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Malcolm Gladwell: David and Goliath

 This is a book I'm getting ready to teach in my AP course for next term to help with the argument section of the test.

David and Goliath explores the advantages of being the underdog, and what makes it possible for Davids to beat Goaliaths. Gladwell attempts to persuade readers that sometimes, being bigger and stronger is actually a disadvantage, and that when a person has nothing to lose, they're more likely to do anything to be successful. Disadvantages can also sometimes be strengths. Gladwell uses real stories from people he interviewed to persuade his readers that people like David are more likely to defeat people like Goliath.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Gladwell uses fantastic real-world examples and stories to prove his point. I think he did a great job setting up his book within the context of the Biblical story of David and Goliath, and I enjoyed the details that he chose to include to make his point.

The one complaint that I have was that the last chapter of the book ends very abruptly. People are so tempted to skip "afterword" sections that this would be a really confusing conclusion to the book. Instead, you absolutely MUST read the afterword to feel like Gladwell ties up all of his arguments effectively. Additionally, I felt that he does a great job in each section of revisiting the main idea he was trying to get across in that section, and tying it back into his argument of David and Goliath, but the last chapter does not do this. He abruptly ends André Trocmé's story which bothered me.

Overall, I rate this ⭐⭐⭐⭐

G



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