David and Goliath

by Malcolm Gladwell · 2013

Malcolm Gladwell revisits the biblical story of David and Goliath to argue that apparent disadvantages — dyslexia, small class sizes gone wrong, losing a parent young, being an underdog in an unfair fight — often conceal hidden advantages, while apparent strengths can conceal real weaknesses. Through case studies ranging from a girls' basketball team to civil rights strategists in Birmingham to French villagers hiding Jewish refugees, he examines why the powerful so often misjudge the weak. The book is a sustained argument for rethinking what courage, power, and disadvantage actually mean.

Books mentioned in David and Goliath (40)

• Seven Pillars of Wisdom by T. E. Lawrence: “Lawrence, Seven Pillars of Wisdom (Wordsworth Editions, 1999).”
• Options as a Strategic Investment by Lawrence G. McMillan: “In that period of time, I read McMillan's Options as a Strategic Investment book.”
• The Judgment of Paris by Ross King: “Ross King, The Judgment of Paris (Walker Publishing, 2006), which has a marvelous description of the world of the Salon.”
• Cruel Justice: Three Strikes and the Politics of Crime in America's Golden State by Joe Domanick: “I read about Reynolds's taking visitors to the Daily Planet in Joe Domanick's Cruel Justice, 167. ... Joe Domanick, Cruel Justice: Three Strikes and the Politics of Crime in America's Golden State (University of California Press, 2004).”
• Mismatch: How Affirmative Action Hurts Students It's Intended to Help, and Why Universities Won't Admit It by Richard Sander and Stuart Taylor Jr.: “Take a look at the following table from the work of Richard Sander and Stuart Taylor, Mismatch: How Affirmative Action Hurts Students It's Intended to Help, and Why Universities Won't Admit It (Basic Books, 2012).”
• Blink by Malcolm Gladwell: “He was also mentioned in my book Blink, discussing the art of casting actors.”
• Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell: “By the way, those of you who read my book Outliers, where I also discussed affirmative action and law school, know that in the book I was interested in making a very different point.”
• The Chosen: The Hidden History of Admission and Exclusion at Harvard, Yale, and Princeton by Jerome Karabel: “The reference to Fred Glimp's "happy-bottom-quarter" policy comes from Jerome Karabel's fascinating book The Chosen: The Hidden History of Admission and Exclusion at Harvard, Yale, and Princeton (Mariner Books, 2006), 291.”
• Carry Me Home: Birmingham, Alabama, the Climactic Battle of the Civil Rights Revolution by Diane McWhorter: “"A voice rose from the wreckage," appears on page 97 of Diane McWhorter's Carry Me Home: Birmingham, Alabama; The Climactic Battle of the Civil Rights Revolution (Touchstone, 2002).”
• The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee: “See Mukherjee's The Emperor of All Maladies for a more complete version. ... there is no better source than Siddhartha Mukherjee's Pulitzer Prize–winning The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer.”
• Punishment and Democracy: Three Strikes and You're Out in California by Franklin Zimring, Gordon Hawkins, and Sam Kamin: “The best book-length academic work is Zimring's Punishment and Democracy, mentioned above. ... Franklin Zimring, Gordon Hawkins, and Sam Kamin, Punishment and Democracy: Three Strikes and You're Out in California (Oxford, 2001).”
• Law (?) and Orders: The Story of the Belfast Curfew by Seán Óg Ó Fearghaíl: “the story of when General Freeland descended on the Lower Falls is told by Seán MacStiofáin in Seán Óg Ó Fearghaíl's Law (?) and Orders: The Story of the Belfast Curfew (Central Citizens' Defense Committee, 1970).”
• David's Secret Demons: Messiah, Murderer, Traitor, King by Baruch Halpern: “Baruch Halpern's discussion of the sling appears in David's Secret Demons (Eerdmans Publishing, 2001), 11.”
• Faith and Duty: The True Story of a Soldier's War in Northern Ireland by Nicky Curtis: “The detail about the man in his pajamas comes from Nicky Curtis, Faith and Duty: The True Story of a Soldier's War in Northern Ireland (André Deutsch, 1998).”
• Black Culture and Black Consciousness: Afro-American Folk Thought from Slavery to Freedom by Lawrence Levine: “In Black Culture and Black Consciousness: Afro-American Folk Thought from Slavery to Freedom, Lawrence Levine writes: "The rabbit, like the slaves who wove tales about him, was forced to make do with what he had."”
• Lest Innocent Blood Be Shed: The Story of the Village of Le Chambon and How Goodness Happened There by Philip Hallie: “Philip Hallie, Lest Innocent Blood Be Shed: The Story of the Village of Le Chambon and How Goodness Happened There (Harper, 1994).”
• Brits by Peter Taylor: “"For God's sake, bring me a large Scotch" is from Peter Taylor, Brits (Bloomsbury, 2002), page 48.”
• The Ballad of the Hanged Men by François Villon: “One evening near the end of the war, the family went to see a recital of Villon's poem "The Ballad of the Hanged Men."”
