David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits and the Art of Battling Giants by Gladwell, Malcolm (May 8, 2014) Paperback

I have never read any Gladwell books but, after hearing him interviewed on the radio, thought he sounded interesting and thus would give one of his books a try. I really enjoyed it. It was easy to read and, at least on my part, made me rethink things that I'd always accepted; 'Well, of course that has to be right' - but does it? Was it, necessarily, a great surprise that a small, well trained protector of livestock would loose a battle against a weak, poorly sighted acromegalic? Does the smaller class increase the productivity of students exponentially? Do some 'disabilities' actually increasing some people's ability and success? Whether you accept all the facts Gladwell pulls on in his book or not I'm quite sure that it will make you think about things - it did for me anyway.

This is very enjoyable and entertaining reading. The main theme is the goldiocks principle - too little or too much of something won't work well - it needs to be just right ( or at least within a just-right range)Drawing on examples from education, policing, civil rights, and much else the book provides numerous anecdotes as well as statistical evidence to show that inverse U shaped curves apply to the effectiveness of most fields of human activity.I thouroughly enjoyed this book, although there is not much that is revelatory, and read it in just one day

I'm a big fan of Gladwell especially his short stories and articles in The New Yorker. David and Goliath is a compelling analogy for the world in which we live today and had the making of a great book but I feel Gladwell fell short of the book's (and the point he set out to prove) true potential.The premise that the small can take on the big and mighty and win in today's fast paced and rapidly changing world is compelling. But his book fails to inspire and that is a disappointment. The premise had been well laid out early in the book and I expected it to progress to great current day learnings but the entire book labours a point that most readers will get and agree with early on. Gladwell would then have done better to show the learnings and pitfalls of the analogy rather than spending chapter after chapter proving a point that had already been proven.Some good stories, well written and easy to read but could've delivered so much more. A decent book but from Gladwell I expected something more.3 1/2 stars.

Malcolm rarely disappoints, some wonderful anecdotes, brilliant references to the bible. An absolutely first class read and instruction manual for anyone male or female, any team, any department, any nation who need to fight on principles against the "big".I particularly loved the description of the David and Goliath story, it was told so vividly, I could see it in my minds eye, it made sense and created a series of paradigm shifts in my head regarding the way I have heard the story in the past.I will read this again and again, just like watching a good film, to spot the subtle nuggets I may have missed on my first reading.

My first ever Kindle book. A good read that proved getting the K was a darned good idea. Buying "The life of Mahatma Ghandi' in paperback at the same time illustrated one of the major differences between trad and digital- the paperback arrived five days later, whereas D&G arrived within ten seconds. Malcolm Gladwell is well known to my friends but not to me- I'll be getting another title, probably 'Blink'. This book gave examples of good thinking, great actions.

I was a little disappointed with this book. The title led me to believe that the book would give lots of insights and guidance on how to run a small business and help it to compete with the bigger boys. However, its just a series of stories about people who have overcome personal challenges. I suppose for those that like to read stories of other people it will be a good and interesting read. Personally, I found myself skipping pages quicker and quicker in an attempt to glean something I could learn and apply to my situation, only to be left wanting. Not convinced about the claims that Goliath had a severe disability either. You don't become a fighting champion in the first place if you cant see!

Amazing book. His best yet. Highly readable - informative, entertaining & inspiring. I have enjoyed all of Gladwell's books - this is superb. I gave several as Xmas presents & has gone well with friends & family.Very readable - because of style of writing - content is rich. Can get through in no time.

This is brilliant book, it does a great job in challenging the readers perception of what are advantages and disadvantages.Malcolm Gladwell has put together a clear and comprehensive amount of information in David and Goliath. The book kept me captivated throughout, it also challenged a lot of my perceptions regarding this matter. Well done Gladwell!!