David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants - Softcover

Gladwell, Malcolm

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0316285250 ISBN 13: 9780316285254

Publisher: Back Bay Books, 2014

Synopsis

"Gladwell's most enjoyable book so far. It is a feel-good extravaganza, nourishing both heart and mind". (Financial Times). "I devoured in a single reading". (Richard E. Grant). "When you read it, you feel like you can topple giants". (Jon Ronson). What if everything we thought about power was wrong? What if, in the ancient story of the shepherd boy who topples a giant, David actually had the advantage? This thought sets Malcolm Gladwell on an extraordinary journey that takes him from art to basketball, the brain to revolutions, along the way weaving unforgettable stories of misfits, outsiders, tricksters and underdogs who have faced outsized challenges and won. With his trademark warmth, humour and gift for showing us the world through new eyes, Gladwell lets us see why the powerful aren't always what we think they are - and that some of us have more strength and purpose than we could ever imagine. "Intoxicating, powerful and morally engaged". (Guardian). "Truly intriguing and inspiring". (Los Angeles Times). "Breath-taking and thought-provoking". (The New York Times). "An energetic, counterintuitive exploration of why (and how) underdogs succeed". (Guardian, Books of the Year). "Continuing to gently but persistently blow my mind". (Lauren Laverne).

About this title

Review:

When you read it, you feel like you can topple giants (Jon Ronson)

I devoured it in a single reading, being a Gladwell addict for many years (Richard E. Grant)

His most accessible book ... A Scheherazade for our time, talking to keep us going and make us think (Gaby Wood Daily Telegraph)

His best yet ... intoxicating, powerful ... more socially and morally engaged than his previous work (Oliver Burkeman Guardian)

A pleasure (Tim Adams Observer)

Lovely ... as with most of Gladwell's books he had me at hello - the initial thesis is simply irresistible (Leah McLaren Globe and Mail)

Truly intriguing and inspiring ... unforgettable (Hector Tobar Los Angeles Times)

As always, Gladwell's sweep is breathtaking and thought-provoking ... I've long admired Gladwell's work (Joe Nocera The New York Times)

Fascinating ... Gladwell is a master of synthesis. This perennially bestselling author prides himself on radical re-thinking and urges the rest of us to follow suit (Heller McAlpin Washington Post)

David and Goliath readers will travel with colorful characters who overcame great difficulties and learn fascinating facts about the Battle of Britain, cancer medicine and the struggle for civil rights, to name just a few topics upon which Mr. Gladwell's wide-ranging narrative touches. This is an entertaining book (Christopher F. Chabris Wall Street Journal)

What propels the book, like all of Gladwell's writing, is his intoxicating brand of storytelling. He is the master of mixing familiar elements with surprise counter-intuitions, and then seasoning with a sprinkling of scientific evidence ... Gladwell is a master craftsman, an outlier amongst authors (Rob Brooks Huffington Post)

Malcolm Gladwell's David and Goliath, an energetic, counterintuitive exploration of why (and how) underdogs succeed, and how disabilities, traumatic childhoods, and other seeming lacks can sometimes trump power (Guardian, Books of the Year 2013)

From the Back Cover:

'A feel-good extravaganza, nourishing both heart and mind ... What unites the stories are the twin ideas that an advantage can sometimes be a disadvantage and that a disadvantage can sometimes be an advantage. Yet there is something more powerful and more uplifting that links them' Kate Kellaway, Financial Times

'I devoured in a single reading' Richard E. Grant

'When you read it, you feel like you can topple giants' Jon Ronson

'An energetic, counterintuitive exploration of why (and how) underdogs succeed' Lisa Appignanesi, Guardian, Books of the Year

'Breathtaking' The New York Times

'Truly intriguing and inspiring' Los Angeles Times

About this edition

• Publisher: Back Bay Books
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0316285250
• ISBN 13: 9780316285254
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 320