David and Goliath: Underdog, Misfits, and The Art of Battling Giants- Malcolm Gladwell

            Thought-provoking, confident-boosting, and all around inspirational.  Well known author Malcolm Gladwell provided an incredible book that I would strongly recommend for anyone to read. The psychological science tied to the enlightening anecdotes leaves the reader constantly wanting more and turning page after page. 

            The book starts with the classic story of David and Goliath told in the classical sense. Gladwell then takes the time to point out the significant details of David’s success and starts the book out with the strong theme, if you look close enough you will see the underdog is not always an underdog. Gladwell takes this theme and applies it to people in the real world.  He points out how the advantage is not always with the person with more power and that is a lesson that most people need to learn.

I deeply enjoyed reading this book. The structure was incredibly crafted with very smooth transitions from one idea to the next, always tying in ideas that had already been discussed previously, and explaining the connections clearly. This lead to a building effect where the points were even further driven-home as the book continued. The sentences flowed together seamlessly allowing for a quick, easy read.

The actual content matter of the book provoked lots of personal reflection and in-depth thinking trying to decipher the merit of what was being said. Each topic was controversial in its own right, but upon reading could be shown to be the truth of reality.

The themes were consistent throughout every section each posing a paradox that the author would spend the rest of the chapter proving correct. The proof was offered in the form of at least one anecdote, including quotes from the interview, conducted by the author, of the individuals involved in the scenario. The paradox was then further proven using scientific studies and factual research done on the topic, which adds in an increased level of credibility to the author’s claims. Every claim came with a underlying truth; although the paradox can be true, the scenarios where the paradox is true are nearly always required more work and hardship from the individual affected.

Overall I deeply enjoyed reading this book and found it thought-provoking and intellectual, giving a clarity to the reality of the world. This is a book I feel that anyone could enjoy, but I would specifically suggest it to people interested in social psychology or anyone who needs a reminder that they are not at as much of a disadvantage as they think. Overall I give this book a 5/5. 

Gladwell, Malcolm. David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants. First edition. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2013

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