The Opposition…

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

Malcolm Gladwell

Discussion: 2013-Oct-Nov-Dec

Why we're reading this: The Daily Show: October 22, 2013
The Nightly Show: author guest and book mentioned March 1, 2016
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The Nightly Show: author guest and book mentioned March 1, 2016

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2013-Oct-Nov-Dec

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* December 2013
By Tiffany , WristStrong · 1 post · 27 views

last updated Dec 20, 2013 05:04PM

* November 2013
By Tiffany , WristStrong · 1 post · 26 views

last updated Nov 30, 2013 12:03AM

What Members Thought

Nov 18, 2013 Peter rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

My favorite book of the year.

What the world says is "best" isn't always whats best. Choose your goals and the rules that govern your life wisely. Try to focus on the bigger picture.
Otherwise you'll never see anything but how tall your problems are. Instead of how deadly your weapons are.

I went from nearly being a High School drop out to graduating from ASU with an electrical engineering degree. I watched dozens of kids much smarter than I drop out or change majors because they got their first ...more

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Jan 27, 2014 Danielle Dandreaux rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: nonfiction

I would probably give this book 3.5 stars, so I rounded up. I originally saw the author of this book interviewed on 60 minutes and decided it would be a good book to read.

This book was a good, easy to understand, quick read. The author has the reader take a closer look to common assumptions most people tend to make and critically think about the flaws in some of these thoughts. I found myself relating to the topic of comparing ourselves to others "in the same boat as ourselves" instead of making I would probably give this book 3.5 stars, so I rounded up. I originally saw the author of this book interviewed on 60 minutes and decided it would be a good book to read.

This book was a good, easy to understand, quick read. The author has the reader take a closer look to common assumptions most people tend to make and critically think about the flaws in some of these thoughts. I found myself relating to the topic of comparing ourselves to others "in the same boat as ourselves" instead of making global comparisons. I have tried to explain this to people many times regarding my attitude towards obtaining a PhD. It doesn't seem like as big of a deal when you are surrounded by others also completing their doctorate or who have already accomplished this.

I also really appreciated the chapter regarding being a big fish in a little pond versus a little fish in a big pond. I think that it is something that all juniors in high school should have to read just to open their mind to the different viewpoints.

There is a lot of chapters that relate to resilience. For example, individuals with dyslexia who have persevered and become successful, similar to many who have lost a parent early in life. Although Gladwell mentions that there is also a known negative effect of this disorder and event which is that these individuals are also more likely to go to prison, the book focuses on the resilience. This is a valid point, but I didn't feel like there was enough emphasis on the negative affects of these same disorders and events which are much more likely. It would have been valuable to really examine the research on resilience to summarize possible traits or learned behaviors that lead to positive outcomes in more depth.

There is also a lot of discussion around the typical inverted U curve. The book uses the example of class size. There is an optimum class size for most teachers and students that is somewhere in the middle. At the ends of the inverted U curve are extremely small classes and extremely large classes. People often assume that a small class size is beneficial; however, there are negatives associated with both small and large classes. We have a tendency to forget about one of the extremes of the inverted U curve having negative consequences (e.g., small class sizes are less likely to have class discussions and ask questions to stimulate learning). Another example that I have read a lot about is punishment for criminals. Many people think that the harsher the punishment the larger the deterrent for crime in the community where often the effect isn't what the public assumes. People in prison are removed from their communities and families to associate with other known criminals where they make criminal friends and learn new criminal behaviors. Upon release, these individuals return to their communities with less opportunities and more criminal knowledge/associates. Also, they do not think of the consequences in the same logical manner that the public assumes they will think of them.

One of the big take home messages in the book is about fear and failure. When someone has experienced a lot of failure or a huge event to be fearful of (e.g. death of a parent), it may give them a mental framework that enables them to take chances. The ability to function outside of that fear can be very valuable and lead to breakthroughs that would not happen otherwise.

I think this is a good thought provoking book, I just urge people to think critically about the things being read (in this book and others). Gladwell is a great writer and uses compelling evidence to support his point, but there is also the other side of the story.

Quotes:

Stouffer's point is that we form our impressions not globally, by placing ourselves in the broadest possible context, but locally - by comparing ourselves to people "in the same boat as ourselves." Our sense of how deprived we are is relative.

"Big Fish-Little Pond Effect"

Playwright George Bernard Shaw: "the reasonable man adapts himself to the world: the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man."

Gary Cohn: "my upbringing allowed me to be comfortable with failure. The one trait in a lot of dyslexic people I know is that by the time we got out of college, our ability to deal with failure was very highly developed. And so we look at most situations and see much more of the upside than the downside. Because we're so accustomed to the downside. It doesn't faze us."

MacCurdy: "We are all of us not merely liable to fear, we are also prone to be afraid of being afraid, and the conquering of fear produces exhilaration....." ...more

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