Book Notes #85: David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell

Title: David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits and the Art of Battling Giants
Author: Malcolm Gladwell
Year: 2013
Pages: 305

In David and Goliath, Malcolm Gladwell flips our understanding of advantage and disadvantage on its head.

Through fascinating stories and real-world examples, he explores how people and groups can turn setbacks into strengths—proving that what seems like a weakness can actually be an unexpected advantage.

Blending psychology, sociology, and personal narratives, Gladwell challenges the way we think about power, resilience, and success.

By examining history and modern-day struggles, he offers a fresh perspective on how we can navigate challenges, rethink what it means to win, and use adversity to our advantage.

As a result, I gave this book a rating of 7.5/10.

For me, a book with a note 10 is one I consider reading again every year. Among the books I rank with 10, for example, are How to Win Friends and Influence People and Factfulness.

3 Reasons to Read David and Goliath

Book Overview

In David and Goliath, Malcolm Gladwell takes us on a captivating journey through power, resilience, and the unexpected strengths that emerge when we face adversity head-on.

With his signature blend of storytelling and sharp analysis, Gladwell challenges the way we think about success, showing that obstacles aren’t always setbacks—they can be stepping stones to growth and innovation.

Through compelling narratives from history, psychology, and personal experiences, he highlights how underdogs defy the odds, proving that disadvantages can fuel determination, creativity, and triumph.

David and Goliath invites us to see a world where supposed weaknesses become surprising advantages.

Gladwell weaves together diverse case studies that illustrate how adversity, rather than holding people back, often becomes the force that propels them forward.

He tells the story of David Boies, a lawyer whose dyslexia shaped him into a powerhouse in the courtroom, and oncologist Emil “Jay” Freireich, whose early hardships drove him to revolutionize cancer treatment.

These aren’t isolated stories—they are pieces of a larger puzzle backed by social science research, showing the deep connection between struggle and success.

But David and Goliath doesn’t stop at individuals. Gladwell explores how perceived disadvantages can be turned into strategic advantages in entirely different realms.

He delves into Vivek Ranadivé’s unorthodox coaching strategy for a girls’ basketball team, Teresa DeBrito’s perspective on class size in education, and Caroline Sacks’ difficult decision between attending a top-tier or second-tier college—each revealing how the choices we make shape our destinies in unexpected ways.

The book also explores activism and social movements, shining a light on the tactics used by Wyatt Walker and Martin Luther King Jr. to turn the 1963 Birmingham protests into a defining moment of the civil rights movement.

Gladwell contrasts these stories with global examples, such as how Northern Irish police responded to religious riots compared to a New York City officer who pioneered a program that reconnected troubled youths with their families.

The book’s tapestry of narratives expands further, revealing how personal tragedies can spark sweeping policy changes.

Gladwell examines how Mike Reynolds’ loss led to California’s Three-Strikes Law, while Wilma Derksen’s response to a similar tragedy took a radically different path.

He also tells the story of André Trocmé, the French pastor whose defiance of the Nazi regime turned his small town into a sanctuary for Jewish refugees.

Throughout David and Goliath, Gladwell masterfully demonstrates that the journey from underdog to victor is often paved with unexpected strengths and bold thinking.

These stories of triumph over adversity challenge us to rethink what it means to struggle and succeed, urging us to redefine success on our own terms.

With vivid storytelling and meticulous research, David and Goliath serves as a powerful testament to the hidden potential within every challenge, inspiring us to see setbacks not as barriers, but as opportunities to rise.

Chapter by Chapter

Chapter 1 – Vivek Ranadivé

The Power of Unconventional Strategies

When Vivek Ranadivé decided to coach his daughter’s basketball team, he had never played basketball before. Coming from Mumbai, where cricket and soccer were dominant, he found the traditional American approach to basketball puzzling.

Teams would score, retreat, and allow the opposing team to bring the ball up the court unchallenged. It seemed inefficient to him, favoring teams with skilled players while making it harder for weaker teams to compete.

Since his daughter’s team was made up mostly of inexperienced players—children of Silicon Valley programmers who were more interested in science than sports—he knew they couldn’t win by playing the conventional way.

Instead, he made a bold decision: his team would play a full-court press the entire game, applying relentless pressure on the opposing team from the moment they inbounded the ball.

This strategy, rarely used at younger levels and even sparingly at professional levels, exploited a weakness in the system. Most teams weren’t prepared for such constant, high-energy defense.

As a result, his team—despite lacking height, shooting skills, or dribbling ability—ended up making it to the national championships.

Underdogs Win More Than We Think

Ranadivé’s success wasn’t just a basketball anomaly. Gladwell introduces research from political scientist Ivan Arreguín-Toft, who studied wars between vastly unequal powers. Conventional wisdom says the stronger side should almost always win, yet weaker sides won about 30% of the time. More interestingly, when underdogs fought unconventionally, using guerrilla tactics instead of traditional warfare, their winning percentage jumped to 63.6%.

A famous example is T. E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia), who led an outnumbered band of Arab rebels against the powerful Turkish army. Instead of fighting in conventional battles, he used speed, endurance, and deep knowledge of the desert to disrupt enemy supply lines, making the Turkish forces vulnerable. His unorthodox tactics helped secure a seemingly impossible victory.

