Review of
Instaread Summary, Analysis & Review of Malcolm
Gladwell's David and Goliath: Underdogs,
Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants
Five out of five stars
The opening
sections of the summary state what all of us already know, humans have a
propensity to root for the underdog. The classic biblical tale of David versus
Goliath is repeated in the myths and legends of many cultures. Down through
history, there are many incidents of powerful military forces with more
advanced weapons being defeated by much smaller forces that adopted guerilla
tactics. As is stated in the summary, powerful armies often make the mistake of
using what is considered overwhelming force. Examples from the recent past are
“bomb them back to the Stone Age” and “shock and awe.”
The section
with the key takeaways makes the book sound like a powerful argument of
encouragement for people that must overcome difficult challenges. This includes
more than just going up against a powerful foe, the examples include dealing
with problems such as dyslexia and the death of a parent at an early age.
The most
revealing and valuable section of the summary is the “Author’s Style” section.
There is the sentence:
“He transmits complicated concepts from social science
or psychology in simple, and sometimes simplistic, form.”
Followed by the explanatory paragraph:
“But Gladwell never convincingly explains why all
these ideas belong in one book or how he sees them fitting together. The focus
on underdogs blurs into a hazy discussion of unexpected outcomes, not all of
which are particularly unexpected. Individual topics remain interesting, but
Gladwell’s overall conclusions are banal, vague, and not especially
compelling.”
This section of
analysis will tell nearly all prospective readers that this is a book with
little in the way of new knowledge. Stories about the triumph of the weaker
over the mighty are always uplifting, for most people are in the weaker
category. Without solid conclusions, this is a book lacking in significance and
the author of the summary is to be commended for letting the reader know that.
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