![]() "The same qualities that appear to give strength are often the sources of great weakness," Gladwell writes. It argues that "much of what we consider valuable in our world arises" when we're faced with impossible odds, and it challenges the way we perceive the advantages and disadvantages that dictate those odds. ![]() "David and Goliath" is a lean, consuming read. A "typical stone hurled by an expert slinger at a distance of thirty-five meters would have hit Goliath's head with a velocity of thirty-four meters per second," an Israeli Defense Forces ballistics expert tells Gladwell, "more than enough to penetrate his skull and render him unconscious or dead." David, in other words, brought a gun to a sword fight. His humble sling was a devastating weapon. Gladwell claims David had a lot more than a rock and divine providence on his side that day. But as Malcolm Gladwell points out in his provocative new book, "David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants," it was the favorite who walked away with a victory. Sure, when the Israelite shepherd boy squared off against that Philistine warrior giant 3,000 years ago in the Valley of Elah, one appeared to be a doomed underdog and the other a clear favorite. You think you know the story of David and Goliath, but think again. ![]() By Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown 305 pages $29) ![]()
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