Book Review: David & Goliath
Malcom Gladwell
Summarised in one quote
“The fact of being an underdog can change people in ways that we often fail to appreciate: it can open doors and create opportunities and educate and enlighten and make possible what might otherwise have seemed unthinkable.” (p.6)
I was impressed with Gladwell’s use of storytelling to construct a compelling and uplifting narrative: that underdogs not only succeed, but often have an advantage over their intimidating foes. Consistently counter-intuitive and thought-provoking.
Recommended if you want to:
- Read about a host of Davids defeating their Goliaths through unconventional strategies
- Understand that you always have a chance at success, no matter the odds
- Feel uplifted that even the most debilitating, deep-rooted disadvantages can reap rewards
- Be more aware about how advantages have limits
- Have your mind opened to the fact that force and oppression rarely works, no matter how much power you wield
Stories to Remember
Most non-fiction books use storytelling to hit home their points. Here is a selection of my favourite anecdotes from this book, and where to find them.
David and Goliath: Round Two (p.9)
Story: Everything you think you know about the story of David & Goliath is wrong.
What we perceive as a looming giant with infinite strength facing against a feeble, weak sheep herder with little hope, is in fact totally the opposite.
David was a slinger, able to propel a rock with similar accuracy and force as today’s handgun. Goliath was an infantryman. Impressive from a distance, but slow and immobile with only a handful of short-ranged weaponry at his disposal. On top of that, experts now believe Goliath suffered from acromegaly, a disease that causes over production of the human growth hormone. This explains Goliath’s size, but also explains his apparent blindness to the threat that David posed as the tumours often compress the nerves leading to his sight.
Everyone at the time understood that missile units beat infantry, like paper beats rock. So it was little surprise when Goliath crashed to the ground, with a single pebble lodged deep into his exposed forehead only seconds after the duel began.
Meaning: We like underdog stories. But the reality is that the underdogs often have a much higher chance at succeeding than you might imagine.
Lawrence of Arabia (p.22)
Story: T.E. Lawrence was tasked with destroying a long railroad built by the Turks in the Arab revolt near the end of the First World War. His army, more like a pitiful ‘untrained rabble’, was up against The Turks who were both formidable in size and weaponry.
Despite being at a huge perceived disadvantage, T.E. Lawrence had a huge impact with relatively few losses. In just the spring of 1917, the underdogs dynamited one hundred and eleven rails, cut two telegraph lines, raided a Turkish garrison and derailed a train.
Lawrence’s army used their experience in navigating inhospitable desert to assault the port town of Aqaba from an undefended side. The ‘untrained rabble’ of several hundred captured or killed twelve-hundred Turks while only losing two of their own.
Meaning: Political scientist, Ivan Arreguin-Toft, argues that by looking at wars involving vastly unequal sides (where one side is outnumbered ten-to-one), he shows that weaker sides that employ unconventional tactics are actually in favour of winning. Turn your disadvantages into advantages and the odds may roll in your favour.
Desirable Dyslexia (p.119)
Story: At twenty-two, Gary Cohn was not considered a smart guy. Suffering from undiagnosed dyslexia, he was held back a year, and then expelled from elementary school, and just managed to get a high-school degree. All of his life he was seen by his teachers, his peers and his parents as a disruptor, an under achiever and a failure.
He was working as a sales person for aluminium sliding for U.S. Steel when he jumps in a cab with a man high up at one of Wall Street’s big brokerage firms. Lying all the way to the airport, Cohn manages to get the man’s phone number, despite knowing nothing about options investing. Over the weekend Cohn forces his way through Options as a Strategic Investment book, taking six hours per twenty-two pages.
He interviewed and started work with the man in the cab the next week, and proceeded to make him and his employer a load of money.
Meaning: This is what Gladwell describes as ‘desirable difficulties’. Challenges that seem disadvantageous in the short term can often reap rewards later on. Cohn’s tough upbringing meant he was very familiar with failure, and so wasn’t fazed by the potential risks surrounding pitching yourself to a stranger about a job you have no idea about.
Protestants v Catholics v The British Army (p.225)
Story: In 1970 Ireland, during the midst of the Troubles between Protestants and Catholics, the British Army had been called in to quell the riots with orders to “deal toughly, and be seen to deal toughly, with thugs and gunmen”.
The army had received a tip about the location of hidden explosives and guns in a neighbourhood building. Wanting to demonstrate their dominance, the army deployed 6 armoured vehicles to seize the contraband.
The army was advised by the local priest (the most important man in the community) that the raid be done quickly with little disruption. But after being pelted with stones, the convoy stopped, and retaliated with tear gas. Stones turned into petrol bombs, petrol bombs turned into bullets. The crowd got angrier and angrier. One of the tear gasses fell at the feet of the revered priest who was trying to calm the crowd, causing him to stumble away gasping for air.
The crowd grew worse, and the army called in reinforcements and helicopters, and instigated a strict curfew. Homes were ransacked and pillaged. The British Army were determined to fight force with force.
But word got around to neighbouring communities. Their friends and families were trapped in their own homes, raided and with little food. Hundreds of women united with prams of bread and milk, and trekked to the town under siege. The army attempted to stop them, but knew that this was too much. They couldn’t fight off women with push chairs. And so the community reunited, hundreds of people swarmed the streets, and the army was forced to retreat.
Meaning: In Northern Ireland, the British fell into the trap of believing that because they had resources, weapons, soldiers, and experience that dwarfed those of the insurgent elements that they were trying to contain, it did not matter what the people of Northern Ireland thought of them.
However there are limits of power summarised in three points.
- Those asked to obey to authority need to feel like they have a voice
- The law has to be predictable
- The authority has to be fair
Without these, no amount of force or power will quell a disruptive faction.
As always, these brief anecdotes cover a small fraction of the themes explored in the full book. If you like what you’re reading, consider buying the book!
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