Malcolm Gladwell is back- and I am well glad about it.
Malcolm Gladwell is back- and I am well glad about it. His latest book David & Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits and The art of battling giants is possibly his most controversial so far. In true Gladwell style the book makes for a deep reading and bombards you with statistics and facts that at some points is hard to keep up with. This is what makes Gladwell so great. He’s a natural born storyteller, he doesn’t leave any detail out. The words flow so easily out of his mind and onto paper that you are seeing the exact story he wants you to see.
The underdog
David & Goliath is one of Gladwell’s most thought provoking works so far. It also shows just how clever a man he is. In the book he looks at the role the underdog plays in society. But this is where his brilliant mind makes this book flip everything you have ever thought upside down. In the opening he re tells the famous bible story of David & Goliath, a story that is synonymous with the underdog winning against all odds. But Gladwell argues, and proves, that everything we have ever thought about this story, is false. David was never the underdog, he was always going to win the fight, but no one had ever looked at the story for what it actually was and only took the story on face value.
What makes it so controversial? Why do critics find it uncomfortable to read?
The answer to the first question lies in the chapter in which he discusses the idea of would you ever wish dyslexia on your own child?. Now you can see why this has drawn criticism and sparked controversy. But those who criticse, are the ones who have missed the point. Gladwell notices a recurring theme between success and dyslexia. How some of the richest and most successful people in the world, have dyslexia. People with dyslexia are always seen as the underdog, they have to overcome more than anyone else does. And that is exactly why they are more successful than others.
David & Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits and the art of battling giants goes where very few writers are brave enough to go. Gladwell is not afraid to openly discuss the benefits of having one of your parents die whilst you are still young, or telling you you’re better off not going to the best school and going for a lower performing one. He has no fear of telling these stories as they are all the truth, and he can prove it. The reader can’t escape the truth, and Gladwell revels in telling other peoples stories. And the reader revels in reading it all.
What do you think of Gladwell’s latest novel? Have your say below.
Image by: Jeffrey