• The Theory and Practice of Hell by Eugen Kogon: “In his memoir The Theory and Practice of Hell, Eugen Kogon writes of what happened at the German concentration camp Buchenwald whenever the Nazis came to the leaders of the camp and demanded that they select for the gas chambers.”
• Armed Struggle: The History of the IRA by Richard English: “Seán MacStiofáin's quote about revolutions being caused by the stupidity and brutality of governments appears in Richard English, Armed Struggle: The History of the IRA (Oxford University Press, 2003), page 134.”
• De Re Militari by Vegetius: “Here is the Roman military historian Vegetius (Military Matters, Book I): Recruits are to be taught the art of throwing stones both with the hand and sling.”
• The Race Beat: The Press, the Civil Rights Struggle, and the Awakening of a Nation by Gene Roberts and Hank Klibanoff: “King's reprimand of the photographer from Life ("The world doesn't know this happened") is given in Gene Roberts and Hank Klibanoff, The Race Beat: The Press, the Civil Rights Struggle, and the Awakening of a Nation (Random House, 2006).”
• For the Glory of Rome by Ross Cowan: “Claudius Quadrigarius's account of single combat is from Ross Cowan, For the Glory of Rome (Greenhill Books, 2007), 140.”
• Have You Seen Candace? by Wilma Derksen: “There are two excellent accounts of the Candace Derksen case: Wilma Derksen, Have You Seen Candace?”
• My Soul Is Rested: The Story of the Civil Rights Movement in the Deep South by Howell Raines: “The detail from the conversation between Pritchett and King about Pritchett's wedding anniversary is cited in Howell Raines, My Soul Is Rested: The Story of the Civil Rights Movement in the Deep South (Penguin, 1983), 363–65.”
• Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain by Maryanne Wolf: “A good general introduction to the problem of dyslexia is Maryanne Wolf, Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain (Harper, 2007).”
• Journey for Justice: How Project Angel Cracked the Candace Derksen Case by Mike McIntyre: “Mike McIntyre, Journey for Justice: How Project Angel Cracked the Candace Derksen Case (Great Plains Publications, 2011).”
• The History of Impressionism by John Rewald: “The discussion of the Impressionists is based on several books, principally: John Rewald, The History of Impressionism (MOMA, 1973).”
• The Private Lives of the Impressionists by Sue Roe: “Sue Roe, The Private Lives of the Impressionists (Harper Collins, 2006).”
• Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy by Donald B. Kraybill, Steven M. Nolt, and David L. Weaver-Zercher: “Kraybill, Steven Nolt, and David Weaver-Zercher's Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy (Jossey-Bass, 2010), 71.”
• Happiness Around the World: The Paradox of Happy Peasants and Miserable Millionaires by Carol Graham: “Here's another example, this one from Carol Graham's Happiness Around the World: The Paradox of Happy Peasants and Miserable Millionaires.”
• Parting the Waters: America in the King Years 1954–63 by Taylor Branch: “King's mock eulogy appears in Taylor Branch's Parting the Waters: America in the King Years 1954–63 (Simon and Schuster, 1988), 692.”
• Schoolhouses, Courthouses and Statehouses: Solving the Funding-Achievement Puzzle in America's Public Schools by Eric Hanushek and Alfred Lindseth: “Eric Hanushek and Alfred Lindseth, Schoolhouses, Courthouses and Statehouses: Solving the Funding-Achievement Puzzle in America's Public Schools (Princeton University Press, 2009), 272.”
• Rebellion and Authority by Nathan Leites and Charles Wolf Jr.: “The same year that Northern Ireland descended into chaos, two economists—Nathan Leites and Charles Wolf Jr.—wrote a report about how to deal with insurgencies... Their report was called Rebellion and Authority.”
• How the Weak Win Wars: A Theory of Asymmetric Conflict by Ivan Arreguín-Toft: “Ivan Arreguín-Toft's book about underdog winners is How the Weak Win Wars (Cambridge University Press, 2006).”
• Why People Obey the Law by Tom R. Tyler: “Tom Tyler, author of Why People Obey the Law (Princeton University Press, 2006).”
• Deterrence and Crime Prevention by David M. Kennedy: “David Kennedy, author of Deterrence and Crime Prevention (Routledge, 2008).”
• Evidence-Based Crime Prevention by Lawrence W. Sherman: “and Lawrence Sherman, coeditor of Evidence-Based Crime Prevention (Routledge, 2006).”
• Violent Politics: A History of Insurgency, Terrorism, and Guerrilla War, from the American Revolution to Iraq by William R. Polk: “"As quickly as he could," William Polk writes in Violent Politics, a history of unconventional warfare, Washington "devoted his energies to creating a British-type army, the Continental Line."”
• Bull Connor by William A. Nunnelley: “In William Nunnelley's biography of Connor, titled Bull Connor, Nunnelley identifies the relevant section of the Birmingham city code as section 369.”