David And Goliath - Malcolm Gladwell

HERE IS MY REVIEW of Malcolm Gladwell ‘s book, David and Goliath:

Most of us have heard the story of David and Goliath in which an underdog shepherd boy defeats a war giant. This is such a powerful story that can elicit all kinds of emotions out of people.

The question to ask though is, was David really an “underdog” in the way that we understand an underdog to mean, or was he an extremely intelligent boy with a powerful weapon, whom people underestimated?

HERE IS WHY DAVID WAS NOT REALLY AN “UNDERDOG”

Firstly, David did not play by Goliath’s rules. Goliath was expecting to fight with a giant warrior like himself. And that is who he prepared for. David saw Goliaths miscalculation and took advantage of it.

Secondly, David was an experienced slinger. The stone he fired from his sling was the equivalent of a .45 automatic pistol. In reality, a giant man wearing a bronze helmet with an unprotected forehead, and full body armor, that restricted his movement, was fighting against an experienced shooter with a pistol in hand. David only needed to fire one shot through an opening he could find.

Under these circumstances, Who do you think stood the chance to win?

From reading the book, you realize the same things that created Goliath’s strengths were the same things that created his weaknesses. But people focused only on Goliath’s strength and overestimated his abilities. You also realize that exactly what created David’s weaknesses was what created his strengths. However, people only focused on David’s weaknesses and underestimated his abilities.

WHAT THIS BOOK WILL HELP YOU REALIZE

Often times, what we view to be disadvantages aren’t really disadvantages, and the reverse is also true. We just do not question our beliefs often enough to find out. With this book, Malcolm Gladwell takes you through real-life stories that will make you realize the many things society view to be advantages that in actuality are disadvantages and vice versa.

Grab a copy of this book HERE!