Friday, May 29, 2015

Book Review on David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell

I originally became familiar with Malcolm Gladwell through a CBS show 60 minutes.  I was impressed by his mannerism.  When he spoke his words were thoughtful, and he himself expressed an amazement at his own success in the literary world.  I was once again reminded of Malcolm Gladwell and the book David and Goliath through linkedin.com.

The presentation of the Biblical story in scientific terms made perfect sense to me. I even remember my eldest brother having a sling shot when he was young. Though the sling shots of old were different, the objective remained the same, hit the target to survive.  I am fully able to accept Goliath may have had a malady, which affected not only his large stature, but that caused his inability to see clearly.  Thus, when Goliath asked David to step closer, David was no fool and refused while shooting his target with one launch of a rock that killed Goliath.

Sometimes determining how to use a strategy is the greatest task.  Goliath thought he would be fighting an army and was insulted when a mere boy was sent to do the task.  Time and again in the book, Gladwell presents instances where the underdog should not have won, but circumstance and attitude work in the person's favor.

The beauty of Gladwell's book is should you read all the chapters in order as I did, you will see how the storyline builds upon itself to reveal comparisons that allow the underdog to win.  You may however, begin with the chapter on David and Goliath or read the section about Martin Luther King's struggle during the civil rights movement or read about the IRA and the protestants and the struggles during British rule and still gain an understanding of the book.

For those who struggle with dyslexia and recognizing how one learns may prove beneficial.  Jumping right into the dyslexia section may be the best place to begin to understand the difficulties faced by individuals with this as a very real part of their learning experience.

I am currently tutoring several individuals with this problem and I am on a learning curve because of the challenges presented to me on the way each has learned to cope with dyslexia.  In particular, I have one student who loves music and rap.  I am trying to use Muhammad Ali's book Ali Rap, which is filled with photos of his career and the wonderful raps he gave before each bout.

The section on WWII where it was predicted that those of London would fall apart at the first bombing proved false because it only strengthened their resolve to survive and not be negatively impacted by what was occurring around them.

I was particularly impressed with the statement that dealt with fear, which essentially states, once you have experienced fear in a particular situation and learn to deal with it differently then fear no longer serves as an obstacle to what you are attempting to accomplish.  I was also impacted by the chapters that dealt with those who were raised by single parents or were orphans.  Though I am not a true orphan in the full sense of the word, I was raised at an orphanage for ten years.  During that time, I learned how to survive.  When I went home at the age of twelve, I was forced into adult responsibilities, so my sense of the world was different.  I am not wealthy monetarily, but that is not the wealth I seek.  What is important to me is impacting others and having a sense of community and lasting bonds of friendship. When I spoke with my Russian Jewish friends they too alluded to the fact that having friendships make you wealthy.

There are chapters that simply cannot be read out of order, in particular, those dealing with the success of treating leukemia in children and the independent determination of a doctor to prove his theory correct.  Once you have also been reading a section that deals with a particular conflict in a region it is best to finish that section.

Police officials may find this book useful in recognizing how too much force actually can impede their objective in working with a community and in trying to bring calm to a situation.  Joanne Jaffe success in Brownsville New York serves as a platform for demonstrating how dealing with a community differently can change the outcome in a positive manner.

Ultimately, I think this book is a quick read that one does not have to be a reader to enjoy.  If you are not into to statistics, that is fine as the concepts are simple enough without the graphs.  I highly recommend this book for students who are college bound or in their first year of college as it is a terrific historical work.  The content is diverse and is perfect for students seeking direction in identifying a career he or she may want to pursue.


No comments:

Post a Comment