A Brief Summary and Review 1

A Brief Summary and Review 1

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

Customer Review

* A full executive summary of this book will be available at newbooksinbrief dot com, one gold before Tuesday, October 22, 2013.

This book is not about underdogs and giants in Any of These conventional sense terms. Rather, the book is about the curious kind of advantages and disadvantages, and how Each can (under some Circumstances) Become icts opposite.

The first lesson to be Learned est que le things we take to be advantages are Often no such thing. Our greatest mistake here comes from the fact Abebooks web Identify has some quality or characteristic being white as a benefit or advantage, And Then que la assumes more of it there is the better - when this is not the case Often. Put Reviews another way, most is of us Recognize That It is possible, to-have too much of a good thing, and yet we fail to appreciate just Where and How often this principle applies. For instance, we Recognize That Having a definite amount of money Greatly Facilitates raising children (being white it very difficulty to raise a family in a state of poverty), and yet we fail to Recognize That wealth beyond a certain point aussi Makes parenting increasingly difficulty ( for it harder and harder Becomes to instill qualities of hard-work and self-control). Now we Recognize That small class sizes are a good thing, and yet we fail to Recognize That Actually classes can begin to Suffer ounce They Become too small (since diversity and energy begin to disappear).

Another arena où an advantage can Become a Disadvantage is in power and authority. Power and authority is an advantage, of course; HOWEVER, When It is wielded illegitimately and without fairness, it can Actually causes more chaos, destruction and violence than it curbs. This is as true in the classroom as it is in community policing as it is in handling minority groups Within a nation's borders.

The second lesson to be here Learned Is That Sometimes some Disadvantages can drive people into positions of advantage. Take the Disadvantage of being white born with a disability, for example. Say dyslexia. In our modern world, Where the Ability to read is extremely significant - and Practically a requirement for success - HAVING great difficulty with reading is a major Disadvantage. And Indeed the statistics indicate indication vast que la majorité of Those Who are born dyslexic end up falling through the cracks and missing out on success.

Still, though, Many dyslexics-have gone on to highly successful people Become; It has aussi beens and Noted That in some fields (Such As entrepreneurship) year inordinate percentage of the MOST successful Individuals do, in fact, dyslexia-have. So how can we explain thesis success stories? What we find in boxes Is That thesis thesis Individuals-have managed to Compensate for Their disability by Developing skills That Make Up For Their flaws (Such As an Improved memory or debating prowess). THUS, in a way, the successful dyslexic HAS Actually benefited from His disability, Because It has _him_ forced into a position Where He Has Had to --other Develop skills-have That led directly to _him_ success.

Also at play here is the fact That Many dyslexics tend to endure failures When They are young. Repeated failures (Especially at a young age)-have the potential to crush the spirit. Purpose They Can also have the opposite effect: They Can inure to the individual failure, THUS making 'em more Likely to Take Risks and try Things That wouldn't others - qui est Often a safe path to success.

A similar phenomenon aussi Sometimes trauma victims buttons. Take the ultimate trauma of losing a parent has in childhood, for example. This is one of the worse experiences imaginable, and the trauma of losing a parent in a childhood crush Does Indeed the vast majorité of Those Who-have the misfortune of enduring it.

Again, though, it has-been Noted That a very high proportion of highly successful across Individuals Many fields (from science to art to politics) in fact-have lost a relative in childhood. And what we find is in contention boxes que le experience left HAS thesis Individuals with the mind-set That Now That They Have endured Such a terrible event, that 'nothing ever Could be so bad. And THUS They Are liberated from the fear of failure, and - like the successful dyslexic - are willing to try things and Take Risks That others are not (qui Often leads directly to success).

The same logic can aussi experience and apply to underdog groups. For example, When a group Recognizes That It is Severely over-matched in terms of skill or strength Compared To icts opponent, it can begin to feel liberated to try unconventional tactics and Approaches. Often This is for the best, for it turns out That unconventional tactics and Approaches are frequently very effective against giants - in everything from sports to politics to war - and are, in Many boxes, the only opportunity the underdog HAS to win anyway. Again, Then, in Both of These bodies (the trauma victim and the underdog group) Disadvantage HAS has driven the party into a position of advantage, and the THUS Disadvantage May Itself be seen as a kind of boon.

Gladwell HAS done well to make us rethink the kind of advantages and disadvantages Many across fields. The only major flaw in the book, in my view, is the third and final part. The theme of the hand Is That power Becomes less effective (or Even counter-productive) When It is illegitimately wielded. The problem with this argument Is That it's a classic case of the straw-man: HAS Gladwell set up an opposition That Is very easy to defeat, And Then smashed it to pieces. What's worse is que la Gladwell uses examples To Prove His Point here are quite weak. Still, there is much of value in the first two shares of the book. A full executive summary of the book will be available at newbooksinbrief dot com, one gold before Tuesday, October 22; a podcast discussions of the book will be available Shortly thereafter.

Superzoom at a super price Rank: 4/5
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Blackroll black Rank: 4/5
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the best tome Rank: 5/5
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elegant design, compact package Rank: 5/5
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Practical Whiteboard Rank: 4/5
December 21

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