David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits and the Art of Battling Giants
- Downloads：7274
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-16 11:55:07
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Malcolm Gladwell
- ISBN：0141978953
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
In his #1 bestselling books The Tipping Point， Blink， and Outliers， Malcolm Gladwell has explored the ways we understand and change our world。 Now he looks at the complex and surprising ways the weak can defeat the strong， the small can match up against the giant， and how our goals （often culturally determined） can make a huge difference in our ultimate sense of success。 Drawing upon examples from the world of business， sports， culture， cutting-edge psychology， and an array of unforgettable characters around the world， David and Goliath is in many ways the most practical and provocative book Malcolm Gladwell has ever written。
Reviews
Mary Robison
，
You have to hand it to the man， he is a very talented wordsmith and knows how to craft a story。 He presents many interesting points in a way that is very thoughtful and careful; however， he relies only on case studies and assumptions。 I found myself saying "correlation is not causation" many times as I was reading。 I felt like he makes grand claims and the provides one story as proof。 Though I do not believe he intends to be the end-all of these ideas， he writes with authority that can requires You have to hand it to the man， he is a very talented wordsmith and knows how to craft a story。 He presents many interesting points in a way that is very thoughtful and careful; however， he relies only on case studies and assumptions。 I found myself saying "correlation is not causation" many times as I was reading。 I felt like he makes grand claims and the provides one story as proof。 Though I do not believe he intends to be the end-all of these ideas， he writes with authority that can requires one to engage with the content critically or risk being taken in without proper consideration。The big issue I had was with the chapter on education。 I won't go into detail， but suffice it to say that Gladwell makes it seem like you are only smart if you are in STEM。 Leaving STEM is a cop out and you get the vibe that if you are in any other field， especially the arts， then you're not intelligent。 Considering Gladwell is a writer， I found this ironic。 Anyway， that really rubbed me the wrong way because it promotes a false hierarchy that the intelligence required for STEM is greater or better than anyone else。 That is wholly untrue and a narrative that needs to stop being promoted。 。。。more
Rosa
，
Accounts of people/situations not fighting the expected fight。
Jess
，
Had some really interesting ideas on college choices and the benefits of disadvantages。 But I found the second half to be weaker and the entire interpretation of the story of David and Goliath hard to believe。
Ali Haejl
，
Some stories really interesting
Sahoda
，
In a word: Intriguing
Teopocho
，
3。5 I was surprised by how a good storyteller is able to sell a book based on series of anecdotes that don't have any connection of characters and time。 That's what this book is。 Stories linked by the idea of the underdog that defeats the front-runner。 I could have read this story separately and still have the same insight。 I was expected something more inspired or at least something new; nonetheless， it was an enjoyable reading with a few new notions learnt。 No more than that。 A little bit disa 3。5 I was surprised by how a good storyteller is able to sell a book based on series of anecdotes that don't have any connection of characters and time。 That's what this book is。 Stories linked by the idea of the underdog that defeats the front-runner。 I could have read this story separately and still have the same insight。 I was expected something more inspired or at least something new; nonetheless， it was an enjoyable reading with a few new notions learnt。 No more than that。 A little bit disappointed。 。。。more
Alaina Hickson
，
Not that good。 Like it was not the worst but it was a STRUGGGLLLEEEE to get through。
caroline gao
，
3。5？ i’m trying really hard not to overrate every gladwell book i read just because i Love his writing
Donny
，
a solid book。 I liked how it discusses the positives of adversity。
Julianne
，
I liked this book-very interesting and thought provoking。 It will be a great book club discussion！
Robin Potts
，
Its interesting。 The first time I read this a few years ago， I was impressed how Gladwell pointed me at the drawing board from a different angle， and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience。 This time I couldn't get over the opening story - David actually cheated！ He literally took a gun to a knife fight， and was made out to be the underdog。 I did enjoy the rest of the book， but I keep coming back to David。。。。 Its interesting。 The first time I read this a few years ago， I was impressed how Gladwell pointed me at the drawing board from a different angle， and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience。 This time I couldn't get over the opening story - David actually cheated！ He literally took a gun to a knife fight， and was made out to be the underdog。 I did enjoy the rest of the book， but I keep coming back to David。。。。 。。。more