Gladwell argues that we tend to assume power is absolute—that stronger teams, armies, or competitors will always prevail. But history suggests that unconventional strategies can level the playing field.

Effort vs. Ability: The Press as a Great Equalizer

Ranadivé’s basketball team played like Lawrence’s Bedouins: instead of engaging in a traditional battle of skills, they focused on effort, speed, and disruption. They applied relentless pressure, denying their opponents the chance to set up plays. Since they weren’t skilled shooters, they relied on stealing the ball and scoring easy layups, minimizing the need for difficult shots.

This approach highlights an important theme: in many fields, effort can outweigh ability. The full-court press was exhausting, but because the Redwood City girls were fitter than their opponents, they had the endurance to sustain it. The lesson? Persistence and a willingness to challenge norms can turn a perceived weakness into a strength.

Why Don’t More People Use Underdog Strategies?

Despite its effectiveness, the full-court press is rarely used. Even legendary coaches who pulled off upsets with it often abandoned it afterward. Gladwell suggests this is because unconventional strategies require relentless effort and the willingness to be different. Most people are comfortable with the familiar, even when it puts them at a disadvantage.

A key takeaway from the chapter is that underdogs don’t lose because they are weaker—they lose when they try to play by the stronger side’s rules. The real advantage often lies in questioning assumptions and daring to break the norm.

Resistance and the Cost of Being Different

Redwood City’s success wasn’t always celebrated. Opposing coaches and parents often accused Ranadivé of not playing “real” basketball. Some were so angry that they tried to physically confront him. But this resistance came from discomfort—his team’s unconventional approach exposed flaws in the traditional system.

The chapter ends with a broader reflection: we often assume that privilege, talent, and power automatically lead to success. But sometimes, the very things we see as disadvantages—lack of skill, lack of experience, or being the outsider—can be turned into strengths.

At the national championships, Redwood City finally lost when referees began calling fouls against their aggressive defense. When they were forced to play “normally,” they were no longer the disruptive force that had made them so effective. But in proving that effort and unconventional thinking could challenge the strongest teams, they showed that Goliath isn’t as unbeatable as he seems.

Chapter 2 – Teresa DeBrito

When Less Isn’t Always More

At first glance, a small classroom seems like an ideal learning environment. Shepaug Valley Middle School in Connecticut used to be crowded, with over 300 students filling its halls. But as real estate prices rose and younger families left the area, enrollment dropped.

Today, some classes have as few as fifteen students. Conventional wisdom suggests this should be great for education—more individual attention, better teacher-student relationships, and improved learning outcomes.

But does it actually work that way?

Gladwell challenges this assumption by pointing to a natural experiment—schools in Connecticut where class sizes fluctuated year by year due to local demographics. Economist Caroline Hoxby studied whether smaller classes improved student performance and found… nothing.

The data showed no clear advantage to smaller class sizes. In fact, studies worldwide suggest that while some countries (like Greece and Iceland) see benefits, in most cases, reducing class size has no meaningful impact on learning.

This is the first hint that our assumptions about what is an advantage might be wrong.

The Inverted-U Curve: When More is Worse

Why doesn’t reducing class size always help? The answer lies in a concept called the inverted-U curve. At first, having fewer students is beneficial—there’s less chaos, and teachers can give more attention to each child. But beyond a certain point, the benefits stop increasing and eventually reverse.

Too few students in a class can lead to a lack of diversity in thought, stifled discussions, and an environment where individual students dominate or disengage. As one teacher put it, a very small class can feel like “siblings fighting in the back seat of a car.” There’s no escape from conflicts, and discussions can lose their energy.

This concept applies beyond education. Gladwell compares it to wealth and parenting—having too little money makes life hard, but having too much can create problems too.

The Problem of Raising Kids in Wealth

Gladwell introduces a Hollywood mogul who grew up working hard for his money—shoveling snow, doing odd jobs, and learning the value of a dollar. But now that he’s wealthy, he faces a dilemma: how can he teach his kids those same lessons when they grow up surrounded by luxury?

The traditional excuse—”we can’t afford it”—is no longer available. Instead, wealthy parents must say, “We won’t buy that”, which is a much harder conversation. Without financial limits, setting values and teaching discipline becomes more complicated.

Wealth, like class size, follows an inverted-U curve. Too little money makes parenting difficult, but too much creates entitlement, loss of ambition, and a lack of resilience. This is why so many cultures have sayings about wealth disappearing in three generations—riches can weaken the very values that created them.

The Downside of Elite Schools

Gladwell circles back to education by examining Hotchkiss, an elite private school with an average class size of twelve students. Parents pay $50,000 a year thinking smaller classes are better, yet research suggests this hurts students more than it helps. With too few peers, discussions lack energy, students feel more pressure, and the variety of opinions shrinks.

In contrast, the principal of Shepaug Valley Middle School, Teresa DeBrito, worries that shrinking class sizes will harm students rather than help them. She recalls her best teaching experience—when she had 29 students. The energy, diversity of ideas, and engagement were at their peak.

The irony? The same small class size that elite schools advertise as a selling point is the very thing DeBrito dreads for her students.

