There’s no need to fear! Underdog is here!

This was my second foray into the world of Malcolm Gladwell during the Cannonball and it’s not the last. I really enjoy his books and the way he reads them. Gladwell performs his own narration which I believe improves the quality of an audio book. Gladwell is a smooth, easy reader with an inviting tone. David and Goliath discusses how there may be inherent advantages in perceived disadvantages. Right away, the conclusions are loose and not definitive in anyway but I do not think hat is the point of a Gladwell book. Malcolm Gladwell writes to encourage readers to think differently. That’s it. Think outside the box and look at the world from different perspectives. I find it refreshing to pick up a Gladwell and change my perspective, even if it’s just for a little while. David and Goliath is an excellent book for that philosophy. Gladwell discusses the crippling stutters and dyslexia that many famous people conquered on their way to stardom. Richard Branson, Charles Bronson, and Brian Grazer all became successful in spite of their disabilities. Gladwell argues that they are successful BECAUSE they had the disabilities. MG also discusses the very interesting fact that 12 of 44 US Presidents lost their fathers at an early age. Normal convention says that puts them at a major disadvantage but Gladwell counters that those difficult childhoods contributed to their future success. All of Gladwell’s evidence could be dismissed as anecdotal but that is not the point of this book. David and Goliath is almost a self-help book. You too can do anything, even if you’ve been dealt a shorthand. David and Goliath, while very interesting, was not my favorite Gladwell book but I would still recommend it.