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Tuesday, June 17, 2014

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

And my post for today is late again. I really need to get back on schedule. Anyway, as it's #reviewsdaytuesday again, it's time for another book review.


Every Christian knows the story of David and Goliath; a little shepherd boy defeated a big, scary giant with just a sling and a stone, showing us that with God's help, an underdog can win. Right? Wrong. Malcom Gladwell explains that David's victory isn't as surprising as it seems because he fought with unconventional methods. The author then goes on to explain how much of what we think of the way the world works and the way to succeed is not necessarily accurate. Sometimes the very things we view as disadvantages can work in our favor, and sometimes the things we consider to be our strengths can be our downfalls. This is a book about seeing the world, and our supposed advantages and disadvantages, differently.

I really enjoy reading thought-provoking books like this. A short, fluffy story is fine, but it's nice to read something that really digs into your brain and changes the way you see the world. This book has challenged me to re-examine many of my thoughts and ideas, and that's definitely a good thing. In this book, one of the ideas Gladwell talks about is the idea of "desirable difficulties", things which most people perceive as disadvantages that can actually be advantageous. For example, he says that people with Dyslexia can compensate in other way, and because of this and also the way that they think differently, they can often go on to become very successful in the world. Another thing Gladwell talks about is that there can be too much of a good thing. Power is no good if there is too much of it. Even too much money can be a disadvantage. 

This book changed my viewpoint forever, and it's changed for the better. It opened my mind and opened up my philosophical side. It also changed my understanding of the story of David and Goliath, making me remember that often books and stories can get misinterpreted and encouraging me to think carefully about how I read and interpret things. I would definitely read another book by this author, and I'd certainly recommend this book to you.

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