The Key Takeaway

We often assume that bigger, stronger, and richer is always better, but the inverted-U curve shows us that advantages have limits. Beyond a certain point, the very thing we think will help us—small classes, wealth, elite education—can start to work against us.

Gladwell’s message is clear: we need to rethink what true advantages look like.

Chapter 3 – Caroline Sacks

The Big Fish–Little Pond Effect

Caroline Sacks was a brilliant student who excelled in high school. She loved science, spent her childhood studying bugs, and dreamed of a career in biology. With perfect grades and a passion for learning, she had her pick of top universities. When the time came to choose, she went for prestige—enrolling at Brown University instead of the University of Maryland, her backup choice.

It seemed like the right decision at the time. Brown was an Ivy League school, full of brilliant minds, renowned professors, and endless opportunities. But once she got there, something unexpected happened: she started struggling.

In her first year, she took introductory chemistry—a required course for science majors. It was a nightmare. The material was complex, her classmates were fiercely competitive, and for the first time in her life, she felt out of her depth. She failed her first exam. She retook the course, only to get a low B. Then came organic chemistry, an even bigger challenge. No matter how hard she worked, she couldn’t keep up. Slowly, her confidence eroded.

Eventually, she quit science altogether. The same girl who had spent her childhood obsessing over biology gave up on her dream—not because she wasn’t smart enough, but because she felt she wasn’t as smart as everyone else.

Why Did Caroline Struggle?

Gladwell argues that Caroline’s story isn’t unique—it’s the result of what psychologists call the Big Fish–Little Pond Effect.

Imagine you’re an excellent student in high school. You’re at the top of your class, confident, and used to succeeding. But when you move to an elite university, you’re suddenly surrounded by people who are just as smart—or smarter. Instead of feeling like a high achiever, you feel average.

This feeling of relative deprivation—comparing yourself to those around you—can crush motivation. In contrast, a student with the same abilities who attends a less competitive school often thrives because they remain a “big fish” in a “smaller pond.”

The Power of Comparison

Gladwell backs up this idea with a surprising study. Researchers found that students who rank lower at top universities are more likely to drop out of science and math fields—even though they would have excelled at a slightly less prestigious school.

The reason? Perception matters more than reality. If you’re struggling in a competitive environment, you feel less capable—even if you’re still far ahead of the average student nationwide.

The Impressionist Painters Faced the Same Choice

To illustrate this concept, Gladwell turns to nineteenth-century French painters like Monet, Renoir, and Cézanne. Back then, the Salon—France’s prestigious art exhibition—was the ultimate goal for aspiring artists. Getting in meant recognition, sales, and success. But the Salon was highly selective and traditional. Many of the Impressionists’ works were rejected or dismissed as amateurish.

Instead of fighting for a spot in this “big pond,” the Impressionists chose a different path. They created their own exhibition—a smaller, less prestigious show where they could stand out. This gave them the freedom to experiment and ultimately led to their global success.

Caroline, by contrast, had chosen the Salon (Brown University) instead of a smaller pond (University of Maryland). And just like many artists who failed at the Salon, she paid the price.

When Prestige Works Against You

The chapter raises an uncomfortable question: is it always better to aim for the best? Society pushes people to attend the most prestigious schools, take the most challenging jobs, and compete in the toughest environments. But Gladwell argues that prestige can sometimes backfire.

By choosing Brown, Caroline reduced her chances of succeeding in science. Research suggests that for every 10-point drop in the average SAT scores of a school, a student’s chances of completing a STEM degree increase by 2%. That means if Caroline had gone to Maryland, where the competition was less intense, she would have had a 30% higher chance of staying in science.

The Harvard Problem

This effect isn’t just limited to students like Caroline. Gladwell shares data showing that even students at Harvard and MIT struggle the same way. If you’re in the bottom half of a class at an elite school, your chances of dropping out of math and science are the same as if you had attended a much lower-ranked school.

In other words, being in a top school doesn’t guarantee success—feeling successful does.

The Takeaway

The Big Fish–Little Pond Effect challenges our assumptions about ambition and success. Sometimes, the biggest advantage is not being in the most prestigious place, but being in a place where you can thrive.

Caroline thought choosing Brown would give her the best chance at success. Instead, it made her feel inadequate. If she had gone to Maryland, she believes, she’d still be in science today.

The same lesson applies to careers, business, and life choices: sometimes, the best choice is not the hardest or most prestigious one—but the one where you can be the best version of yourself.

Chapter 4 – David Boies

You Wouldn’t Wish Dyslexia on Your Child. Or Would You?

Dyslexia is often seen as a significant disadvantage. It’s a reading disorder caused by differences in how the brain processes language, making it difficult to decode words, recognize sounds, and read fluently. Many dyslexics struggle through school, experience low self-esteem, and sometimes even face a lifetime of challenges in traditional academic settings.

But Gladwell introduces a surprising idea: what if dyslexia, in some cases, can be an advantage? He argues that some individuals who struggle with reading develop compensatory skills—abilities that wouldn’t have emerged if they hadn’t faced this challenge. And for a select group, these adaptations can lead to exceptional success.

The Idea of “Desirable Difficulties”

To explain this paradox, Gladwell introduces the concept of “desirable difficulties”—the idea that certain challenges, while difficult in the short term, can produce long-term advantages.

