Phew, you made it through that title – a mouthful – and I am giving you a preview of what will be my first book review!  Albeit, it’s an audio book.  Also, I’m only halfway through, having barrelled through Malcolm Gladwell’s calm, clear voice which accompanied the long wasteland that is the 401 from Montreal to Toronto.

Anyhoo, this is just Part 1.  I am LOVING Gladwell’s latest, David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants.  So far it is fascinating, and I’m only on the first lesson: that advantages can be seen as disadvantages, and vice versa.

It all comes back to the original story of David and Goliath from 3,000 years ago.  David, a lowly shepherd, defeated the 6’9″ Goliath in battle using only a slingshot.  We are amazed at the odds of such a defeat occurring but Gladwell argues that underdogs are winning all the time and that the lesson from the story is that the very thing that makes a giant a Goliath is also part of its weakness.

Stay tuned for my full review after I’m finished – don’t worry, you won’t have to wait for when I drive to Montreal the next time round.