There’s a certain expectation when it comes to Malcolm Gladwell books – a riveting narrative, insights hidden in plain sight, and a takeaway that can be easily applied. The 10,000 hour rule for mastery has become an unassailable part of our zeitgeist, despite numerous studies and statistics cited to disprove it.
But I’m not here to debate the merits of Outliers – I’m here to tell you whether David & Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits and the Art of Battling Giants is worth the read.
The first part of the book starts with easily digestible and straightforward stories, with lessons that are easily gleaned (since they’re about the ostensible underdogs of each tale). In usual Gladwell style, he has you rooting for the side that espouses the theme of his book, which is that a position of weakness often comes with many hidden strengths – so much so that it can often be rationalised as a position of strength.
It’s an easy read that leaves you wanting more – which is why the later sections of the book (and the subsequent case studies) are a jarringly tedious and confusing contrast to the front sections. It’s supposedly a more complex rendering of the “David and Goliath” idea, which presents unlikely Davids in scenarios where their status is somewhat murky.
Unfortunately, all these stories are backed up by lengthy, sometimes unnecessary footnotes. Given that these case studies are not all that thoroughly examined, and the arguments can be somewhat tenuous at times, it feels like the footnotes are some sort of desperate justification for the inclusion of these less compelling stories.
Stories? Yes. The earlier narratives may come across as proper case studies that have been thoroughly examined to reveal the true nature of the conflicts (such as in the tale of the eponymous David and Goliath). However, the further one goes in the book, the more these stories seem one-sided and ill-researched, and less worthy of their inclusion in the book.
It’s pure speculation here, but perhaps the latter sections of the book were a rush job, since their quality is inferior to the earlier sections. It’s slightly fitting though, since speculations are the name of the game in the last few stories.
It may also be unfair to state that the later case studies are long-winded and draggy, often amalgamating several stories (which, remember, have chunky footnotes attached) to derive a lesson, since these takeaways are much more complex than those in the beginning. But there’s no summary, no encapsulation of the more sophisticated principles illustrated. Is it no wonder that the last few sections of the book feel like a mess?
If you’re in a hurry, just read the first section of David & Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits and the Art of Battling Giants. There may be valuable insights in the later sections… but it’s going to take much rereading, digging, and frowning for you to find them.
Should you read the book? Only the first 1/3.
Should you acquire an electronic edition of the book? Yes.
Score: 4/5 (first 1/3), 1/4 (remaining 2/3)
David & Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits and the Art of Battling Giants is a non-fiction book by Malcolm Gladwell. It is published by Little, Brown and Company.
The book features several case studies where an ostensibly weaker party defeat a stronger opponent. It does so by leveraging the strengths of being smaller (in both a literal and figurative sense), and exploiting the weaknesses of the larger opponent.
You can buy the book on:
– Book Depository
– Amazon
– Kinokuniya
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