Emily Voss
，
Ever since reading “Blink” over a decade ago， I have loved Gladwell’s literary style and insight。 This book did not disappoint。 I came away from it feeling I had learned a great deal more about more than I had expected —from coaching basketball to bombings in WWII to dyslexia， this book is an incredible compendium of true stories illustrating the ways in which our assumptions about strength and weakness are fundamentally wrong。 Absolutely fascinating！ The reason I give it four stars is that the Ever since reading “Blink” over a decade ago， I have loved Gladwell’s literary style and insight。 This book did not disappoint。 I came away from it feeling I had learned a great deal more about more than I had expected —from coaching basketball to bombings in WWII to dyslexia， this book is an incredible compendium of true stories illustrating the ways in which our assumptions about strength and weakness are fundamentally wrong。 Absolutely fascinating！ The reason I give it four stars is that the ending seemed a little abrupt， but overall， it was excellent！ Content warning:Several f***， and religious swears as well as an exposition of rape/murder cases。 。。。more
Laurel
，
While always enjoyable， I didn't find this book as captivating as other Gladwell books。 While always enjoyable， I didn't find this book as captivating as other Gladwell books。 。。。more
Andres
，
Not so good it’s full of facts that don’t make sense
Yasmine
，
Interesting concept
Marcella
，
This book makes the argument that bad things have a low （but non-negligible！） probability of producing uniquely talented individuals。 Thus， you can think about big problems （death or imprisonment of a parent during childhood， flavors of neurodiversity that make life difficult， etc） as strange， randomized societal experiments that periodically produce triumphant results。It was pretty entertaining to read。 There aren't really statistics on how often people in these various situations have unusual This book makes the argument that bad things have a low （but non-negligible！） probability of producing uniquely talented individuals。 Thus， you can think about big problems （death or imprisonment of a parent during childhood， flavors of neurodiversity that make life difficult， etc） as strange， randomized societal experiments that periodically produce triumphant results。It was pretty entertaining to read。 There aren't really statistics on how often people in these various situations have unusual success vs unusual struggle in their lives。 But the argument remains。 。。。more
Donald
，
This may be my favorite Malcolm Gladwell book of all。 He takes the concept of underdogs in a completely unexpected direction， and truly made me reconsider ideas I thought I already understood。 I won't give anything away here， but I will recommend this book to anyone。 Thoroughly enjoyable。 This may be my favorite Malcolm Gladwell book of all。 He takes the concept of underdogs in a completely unexpected direction， and truly made me reconsider ideas I thought I already understood。 I won't give anything away here， but I will recommend this book to anyone。 Thoroughly enjoyable。 。。。more
Scott
，
There are some many areas this covers。 We would do well to consider the impacts outside of our intended targets。
Kat Riethmuller
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Bestselling author and New Yorker magazine writer Malcolm Gladwell has created his own niche， taking a to-the-zeitgeist concept and expanding it into a readable bestselling book。 He offers a straightforward， conversational style and ample citations。 His observations – such as The Tipping Point’s idea that you must practice 10，000 hours to achieve true skill – become social clichés and appear in every subsequent book。 Gladwell works his niche well。 This entertaining collection of ideas and illust Bestselling author and New Yorker magazine writer Malcolm Gladwell has created his own niche， taking a to-the-zeitgeist concept and expanding it into a readable bestselling book。 He offers a straightforward， conversational style and ample citations。 His observations – such as The Tipping Point’s idea that you must practice 10，000 hours to achieve true skill – become social clichés and appear in every subsequent book。 Gladwell works his niche well。 This entertaining collection of ideas and illustrative anecdotes addresses an ancient yet contemporary theme: the triumph of the underdog。King DavidWhen the Biblical King David was a boy， he defeated the giant warrior Goliath using but a sling and a stone。 Here， he serves as Gladwell’s archetype of the underdog’s triumph。 Gladwell turns the usual interpretation of that confrontation on its head。 He insists that people misunderstand underdog stories。