiously small change can have unforeseen effects, and the phrase has become part of our language, used by writers, politicians and business people everywhere to describe cultural trends and strange phenomena. His other international best-selling books are Blink, which explores how a snap judgment can be far more effective than a cautious decision, and What the Dog Saw, a collection of his most provocative and entertaining New Yorker pieces.
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Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- ShabadooGMan
- 13-10-13
Swing and a miss
Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?
I wouldn't recommend this. I've been a fan of Gladwell's since Blink. While Outliers was over-long, there was plenty of interesting stuff in there. But David & Goliath smacks of contractual obligation. The upshot is that the underdog needs to think a little differently in order to topple Goliath. Well, thanks, Malcolm.
What was most disappointing about Malcolm Gladwell’s story?
I kept waiting for him to take the stories he was telling and explain how perhaps we could apply it to our own lives. He didn't really do this. It was essentially Jackanory, with Malcolm telling a few stories - about civil rights, about the troubles in Northern Ireland - with little point. As a listener, there was a lot of "And?"
What does Malcolm Gladwell bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?
Gladwell is a very good narrator. As is often the case with authors reading their own work, you can tell he really cares about his work. This certainly elevates it.
Was David and Goliath worth the listening time?
Ultimately, at seven hours, no, David & Goliath wasn't worth the reading time.
Any additional comments?
I'm still a fan of Gladwell and would check out his next work - he's an interesting voice. Let's hope this is just a rare misstep in an otherwise highly interesting and provocative career.
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46 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- samuel
- 04-10-19
Very insightful.
The audio book was highly insightful and a very enjoyable listen. I thought that only one of the chapters was a little nitty gritty. Time well spent overall.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Marc Eric Henry
- 17-06-21
Amazing book!
An incredibly captivating book, filled with stories that challenge our general way of thinking. The narrator is easy to listen to. Highly recommend.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Burt
- 01-10-19
Flipped
Malcolm just flipped my whole concept of giants and underdogs. You know when someone says something you were meant to think about but brushed it off lightly. Read the book.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Brindusa Axon
- 09-01-15
Great inspiring stories
It's a very typical Malcolm Gladwell book, with beautiful selected stories and great narative. I loved that it is read by the author, very clear and engaging recording
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- P
- 08-01-16
A nice vignette of views through different lens
Where does David and Goliath rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
Top 5
Who was your favorite character and why?
This a series of stories or examples of how the first view might be wrong or lead to a different conclusion
Have you listened to any of Malcolm Gladwell’s other performances? How does this one compare?
I havent bought other books by Malcolm
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
I liked the stories but especially the ones how about how disadvantages can be turned into advantages
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- ER Wood
- 20-07-15
Worth a listen
This is an enjoyable listen, good material and an inspirational message. It is not my favourite Gladwell book, but I would still recommend it.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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- mobwort
- 21-10-22
Interesting stuff to think about as usual from Gladwell.
Starts really well and end really well. I lost the plot a bit in the large civil rights section. It was inspiring and challenging stuff and extremely compelling but I felt he lost sight of the goal posts a bit, in terms of the book. The Northern Ireland section, I felt, went way off beam. The trouble with dealing with such a complex situation is you need to either invest a huge section into it or perhaps use other established and respected conclusions. My own feeling was that here he was surprisingly over-simplistic concerning the situation and I wondered where on earth he was going with it all. At the very end of that section I felt he got back on the rails and continued evenly. As always, the bulk of what Gladwell writes, I find, absolutely brilliant and I end up quoting much of it ad nausea for the next few years. One last small gripe: I don’t like the tendency to emphasise what could reasonably be deduced as worthy of emphasis by the reader/listener. This (emphasis) may be an American tendency perhaps but I prefer a more generally temperate reading where I am left to draw my own conclusions. However, still a great book.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 04-02-24
Inspirational and thought provoking read
Glad well is adept at drawing the reader in like a close friend telling a story. He connects and retells these often traumatic stories with compassion and sensitivity whilst also upending what we might consider to be true.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Thomas
- 02-11-13
"I Could Listen To Malcolm All Day Long"
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
It has so many a-ha type moments that will help you see your own advantages (advantages disadvantages) more clearly as well as helping you see them in others.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
The struggle of the cancer researcher Dr.Jay Freireich.
Any additional comments?
This book is ideal for Audio, especially as the author is as good an orator as he is a writer. I enjoyed every moment of this verbal salad.
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7 people found this helpful