He uses a simple psychological experiment to illustrate this: When people are given a problem printed in a hard-to-read font, they actually perform better on it. Why? Because they slow down, concentrate more, and engage deeper in the task. The difficulty forces them to think differently and more carefully, leading to better results.

Could dyslexia work in the same way?

The Surprising Link Between Dyslexia and Success

Studies show that a disproportionate number of successful entrepreneurs are dyslexic. One study suggests that around one-third of business leaders have dyslexia—far higher than in the general population. Among them are Richard Branson (Virgin), Charles Schwab (finance), David Neeleman (JetBlue), and John Chambers (Cisco).

Why would a disorder that makes reading difficult help in business? Gladwell suggests that dyslexia forces individuals to develop alternative skills—such as stronger listening abilities, memorization, creative problem-solving, and resilience.

David Boies: The Dyslexic Who Became a Top Lawyer

One of the most striking examples is David Boies, one of the most successful trial lawyers in the U.S. Boies had severe dyslexia and struggled with reading his entire life. Unlike his classmates, he couldn’t rely on books to learn, so he developed an extraordinary listening memory—he could hear something once and retain it.

This ability made him a devastating trial lawyer. While other lawyers relied on documents and notes, Boies could absorb entire conversations and recall subtle details from past statements, making him exceptional at cross-examinations.

His dyslexia forced him to become a master communicator, simplifying complex legal arguments into easy-to-understand narratives—something that helped him win cases against Microsoft and the U.S. government.

Boies himself acknowledges that while his dyslexia made his path harder, it also gave him an advantage in a profession where clarity, memory, and verbal skills are crucial.

The Power of Compensation Learning

Most people succeed by building on their natural strengths—what psychologists call capitalization learning. For example, a talented singer practices singing and gets better.

But dyslexics like Boies succeed through compensation learning—they develop new abilities to make up for what they lack. This requires persistence, creativity, and the ability to overcome repeated failure—all of which are valuable traits in high-stakes fields like business and law.

Gary Cohn: The Trader Who Faked His Way to Success

Another example is Gary Cohn, who struggled in school due to dyslexia. His parents didn’t expect much of him, and even his teachers thought he would be lucky just to graduate.

But Cohn wasn’t afraid of failure. As a young man, he bluffed his way into an interview for a Wall Street trading job by pretending to know about options trading—even though he had no clue. He quickly taught himself everything he needed to know, worked relentlessly, and eventually became the President of Goldman Sachs.

His dyslexia made him comfortable taking risks, improvising, and thinking on his feet—skills that proved invaluable in the unpredictable world of finance.

The Key Takeaway

Dyslexia is undeniably difficult. Many who have it struggle throughout life. But for a small group, the very thing that seems like a disadvantage forces them to develop extraordinary abilities—better listening, creative thinking, resilience, and boldness.

Gladwell challenges the idea that all obstacles are purely negative. Sometimes, the very struggles we wish to avoid might be the things that make us stronger.

Chapter 5 – Emil “Jay” Freireich

How Hardship Builds Resilience

Emil “Jay” Freireich’s childhood was nothing short of brutal. His father died when he was young—possibly by suicide—after the stock market crash left the family destitute. His mother worked in a sweatshop for eighteen hours a day, earning just two cents per hat she sewed.

Jay and his sister were left to be raised by a maid, whom he considered his real parent. When his mother remarried for convenience, things didn’t get better. His new stepfather was cold, and his mother—worn down by years of struggle—was emotionally distant.

Growing up, Freireich knew hunger and hardship intimately. He stole food. His family moved frequently, always chasing cheap rent. He remembers searching for milk that cost four cents instead of five because they couldn’t afford the extra penny. He had no real parental love, no stability, and no encouragement.

And yet, this wasn’t the beginning of a tragic story. It was the making of a relentless, fearless doctor.

The Unexpected Strength of “Remote Misses”

To understand how someone like Freireich could emerge from such hardship, Gladwell introduces an unexpected parallel: the London Blitz during World War II. Before the bombings began, British officials predicted mass panic—millions of psychological casualties, cities abandoned, productivity grinding to a halt. Instead, the opposite happened.

Psychiatrist J. T. MacCurdy explained why. When bombs fell, they created three groups of people:

1. Direct Hits – Those who died. Their reaction didn’t matter, because they were gone.
2. Near Misses – Those who barely survived, witnessing destruction firsthand. These people were often deeply traumatized.
3. Remote Misses – Those who heard the bombs, saw the destruction from a distance, but walked away unharmed.

The remote misses emerged emboldened. They survived something terrifying and realized they were still standing. They felt exhilaration instead of fear.

Gladwell argues that the same principle applies to individuals who go through hardship but come out stronger. People like Jay Freireich.

A Child of Hardship Becomes a Fearless Doctor

Freireich’s resilience pushed him forward. A high school teacher encouraged him to apply to college. His mother scraped together $25—an enormous sum for them—so he could enroll. He worked in a sorority house, eating leftovers to survive. From there, he made his way to medical school and into one of the most grueling professions imaginable.

