Review of David and Goliath: 4 stars
Fascinating premise: the idea that adverse circumstances and handicaps can actually turn out to be “blessings in disguise” (for some of us, in certain situations). I love everything Malcolm Gladwell writes. I love the unique connections he sees between events and unlikely explanations. My favorite from this book was the concept that “worldly” advantages fall into a U-shaped curve in terms of whether they benefit us, don’t help us at all, or actually harm us. One example was money: too little and it becomes the subtext for everything in your life. Once you have enough, a little more really makes no difference. And too much can actually make it more challenging to, for instance, raise kids who understand the value of a dollar and of hard work. He made a similar argument for Ivy League Schools – that at a certain point there are diminishing returns on education once you reach a certain level of “good enough” – and he has the statistics to back it up.
