David and Goliath
We all know that underdogs can win -- that's what the David versus Goliath legend tells us, and we've seen it with our own eyes. Or have we? In David and Goliath, Malcolm Gladwell, with his unparalleled ability to grasp connections others miss, uncovers the hidden rules that shape the balance between the weak and the mighty, the powerful and the dispossessed. Gladwell examines the battlefields of Northern Ireland and Vietnam, takes us into the minds of cancer researchers and civil rights leaders, and digs into the dynamics of successful and unsuccessful classrooms–all in an attempt to demonstrate how fundamentally we misunderstand the true meaning of advantages and disadvantages. When is a traumatic childhood a good thing? When does a disability leave someone better off? Do you really want your child to go to the best school he or she can get into? Why are the childhoods of people at the top of one profession after another marked by deprivation and struggle? Drawing upon psychology, history, science, business, and politics, David and Goliath is a beautifully written book about the mighty leverage of the unconventional. Millions of readers have been waiting for the next Malcolm Glad
Books in conversation with David and Goliath
A few of the closest reads from our full list.
Also by Malcolm Gladwell
All works by Malcolm Gladwell →
What you might want to know about David and Goliath
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
Malcolm Gladwell argues that what looks like disadvantage often hides hidden advantage. Across stories of basketball, civil rights, dyslexia, and chronic illness, he reframes the disparity between David and Goliath.
Malcolm Gladwell argues that perceived disadvantages can become advantages in the right context, and conversely that perceived advantages often impose hidden costs. The book uses David and Goliath as a recurring metaphor for underdog dynamics.
David and Goliath popularizes academic research, but several specific studies it cites have been challenged by other researchers. The book remains influential as accessible counterintuitive nonfiction, even where individual claims are disputed.
David and Goliath was written by Malcolm Gladwell, published in 2013 by Little Brown & Company.
David and Goliath is 305 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, David and Goliath takes most readers 5 to 7 hours to finish.
David and Goliath is a standalone novel by Malcolm Gladwell, not part of a series.
David and Goliath is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.