But he wasn’t just another doctor. He was different. He wasn’t afraid of authority. He didn’t hesitate to challenge his superiors. He was loud, aggressive, and often unbearable to work with. But he also had something that most doctors lacked: an unwillingness to accept failure.

Fighting Childhood Leukemia When Everyone Gave Up

In the 1950s, childhood leukemia was a death sentence. Children would arrive at the hospital with unstoppable bleeding—hemorrhaging from their mouths, ears, and even their skin. Within weeks, 90% were dead. Doctors did their best to comfort patients, but few believed a cure was possible.

Freireich was different. He saw this as a problem to solve, not a tragedy to accept. When he realized that leukemia patients were bleeding to death due to low platelets, he pushed for platelet transfusions. The medical establishment resisted—hospitals wouldn’t give him fresh blood for his patients. He fought them, even yelling and pounding tables in meetings. He got what he needed. The bleeding stopped.

But stopping the bleeding wasn’t enough. The leukemia always came back. At the time, doctors used one chemotherapy drug at a time, afraid that multiple drugs would be too toxic. Freireich refused to accept this. He proposed using four chemotherapy drugs together, attacking the cancer from multiple angles. The medical community was horrified—his colleagues openly mocked him. Some refused to take part in his trials.

He did it anyway.

The children suffered horribly. The treatment nearly killed them. But for the first time, something incredible happened: some children survived. Today, because of Freireich’s work, childhood leukemia has a survival rate of over 90%.

The Power of Hardship

Freireich was able to withstand the pressure, the criticism, and the emotional toll of watching children suffer because he had already endured worse. His childhood had taught him that survival was possible, that hardship didn’t have to break you—it could make you fearless.

Gladwell argues that we often assume trauma only damages people. But sometimes, it creates strength. Many of history’s great leaders, innovators, and revolutionaries lost a parent at a young age. British Prime Ministers, American Presidents, and creative geniuses have a strikingly high rate of childhood loss. Why? Because they had already faced the worst and survived.

Would You Wish Hardship on Your Child?

Despite all this, when Gladwell asks highly successful dyslexics and trauma survivors if they would wish their struggles on their own children, they all say no. They know the suffering it took to get where they are. And yet, society benefits from people like them—people who emerge from adversity not broken, but stronger.

The paradox is clear: we don’t want our children to suffer, but we need people who have suffered and grown because of it.

Jay Freireich was one of those people. His childhood should have crushed him. Instead, it made him unstoppable—and, in doing so, saved thousands of lives.

Chapter 6 – Wyatt Walker

The Power of Trickery in Civil Rights

One of the most famous photographs in American history was taken on May 3, 1963. It shows a teenage Black boy in Birmingham, Alabama, seemingly being attacked by a police dog. The image was published on the front pages of newspapers across the country, shocking the nation and pushing the civil rights movement forward. President John F. Kennedy saw it and was horrified. Within a year, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed.

But here’s the twist: the moment wasn’t entirely what it seemed. The boy in the picture wasn’t actually a protester. He was just watching. And the police officer holding the dog wasn’t as aggressive as the photo suggested. But none of that mattered. The image became a symbol of police brutality, and that was exactly what Martin Luther King Jr. and his team needed.

This chapter tells the story of Wyatt Walker, one of King’s top strategists and the man behind the carefully planned protests in Birmingham. Walker wasn’t just a civil rights activist—he was a trickster. He understood that in a battle where one side has all the power, sometimes the only way to win is through deception.

The Trickster Hero: Outsmarting the Oppressor

Throughout history, oppressed groups have relied on trickster figures—characters who use their intelligence and cunning to survive. African American folklore tells stories of Brer Rabbit, a small but clever creature who outsmarts stronger enemies. Slaves passed these stories down, not just as entertainment, but as survival lessons: if you can’t win with strength, win with strategy.

Walker embodied this idea. He knew that the civil rights movement couldn’t beat racism in a head-on fight. The power structures in the South were too strong. But what if they could trick their enemies into defeating themselves?

This was exactly what happened in Birmingham.

Provoking Bull Connor: “Please Don’t Throw Me in the Briar Patch”

At the time, Birmingham was considered the most racist city in America. The police commissioner, Eugene “Bull” Connor, was a segregationist who ruled with violence. He had already let mobs attack civil rights activists, ordered police brutality, and allowed the KKK to operate freely.

Walker and King knew they needed Bull Connor to overreact—to show the world the true face of racism. The problem was, Connor wasn’t taking the bait. He arrested a few protesters but didn’t unleash the kind of brutality that would make national news. Walker realized they had to push harder.

One day, a small group of protesters marched, while hundreds of Black residents stood on the sidelines watching. A misunderstanding in the media led to a news report that 1,400 people had marched—even though only a handful actually had. Walker saw an opportunity.

From that moment on, he made sure the marches always looked bigger than they were. Protesters walked slowly. They spread out. Sometimes, there were more spectators than actual marchers, but to reporters and the watching public, it didn’t matter. The movement looked unstoppable.

Bull Connor panicked. His fear of losing control made him act exactly the way Walker wanted. He unleashed police dogs and fire hoses on children, creating images that shocked the world. Just like Brer Rabbit, Walker had tricked his enemy into doing exactly what he needed.

Using Children in Protests: Right or Wrong?