As he says， people have long regarded the victory of a David over a Goliath as far more rare than it really is。 He holds that being an underdog can be a positive。 It can “open doors。。create opportunities” and make the “unthinkable” possible。 Building on that idea， Gladwell ranges around the world and rummages through history for stories of determined underdogs and how they earned their victories。T。E。 LawrenceT。E。 Lawrence – the famed desert warrior called Lawrence of Arabia – was an English scholar who studied Middle Eastern antiquity。 During World War I， he became one of the most successful guerilla tacticians of the 20th century。 Inserted into the Arab Revolt as a consultant to its Arab leaders， Lawrence led his mobile， camel-mounted force of Arab fighters against the Turkish military which then held sway over the Middle East。The Turks had an enormous army， a large mobile force， desert forts， mechanized troops， and a railroad for resupply and moving soldiers。 Lawrence’s Arabs – some of whom had “never fired a rifle” – each had one weapon， 100 "rounds of ammunition and 45 pounds of flour。” Mounted on a camel， an Arab fighter could cover “110 miles” of desert in a day。 These riders moved quickly and appeared where the Turks thought they were not。 As classic underdogs， the Arabs had less power than their opponents， but between surprise and ferocity， they had more force。 In a single 10-day period in 1917， they launched seven separate attacks against the Turks and their installations across a wide territory。The Turks' advantages made them appear unbeatable。 But actually their resources held them back。 Their chain of command hindered spontaneous responses。 Because they had forts， they stayed in them。 The sheer bulk of their superiority in men， arms and machines put them "on the defensive。” Lacking material resources can be as great an advantage as an abundance， because those who don't have resources must out-think their opponents。Lawrence’s successful war reveals a paradox in conventional thinking。 You may fall prey to believing that certain factors are “helpful” when in fact they are hindrances。 And you may regard other circumstances as “unhelpful” when in fact they convey an advantage。That is the core message – the crucial takeaway – that Gladwell wants to impart in this book。 Every chapter illustrates how apparent disadvantages can become advantages。 The most important factors in this switch are self-confidence， courage and a clear sense of the nature of your struggle。Emil “Jay” FreireichJay Freireich’s father died – a likely suicide – shortly after the great crash of 1929。 His mother took a job in a “sweatshop，” one of the garment factories that hired and overworked young women。 She sewed hat brims to earn two cents per hat。 Her son later said that she worked seven-day weeks and 18-hour days to earn rent on an apartment for her family。 Freireich grew up with no adult supervision on the mean streets of Chicago。Freireich had his tonsils removed at age nine。 The doctor was the first clean adult male dressed in nice clothes he had ever seen。 He inspired Freireich to become a doctor。 He needed $25 to go to college， but he knew his mother had never even “seen $25。” But a woman she barely knew gave her $25 for Freireich’s education。 This helped form his optimistic view of life。After serving in the military， Freireich worked at the National Cancer Institute。 His first patients were children suffering from leukemia。 Since the Institute would not give him the fresh blood he needed to transfuse his patients， he found blood donors for them。 Freireich took on every challenge， whether medical or bureaucratic， fearlessly。Gladwell argues that people are not so much born with courage as they learn it。 They see that surviving difficult times – and learning that the challenges and hardships don't destroy you –develops courage。 He quotes J。T。 MacCurdy， a psychiatrist and the author of The Structure of Morale。 MacCurdy studied the Nazi bombing of London in World War II – the “London Blitz” – and wrote， “We are all of us not merely liable to fear， we are also prone to be afraid of being afraid。” Gladwell posits that Freireich’s hard road in life was the source of his fearlessness。 What could Freireich possibly encounter as an adult that would be worse than what he faced as a child。This chapter illustrates Gladwell’s approach。 He tells a fascinating story – Freireich’s life saga from child of the streets to significant medical pioneer。 But he interrupts this story to insert the London Blitz。 Its lessons about human nature and perseverance are interesting， but they seem out of place in the midst of Freireich’s story。 Le ChambonOne crucial idea running throughout David and Goliath is that “excessive force” delegitimizes the powerful and always sparks “defiance， not submission。” As one example， Gladwell discusses how the French Huguenot （Protestant） town of Le Chambon resisted the Nazis throughout World War II。 Led by their heroic pastor， André Trocmé， the villagers hid Jews from the Nazis， created false identity papers for them， took numerous Jewish children into their schools and smuggled Jews over the Alps into Switzerland。