Malcolm Gladwell is also one of my favorite authors. So when he writes a book, I read it. When it's title is "David & Goliath", I can hardly wait.
I just finished the book and was not disappointed. He starts with the Bible story and takes it a different direction than we tend to do in church. Gladwell says that while David appeared to be an underdog, he was far from it. He then proceeds through the chapters telling true stories of underdogs, misfits and people who battle giants. It is both uplifting and eye-opening.
One of the coolest stories is about a father in California who took the task of coaching a basketball team composed of 12 year old girls. Fact was he was not from the United States and had never played basketball. He didn't even like basketball. He was a computer programer in Silicon Valley. He had a daughter who played in high school and college, but he paid little attention. So he reluctantly agreed to coach after reviewing the rules.
While I won't tell you the story, he took this small, no talent team and made it to the national championship game for 12 year olds. He was not burdened by history, tradition or expectations. He simply took a fresh look at the rules!
The stories in this great book tell shocking stories of the Civil Rights Movement; amazing stories of dyslexic people who excelled; and times when people in positions of power, mis-understand the limits of power when faced with "Davids".
Read this book. You can thank me later! It is *****star.
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