One of the most controversial moments of the movement came when schoolchildren joined the protests. Hundreds of kids skipped school and marched, knowing they might be arrested.

Not everyone approved. Some activists, including Malcolm X, criticized King for putting children in danger. Even the U.S. Attorney General, Robert Kennedy, warned that it was reckless. But King and Walker believed they had no choice.

When the fire hoses and dogs were turned on the children, the world reacted with outrage. It was a moral turning point in the civil rights movement. Suddenly, sitting on the sidelines wasn’t an option anymore. America was forced to confront its racism.

The Famous Photo: A Carefully Crafted Illusion

The photo of the boy and the police dog became the defining image of the Birmingham protests. But looking closer, something doesn’t add up. The officer seems to be holding the dog back, not encouraging an attack. And the boy? He wasn’t even part of the protest. Some witnesses say he was actually kicking the dog in self-defense.

But in the end, the truth didn’t matter. The image told a bigger story—a story of oppression and brutality that needed to be exposed. As Walker later said, “Sure, people got bit by the dogs… but a picture is worth a thousand words.”

The Lesson of the Trickster

Walker’s tactics raise a difficult question: is it okay to manipulate the truth if it serves a greater good? Some people were uncomfortable with his methods, but he understood something crucial—powerful people make the rules, and sometimes the only way to win is to break them.

Gladwell connects this to other stories in the book. Dyslexics become great entrepreneurs because they learn to adapt. People who experience hardship become fearless. And just like Brer Rabbit, Walker knew that if you can’t win with brute force, you win with intelligence.

Key Takeaway

The Birmingham protests weren’t just about courage—they were about strategy. Walker and King used every tool at their disposal to expose injustice, even if it meant bending the truth.

This chapter challenges us to think about the nature of power. Is it enough to just be right, or do you have to be clever as well? Sometimes, the only way to bring down a giant is not by fighting it head-on—but by making it fall over its own feet.

Chapter 7 – Rosemary Lawlor

When the Powerful Lose Legitimacy

In the summer of 1969, Rosemary Lawlor was a newlywed living in Belfast, Northern Ireland. She and her husband had just bought a house and had a baby. But that summer, the city erupted into violence. The Troubles—the decades-long conflict between Catholics and Protestants—were beginning, and Catholics like the Lawlors were being driven out of their homes.

Fear took over their lives. Gangs of Protestant Loyalists roamed the streets, burning Catholic homes. One night, a bomb landed in the Lawlors’ backyard, but it didn’t explode. They saw neighbors disappear overnight, forced to flee. Eventually, they realized they were in danger too.

With no phone and no way to call for help, Rosemary and her husband gathered what they could, stuffing clothes into the tray of their baby’s pram. To escape, they tricked a taxi driver into taking them to a Catholic neighborhood by pretending their baby was sick. When the driver realized where they were going, he refused to continue. But Rosemary’s husband pulled out a poker and forced him to drive to Ballymurphy, a Catholic area that would become their refuge.

This was just the beginning. Over the next year, Belfast spiraled deeper into violence, and the British Army was sent in to restore order. But instead of bringing peace, their actions only made the conflict worse.

The British Army’s Fatal Mistake

The British believed they could control Northern Ireland with brute force. Their strategy followed the logic of two military analysts, Nathan Leites and Charles Wolf Jr., who argued that people behave rationally, calculating risks and benefits. Their conclusion? If you make rebellion too costly, people will stop fighting.

The British general in charge, Ian Freeland, fully embraced this philosophy. He believed that toughness was the solution to disorder, and that fear—not understanding or negotiation—was the best way to enforce obedience.

But history tells a different story. Instead of suppressing the violence, the British crackdown only radicalized the Catholic population. When soldiers raided homes in the Catholic Lower Falls neighborhood, they imposed a curfew, trapping thousands of people inside without food or supplies. The people of Belfast saw this as proof that the British weren’t peacekeepers—they were the enemy.

The result? Thirty years of violence.

Authority Must Be Legitimate

Gladwell compares the British Army’s failure to a failing classroom. When students misbehave, is it because they’re naturally disobedient? Or is it because the teacher is ineffective?

Researchers studying classrooms found that bad behavior often starts when students lose respect for the teacher. If a teacher is inconsistent, unfair, or uninterested, students stop paying attention. They don’t just disobey—they become actively defiant.

This same principle applies to law and order. People obey rules only if they believe the system is fair. And fairness has three conditions:

1. People must feel like they have a voice – They need to believe they are heard.
2. The system must be predictable – Laws must be applied consistently.
3. Authority must be fair – The system can’t favor one group over another.

The British Army failed on all three counts. The Catholics of Northern Ireland didn’t feel heard, they saw laws applied inconsistently, and they believed the government favored Protestants. The crackdown only deepened their resentment and fueled the IRA’s rebellion.

The Women Who Broke the Curfew

One of the defining moments of the conflict came when a Catholic woman named Harriet Carson walked through Ballymurphy, banging pots together, calling people to action. She wasn’t a soldier—she was just a neighbor who saw people starving under the British-imposed curfew.

A group of Catholic women, including Rosemary Lawlor, marched through the streets, demanding food for the trapped residents. The British soldiers were caught off guard. They had been expecting gunmen, not mothers pushing baby carriages.