Trocmé’s conscience and dedication to the truth led him not only to risk his life to help Jews， but to tell the Nazis flat-out that he did so。 When the minister of the collaborationist Vichy government came to town， the townspeople met him with a grand welcoming ceremony。 Trocmé chose that moment – one that seemed to suggest the triumph of the collaborationist French and their Nazi allies – to hand the visiting minister a letter。 The last line of the letter read: “We have Jews。 You’re not getting them。” Despite repeated threats， arrests and life-threatening time spent in internment camps， Trocmé and his flock never wavered。Later histories suggest that a senior Gestapo official protected La Chambon and Trocmé。 This goes to Gladwell’s theme that no matter how strong the powerful are， successful resistence is possible。 Sometimes， forces come together for a variety of random reasons and turn out to be far stronger than their enemies。 Gladwell’s worthy theme is， simply: “The powerful are not as powerful as they seem – nor the weak as weak。”Trocmé's brave， foolhardy， steadfast community of cultural outsiders in Catholic France illustrate another aspect of Gladwell’s examples: the “marginal and damaged” – society’s underdogs – often turn out to be the bravest and most charitable people。 Gladwell discusses the town’s acute awareness of its own history as a haven for the oppressed and tortured， starting with Protestant French citizens during the murderous holy wars pitting Catholics against Protestants。Gladwell’s collection of defiant， stirring heroes and heroines speaks powerfully to anyone who faces a superior foe or who feels in need of inspiration。 。。。more
Andreea Toader
，
Life lessons！！！！！
Ethan
，
Very informative and very well written。 Love the organisation and storytelling is on point。 One of the few non-fiction books that I couldn't put down。 Very informative and very well written。 Love the organisation and storytelling is on point。 One of the few non-fiction books that I couldn't put down。 。。。more
Kelsie
，
Enjoyable， but I'm quickly coming to realize that Gladwell's books are pretty formulaic - mostly a bunch of case studies and some summarized research around a central theme。 Like any such book， they should always be taken with a grain of salt。 The theory that some Bible scholars have about the David and Goliath story that he shared was interesting to consider， albeit based entirely off of conjecture。 The idea that the same adverse circumstances can produce the successful underdog as the ones tha Enjoyable， but I'm quickly coming to realize that Gladwell's books are pretty formulaic - mostly a bunch of case studies and some summarized research around a central theme。 Like any such book， they should always be taken with a grain of salt。 The theory that some Bible scholars have about the David and Goliath story that he shared was interesting to consider， albeit based entirely off of conjecture。 The idea that the same adverse circumstances can produce the successful underdog as the ones that produce the most depressed， most troubled， etc。 is also a compelling idea， if rendered a bit clinical here， especially towards the end of the book。 。。。more
Scotty Cameron
，
Malcolm Gladwell has such a tried and true formula to his books， speeches， podcasts， journals， you name it。 He provides so many examples of an idea -- often， these anecdotes are seemingly unrelated or related only loosely -- and then ties them all together to support some thesis that challenges the way that we think and assumptions we make。 In this book， Gladwell employs the formula to challenge the concepts of an underdog victory。 After all， how could David have NOT beaten Goliath？The book is b Malcolm Gladwell has such a tried and true formula to his books， speeches， podcasts， journals， you name it。 He provides so many examples of an idea -- often， these anecdotes are seemingly unrelated or related only loosely -- and then ties them all together to support some thesis that challenges the way that we think and assumptions we make。 In this book， Gladwell employs the formula to challenge the concepts of an underdog victory。 After all， how could David have NOT beaten Goliath？The book is broken into three main parts。 The first examines how some traits that seem like disadvantages can really become advantages， and vice versa。 He looks at things like dyslexia， abusive or impoverished childhoods， and Ivy League enrollment and how those things correlate to various degrees of success。 And of course， there are ample supporting anecdotes。Part two delves into the idea of disadvantages as advantages further by exploring "The Theory of Desirable Difficulty。" It really is what it sounds like， but the examples he uses and his prose is really the hook here。Part three is really an interesting take， and in my view， the most enjoyable。 Gladwell looks at "the limits of power" and how institutions such as oppressive crackdowns on crime and excessive police force have counterintuitive results。 In 2021， this really isn't a surprise， but Gladwell has always had a knack for putting into words many of the ideas we may have as a society lingering in the lost corners of our collective mind。 My favorite quote of the book comes from Part three: "The excessive use of force creates legitimacy problems， and force without legitimacy leads to defiance， not submission。"Overall， I can't really place this in any kind of ranking of Gladwell's works， largely because they have all （what I've read， at least） read so similarly。 Typically， that would be a bad thing。 But as I've said， Gladwell's method is effective， entertaining， and oftentimes enlightening。 。。。more
