
Examples like the civil rights movement, basketball, and leukemia had a connection in a proverbial way. The things that hold us back may be what we need to spring forward into success. My biggest takeaway from David and Goliath was that people are more resilient than we think. Each part encompassed tangible experiences the reader could follow and learn from. I equate it to David Goggin’s book Can’t Hurt Me because he was also one of these people. Next, each chapter dove into a different part of how resilient people can be. This begs the question: how commonly do these disadvantaged people ‘make it?’ The stories were exciting, with Robinhoodesque examples that supported the book’s thesis. There were several examples where seemingly over-challenging obstacles would prevent progress but made it through somehow. Buy David and Goliath Key Takeawaysĭavid and Goliath sought to branch out of traditional literature where the little guy gets a once-over on the big guy. Pictures of dogs biting children during peaceful protests became a powerful example of turning the tables against those fighting to maintain the status quo. The book discussed how the civil rights movement spurred by Martin Luther King turned into a public relations challenge for authorities at the time. Next, it showed how a basketball coach with minimal experience coached his disadvantaged team to full-court press every team they played, resulting in beating the most competitive teams in their region. Because of those weaknesses, David could take advantage to slay Goliath with a flick of his sling, out-maneuvering his opponent.įollowing the introduction, the book dives into a leukemia doctor’s troubled childhood and how that helped him to treat his patients. The book suggests that slowness, poor eyesight, and heavy armor led to Goliath’s downfall. However, the book offers that David was the one who had the advantage over Goliath despite the apparent stature and weapon differences. Usually, when faced with insurmountable odds, the saying goes that it’s like David versus Goliath. The David and Goliath story from 1 Samual 17 in the Bible was foundational to that idea. The introduction presented the book’s thesis that a perceived weakness can be the greatest strength in overcoming an obstacle or challenge.


Part II: The Theory of Desirable Difficulty Part I: The Advantages of Disadvantages and the Disadvantages of Advantages David and Goliath comes with an introduction and three parts:Ī different perspective about the David and Goliath story.