At first, the soldiers tried to stop them with force—beating the women, throwing them against walls. But the women kept coming. They linked arms, sang protest songs, and marched forward until they broke through the curfew and brought food to the starving families.

This moment mattered. It showed that brute force couldn’t control a population that no longer saw the authorities as legitimate.

The Police Chief Who Did Things Differently

Gladwell contrasts the British failure with a modern policing experiment in Brownsville, New York, where a police officer named Joanne Jaffe took a radically different approach.

Instead of cracking down on young criminals, she built relationships with them. She made a list of juvenile offenders and personally visited their homes. She told them, “We will help you find jobs, finish school, and stay out of trouble. But if you break the law again, we’ll come after you hard.”

She and her team took the kids out to dinner, gave their families Thanksgiving turkeys, and even hugged them. It was the opposite of the British Army’s approach—instead of treating people as enemies, she treated them as part of the community.

And it worked. Crime in Brownsville dropped, proving that respect and legitimacy are more effective than brute force.

Key Takeaway

The British Army in Northern Ireland thought power alone could force obedience. But authority only works when it is seen as fair, predictable, and respectful.

History shows that people don’t rebel just because they are angry—they rebel when they lose faith in the system. And when they do, no amount of force can stop them.

The lesson? Power isn’t enough. If you want people to follow, you must first earn their trust.

Chapter 8 – Wilma Derksen

The Choice Between Power and Forgiveness

Mike Reynolds and Wilma Derksen both lost their daughters to violent crimes. But while Reynolds turned to power and punishment, Derksen chose forgiveness and acceptance. Their stories reveal a deeper truth: sometimes, the pursuit of justice through force can lead to unintended consequences, while mercy can provide unexpected strength.

The Murder of Kimber Reynolds and the Birth of Three Strikes

In 1992, 18-year-old Kimber Reynolds was shot in a brutal robbery in Fresno, California. Her killers were repeat offenders, one with a long history of drug use and crime. Her father, Mike Reynolds, was devastated. But instead of being consumed by grief, he channeled his pain into action.

Reynolds launched a movement to pass the Three Strikes Law, which imposed harsh mandatory sentences for repeat offenders. The law passed overwhelmingly, doubling California’s prison population. Crime rates dropped, but was it really because of Three Strikes? Or was it part of a larger nationwide trend?

The Inverted-U Curve of Punishment

At first, increasing penalties reduces crime. But past a certain point, harsher laws stop working—and may even make things worse. Researchers found that:

• Most criminals don’t calculate the consequences before committing a crime. They act on impulse, especially under the influence of drugs.
• Longer prison sentences don’t deter crime effectively. The average age of a “third strike” convict was 43. By the time they were released, they were too old to commit violent crimes.
• Harsh sentencing disrupts families and communities. More people in prison meant more broken homes, which actually increased crime over time.

By ignoring these factors, Reynolds’s law may have done more harm than good.

Wilma Derksen’s Tragedy and the Path of Forgiveness

A decade before Kimber Reynolds’s murder, in 1984, Wilma Derksen’s 13-year-old daughter, Candace, went missing in Winnipeg, Canada. Seven weeks later, her body was found in a frozen shed. She had been tied up and left to die.

Derksen’s grief was overwhelming, but something unexpected happened: a stranger, another grieving parent, came to her home. He had spent years seeking revenge for his daughter’s murder, and it had destroyed his health, his marriage, and his peace of mind. His story was a warning.

At Candace’s funeral, a reporter asked Wilma how she felt about the killer. Her response shocked everyone: “We have all done something dreadful in our lives, or have felt the urge to.”

She refused to let anger control her life.

The Mennonite Tradition of Mercy

Derksen’s decision wasn’t just personal—it was rooted in her Mennonite faith, a tradition of nonviolence and forgiveness. For centuries, Mennonites had suffered persecution but had chosen to forgive rather than retaliate.

Even when Candace’s killer was finally caught 20 years later, Derksen struggled to forgive again. But when a close friend revealed her own history of trauma, Wilma realized: If I can forgive my friend, I must forgive the killer too.

Power vs. Mercy: The Final Lesson

Reynolds believed more punishment equals less crime, but the Three Strikes Law backfired, costing billions and leading to its repeal. Derksen chose forgiveness, and while it didn’t bring her daughter back, it saved her marriage, friendships, and inner peace.

Gladwell’s final message is clear: sometimes, the greatest strength is knowing when to let go.

Chapter 9 – André Trocmé

A Town That Defied the Nazis

When Nazi Germany occupied France in 1940, the new Vichy government, led by Marshal Philippe Pétain, quickly fell in line. Jews were stripped of their rights, forced out of jobs, and rounded up for deportation. Most French citizens complied with these orders, accepting them as the new reality. But in the small, isolated town of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, things were different.

This remote village in the mountains of southern France had a long history of resisting oppression. The people of Le Chambon were mostly Huguenots, descendants of French Protestants who had been persecuted for centuries. Their pastor, André Trocmé, believed deeply in nonviolence—but he also believed in resistance.