PhebeAnn
，
This was Gladwell's usual well-written fare。 I appreciate the way he flips things around on their head to make us look at them a new way。 Here he focuses on the way that things that seem on their face to be disadvantages， like having a learning disability， can actually be advantages depending on the ways a person is able to adapt to them。A thing that nagged at me about this book， however， is the way it downplays intersectionality。 Like， yeah， David Boise was dyslexic， but he was also a middle-cl This was Gladwell's usual well-written fare。 I appreciate the way he flips things around on their head to make us look at them a new way。 Here he focuses on the way that things that seem on their face to be disadvantages， like having a learning disability， can actually be advantages depending on the ways a person is able to adapt to them。A thing that nagged at me about this book， however， is the way it downplays intersectionality。 Like， yeah， David Boise was dyslexic， but he was also a middle-class white kid。 That compensates for a lot。 Vivek Ranadivé's basketball girls are described as disadvantaged because they're mostly white blond kids from the suburbs who don't really know how to play basketball， but of course they are advantaged by the connections （e。g。 to pro basketball） and by Ranadivé's education and problem-solving skills。 They are only underdogs in terms of basketball experience。Gladwell does acknowledge that many people are disadvantaged in whatever ways （loss， poverty， disability， experiencing acts of war etc。） and are not able to overcome。 Instead they are crushed or deeply damaged by these difficulties in their lives。 But those people are not Gladwell's focus。 I think it would be easy for readers to miss his caveat that the cases he features are exceptional - cases where people had just enough adversity combined with the right mix of material supports， social acceptance， and personality traits to still succeed in a socially defined way， and even find that bit of adversity advantageous。 My fear is that people will read this as a story of how the individual， if they just work hard enough， are innovative enough， persistent enough， will overcome， and those who are permanently hampered by the obstacles life throws at them are just not helping themselves。 Or that teachers should all teach bigger classes because they're advantageous （his argument on this is more nuanced - bigger is only better to a point - there's more of an ideal window）。 It would be easy to lose these nuances in getting wrapped up in the stories Gladwell tells。To me the most important point to take away from this book is not individual feel-good tales of triumph， but what are the key ingredients？: how can we help to create conditions where more people can be supported to thrive through， and maybe even because of， adversity？ 。。。more
Luke
，
Gladwell is obviously a compelling writer and makes some excellent points。 I do find at times myself nitpicking some of his points。 Where he framed many issues as a duality of options， would then discredit the one and point to the alternative as the only possible solution。 However his initial framing of duality seemed misguided at times。
Hanna
，
I listened to this while cooking dinner for a few weeks。 Short podcast-like stories of the limits of power and the ways we can think unconventionally to achieve great things。 （The author is a podcaster）， so his reporting style lends well to audiobooks！ I especially loved the chapters about the researchers who made huge strides in treating pediatric leukemias。
Đức Nhật
，
3 sao 。。。 Ý tưởng hay， cách triển khai hơi dài dòng văn tự。Sách gợi ý cho mình về một thực tế hiện hữu trong cuộc sống: Những người thành công nhất đôi lúc lại xuất phát từ những điểm khó khăn nhất。 Malcolm Gladwell đã tìm cách giải thích những sự kiện nơi kẻ yếu hạ gục kẻ mạnh， từ góc nhìn khoa học， cộng thêm bổ trợ từ cơ sở dữ liệu。 Những yếu tố bất ngờ mà nghịch cảnh có tác động đến mức độ thành công của bạn。 Bên cạnh đó là những câu chuyện cụ thể từ một vài cá nhân để chứng minh luận điểm củ 3 sao 。。。 Ý tưởng hay， cách triển khai hơi dài dòng văn tự。Sách gợi ý cho mình về một thực tế hiện hữu trong cuộc sống: Những người thành công nhất đôi lúc lại xuất phát từ những điểm khó khăn nhất。 Malcolm Gladwell đã tìm cách giải thích những sự kiện nơi kẻ yếu hạ gục kẻ mạnh， từ góc nhìn khoa học， cộng thêm bổ trợ từ cơ sở dữ liệu。 