DAVID AND GOLIATH: UNDERDOGS, MISFITS, AND THE ART OF BATTLING GIANTS by Malcolm Gladwell (Little Brown), 305 pages, $32, cloth. Rating: NNN
On the surface, Malcolm Gladwell’s latest analysis of human behaviour is fascinating, revealing the ways some people’s weaknesses may actually empower them. As he did in Outliers and The Tipping Point, he makes hard science digestible, but too often he cherry-picks from the evidence to back up his thesis.
This book claims, for instance, that parents might actually wish dyslexia on their children. Difficulty reading is said to have forced Hollywood producer Brian Grazer to compete harder in the dog-eat-everyone world of filmmaking, bolstering his negotiation and networking skills.
Gladwell backs up his theory with a 2009 survey that found a much higher incidence of dyslexia in entrepreneurs than in corporate managers. But the study looked at only 102 self-reported dyslexic entrepreneurs, many of whom likely had careers not nearly as successful as those of Mr. Grazer or his fellow A-listers.
The chapter on policing makes some compelling arguments. The British government believed using violence against Ireland in the 60s would strong-arm their neighbour into compliance, but more deaths and injuries on both sides only worsened the relationship between the two countries. More isn’t always better, Gladwell writes. Power has to be seen as legitimate or its use has the opposite effect.
What Gladwell does best is introduce us to the histories of heroes and success stories we might not often see juxtaposed. The thread uniting disparate characters in David And Goliath is the idea that being an underdog isn’t always a disadvantage in and of itself and can drive people to levels of achievement they never thought possible. It’s uplifting stuff, for sure, but Gladwell puts a glimmering polish on some fairly obvious conclusions. Yes, small class sizes aren’t always ideal because children may feel pressured to speak up and thus revert to shyness and underperformance.
Despite some trite conceits, David And Goliath is a breezy pleasure and conveys a few sound ideas about how we overcome adversity to surpass expectations.