“We Shall Resist Without Fear”

When France fell to the Nazis, Trocmé stood before his congregation and delivered a sermon:

“Loving, forgiving, and doing good to our adversaries is our duty. Yet we must do this without giving up and without being cowardly. We shall resist whenever our adversaries demand of us obedience contrary to the orders of the Gospel. We shall do so without fear, but also without pride and without hate.”

This wasn’t just talk. When the government required all schools to fly the French flag and salute it with a Nazi-style gesture, Trocmé’s school refused. When teachers were ordered to sign loyalty oaths to the regime, every teacher at his school refused.

The Town That Sheltered Jews

One cold night, a Jewish woman knocked on Trocmé’s door, terrified and trembling. She had heard that Le Chambon was a safe place. Without hesitation, Trocmé’s wife, Magda, let her in.

Word spread. More Jews arrived. Soon, Le Chambon became a refuge, taking in hundreds of Jewish children and families, hiding them in homes, farms, and schools. The town created fake documents to protect them and helped them escape to Switzerland.

Trocmé wasn’t alone. His co-pastor, Édouard Theis, and other villagers risked their lives every day. When the Nazis sent soldiers to search the town, people hid Jews in barns, caves, and forests. Some villagers even warned Trocmé ahead of raids, giving him time to move people to safety.

Confronting the Government

In 1942, the Vichy Minister of Youth, Georges Lamirand, visited Le Chambon. He expected a warm welcome. Instead, he faced quiet defiance.

• At his banquet, Trocmé’s daughter “accidentally” spilled soup on his uniform.
• During the parade, the streets were empty—no one came to cheer.
• At the official reception, schoolchildren handed him a letter stating: “We have Jews here. You will not take them.”

The entire town stood up to the regime—and the Vichy government knew it.

Why Didn’t the Nazis Destroy Le Chambon?

The Nazis had crushed other towns that resisted. So why didn’t they wipe out Le Chambon?

Some say it was luck—the town had sympathetic officials in the local police, and a senior Gestapo officer, Julius Schmehling, protected them. Others believe the Nazis simply had bigger problems by 1943, as they were losing the war.

But Gladwell offers another reason: history had made the people of Le Chambon impossible to break.

Centuries of Persecution Built Their Strength

For hundreds of years, the Huguenots had been hunted by the Catholic Church and the French government. Their ancestors had been executed, imprisoned, and forced to worship in secret. They learned how to resist, hide, and survive.

By the time World War II came, they weren’t afraid anymore.

One villager explained: “When the Germans came, we remembered what our ancestors had gone through. It never even occurred to us to say no.”

The Unbreakable Pastor

Trocmé himself was eventually arrested and sent to an internment camp. The Nazis demanded that he pledge loyalty to the Vichy government in exchange for his freedom. He refused.

His reply? “How could we sign now when we will continue to resist when we get home?”

The camp director, frustrated, let him go. Trocmé spent the rest of the war on the run, helping Jews escape and continuing his work.

The Final Lesson: Strength Comes from Hardship

Gladwell ends the book with a powerful message:

• True strength doesn’t come from power, wealth, or force. It comes from struggle, from surviving hardship, and from the courage to resist when it matters most.
• Le Chambon wasn’t protected because it was strong—it was strong because it had suffered.
• The people who seem weak are often the ones who change the world.

4 Key Ideas From David and Goliath

6 Main Lessons From David and Goliath

My Book Highlights & Quotes

What the Israelites saw was an intimidating giant. In reality, the very thing that gave the giant his size was also the source of his greatest weakness. There is an important lesson in that for battles with all kinds of giants. The powerful and the strong are not always what they seem

We have a definition in our heads of what an advantage is – and the definition isn’t right. […] It means that we misread battles between underdogs and giants. It means that we underestimate how much freedom there can be in what looks like a disadvantage. It’s the Little Pond that maximizes your chances to do whatever you want…”

Underdogs win all the time.  Why, then, are we shocked  every time a David beats a Goliath? Why do we automatically assume that someone who is smaller or poorer or less skilled is necessarily at a disadvantage?

The lesson of the Impressionists is that there are times and places where it is better to be a Big Fish in a Little Pond that a Little Fish in a Big Pond, where the apparent disadvantage of being an outsider in a marginal world turns out not to be a disadvantage at all

There is a set of advantages that have to do with material resources, and there is a set that have to do with the absence of material resources – and the reason underdogs win as often as they do is that the latter is sometimes every bit the equal of the former…

Courage is not something that you already have that makes you brave when the tough times start. Courage is what you earn when you’ve been through the tough times and you discover they aren’t so tough after all

Giants are not what we think they are. The same qualities that appear to give them strength are often the sources of great weakness

Any fool can spend money. But to earn it and save it and defer gratification—then you learn to value it differently

Conclusion

In the end, David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell is more than just a book about underdogs—it’s a powerful reminder that adversity can be a hidden advantage.

Through compelling stories and thought-provoking insights, Gladwell challenges us to rethink what it really means to succeed.

He shows that obstacles aren’t just setbacks; they can be the very thing that pushes us to grow, innovate, and adapt.

By applying these lessons, we can shift our mindset—embracing challenges as opportunities, finding strength in our struggles, and redefining success on our own terms.

David and Goliath is an inspiring guide to resilience, proving that sometimes, the biggest disadvantages can lead to the greatest victories.

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