Những yếu tố bất ngờ mà nghịch cảnh có tác động đến mức độ thành công của bạn。 Bên cạnh đó là những câu chuyện cụ thể từ một vài cá nhân để chứng minh luận điểm của mình。Điều mình luôn thấy khó hiểu là mặc dù thông điệp của Malcolm Gladwell mang tính toàn cầu， ông chú luôn đem theo những chi tiết mang đặc thù văn hóa Mỹ。 Sự phân biệt chủng tộc， cuộc chiến của Martin Luther King， chương trình hành động tích cực là 3 điểm nổi bật nhất trong cuốn sách này。 Giá như Malcolm có thể nêu thêm những câu chuyện đến từ văn hóa khác （sau cùng thì cũng có những câu chuyện của người Do Thái và ở Bắc Ireland， nhưng châu Á thì sao？） nhằm làm sáng tỏ ý tưởng của mình， làm trọn vẹn cuốn sách。 Tiếc là ông không đủ giỏi để làm vậy。Một điểm băn khoăn của mình là ở việc ông gián tiếp phê bình chương trình hành động tích cực， bảo rằng chương trình này gây áp lực đến cộng đồng người da đen và làm họ tụt lại phía sau khá nhiều so với bạn bè da trắng trong quá trình tiếp thu tri thức đỉnh cao ở những trường Đại học đỉnh cao ở Mỹ。 Vấn đề của mình nằm ở chỗ là Malcolm tập trung vào khó khăn mà người da đen gặp phải trong khi những người da trắng đồng niên cũng hoàn toàn có thể gặp khó khăn tương tự。 Ý tưởng của chương trình hành động tích cực là để tạo thêm cơ hội cho những người da đen đủ giỏi để học ở những môi trường học thuật chất lượng， nhằm tạo thế cân bằng bình đẳng giữa da đen và da trắng。 Nhưng tại sao lại giới hạn việc gặp khó khăn chỉ ở những người da đen học kém hơn mà không phải người học kém hơn nói chung？ Nói chung là một cuốn sách hay， nếu bạn là một người Mỹ và thích ý tưởng về sự độc lập và trách nhiệm và có đam mê phát triển bản thân vượt qua khó khăn。 Với mình thì cũng tạm。 。。。more
Victoria Zellefrow
，
3 stars
Thomas Platt
，
This book is about how underdogs can become the favorite - how sometimes disadvantages are actually advantages and vice versa。 The book tells many stories about times when the underdog won the fight， such as David defeating Goliath， but explains how sometimes the underdog is truly the favorite。 In the story of David and Goliath， for example， Gladwell argues Goliath is in fact the underdog， because David was a quick shepherd with a sling that had the power of a modern handgun。 Before the fight， D This book is about how underdogs can become the favorite - how sometimes disadvantages are actually advantages and vice versa。 The book tells many stories about times when the underdog won the fight， such as David defeating Goliath， but explains how sometimes the underdog is truly the favorite。 In the story of David and Goliath， for example， Gladwell argues Goliath is in fact the underdog， because David was a quick shepherd with a sling that had the power of a modern handgun。 Before the fight， David declined to use a sword and shield， and fought Goliath's weaknesses with his own strengths， thus defeating the slow giant with quickness and range。 If he were to fight with a sword and shield， he would have been fighting Goliath's strengths， which in this context seems obviously dumb， but in the real world this is how it usually goes。 People often fight giants at their strengths， and Gladwell argues that not only should you fight the giant's weaknesses but also stay true to your stengths。Next， Gladwell introduces a study that smaller class sizes in schools actually has no benefits to students - a study that most parents wouldn't believe。 This is because everyone looks at the advantages of a small classroom but fails to see the advantages of a bigger classroom， which teaches the lesson that sometimes perceived advantages aren't advantageous at all。Gladwell's next argument （which is my favorite in this book） is that it is better to be a big fish in a small pond than a small fish in a big pond。 In other words it is better to place yourself in a position where you thrive than where there is intense competition。 The example given is a brilliant girl who gets into Brown University， an ivy league school， but gets weeded out of her dream STEM major。 Studies show that kids are much more likely to be successful by attending a safety school where they thrive than a reach school where they are average to below average。 The lesson here is again that what is seen as an advantage （attending a top school） can in fact be a major disadvantage。 Another story in connection to this was the statistics brought up that 51% of African Americans in law school are in the bottom 10% of their class which is most likely due to students attending reach schools via affirmative action; what law makers thought would be beneficial to minority students has become detrimental to their success。The book then goes into desirable difficulties， acquiring courage by overcoming adversity， the freedoms of having nothing to lose， the flaws of over-powering authority， etc。 Overall this was a really good book that should aid readers in looking at the world a little differently and find positives in situations where you may be an underdog。 。。。more
Samuel Ronicker
，