David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants

　　繼暢銷作品《引爆趨勢》、《決斷2秒間》、《異數》、《大開眼界》後，傳奇作家葛拉威爾又一傑作！

　　【破解迷思X 顛覆傳統 X 提出新角度】
　　綜合科學、歷史和聖經的眾多線索，重新解讀強弱法則
　　顛覆傳統思維，看見弱者的力量！

　　優勢，可能是最大的陷阱
　　劣勢，可能蘊藏著機會和獨特利基

　　本書教你如何善用弱點，從困境中逆轉勝
　　更要告訴你——事實上，弱者打敗強者是常有的事！

　　本書談的是當普通人遭遇「巨人」（強大對手、巨大不幸、災難、迫害）時，一個人應該如何做？是依循牌理出牌抑或依憑自己的直覺行事？應該百折不撓抑或棄械投降？應該反擊抑或寬恕？

　　葛拉威爾藉由本書的故事探討兩個觀念，第一個觀念是，我們認為珍貴的東西，有很多是來自這種力量懸殊的衝突對立，因為，這種力量懸殊的對抗行動中往往產生偉大與卓越。第二個觀念是，我們往往錯誤解讀這類對立局面，巨人並非如我們所想的那般巨不可摧，賦予他們力量與長處的那些特質，往往也正是他們弱點的源頭。因而，弱勢者往往能做出我們意想不到的改變：它能夠開啟門徑，創造機會，帶來教育和啟蒙，使原本似乎難以想像、毫無可能之事變成有可能做到。

　　如何應付巨人，最好的故事莫過於回顧三千年前，大衛與歌利亞的那場英勇之戰。葛拉威爾分析了許多種類和巨人對抗的戰役，並且得到一個重要的啟示：強者未必強如其表。

　　葛拉威爾在書中探討了：
　　★為什麼「比人強的形勢，未必擁有優勢」？ ?
　　★為什麼要「勇敢離開大池塘，到小池塘裡當大魚」？
　　★「阿拉伯的勞倫斯」如何帶領烏合之眾對抗強大的土耳其現代軍隊？
　　★矽谷宅女籃球隊如何在全美青少年籃球賽中異軍突起？
　　★寧為雞首，不為牛後
　　★此路不通，就換條路走
　　★因為更困難，所以會更用心
　　★世界的進步仰賴不理性的人
　　★黑人民權運動如何善用巧計轉勝出
　　★法律可以站在弱勢者這邊
　　★走投無路的第三選擇
　　★困境為何有益？
　　★以恩威並施取代絕對威權
　　★正當的權力，是以法管人，以情理服人
　　★以暴制暴之外的選擇
　　★被逼到絕境，更能產生向前衝的力量
　　★邪惡與不幸能造成的傷害有其極限

　　葛拉威爾讓我們看見強弱的非絕對性，以及如何破除迷思、另闢蹊徑，就算身屬劣勢，也有可能有所突破，找到勝利的契機！

　　本文取自時報出版《以小勝大：弱者如何找到優勢，反敗為勝？》

　　Malcolm Gladwell's provocative new #1 bestseller -- now in paperback.

　　Three thousand years ago on a battlefield in ancient Palestine, a shepherd boy felled a mighty warrior with nothing more than a pebble and a sling-and ever since, the names of David and Goliath have stood for battles between underdogs and giants. David's victory was improbable and miraculous. He shouldn't have won.

　　Or should he?

　　In DAVID AND GOLIATH, Malcolm Gladwell challenges how we think about obstacles and disadvantages, offering a new interpretation of what it means to be discriminated against, suffer from a disability, lose a parent, attend a mediocre school, or endure any number of other apparent setbacks.

　　In the tradition of Gladwell's previous bestsellers-The Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers and What the Dog Saw-DAVID AND GOLIATH draws upon history, psychology and powerful story-telling to reshape the way we think of the world around us.

　　Review

　　"Truly intriguing and inspiring."?Hector Tobar, Los Angeles Times

　　"Provocative....David and Goliath is a lean, consuming read."?John Wilwol, San Francisco Chronicle

　　"As always, Gladwell's sweep is breathtaking and thought-provoking."?Joe Nocera, New York Times

　　"Fascinating....Gladwell is a master of synthesis. This perennially bestselling author prides himself on radical re-thinking and urges the rest of us to follow suit."?Heller McAlpin, Washington Post

　　"What propels the book, like all of Gladwell's writing, is his intoxicating brand of storytelling. He is the master of mixing familiar elements with surprise counter-intuitions, and then seasoning with a sprinkling of scientific evidence....Gladwell is a master craftsman, an outlier amongst authors."?Rob Brooks, Huffington Post

　　"Gladwell's most provocative book yet. David and Goliath challenges how we think about obstacles and disadvantages, drawing upon history, psychology, and powerful narrative talent to rethink how we view the world around us and how to deal with the challenges life throws at us."?Susanne Jaffe, Columbus Dispatch

　　"Gladwell has made a career out of questioning conventional wisdom, and here he examines the allegedly unlikely triumph of the weak over the mighty and shows it's not so unlikely after all. 4 stars."?Judith Newman, People Magazine

　　"Engrossing.... Gladwell's singular gift is animating the experience of his subjects. He has an uncanny ability to simplify without being simplistic: clean and vivid Strunk and White prose in the service of peerless storytelling."?David Takami, Seattle Times

　　"Contemporary society can't escape history when Malcolm Gladwell explains the world as he does with David and Goliath."?Jane Henderson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

　　"In David and Goliath, Malcolm Gladwell explores the dynamics that inform and effect our everyday lives. By analyzing the Biblical account of the clash between David and Goliath, Gladwell presents a bold new interpretation of the lessons we should apply from it."?Today Show

書評

　　洗練、引人入勝、發人省思。其中最高明、最迷人的一章把印象主義運動和大學入學選擇關連起來，凸顯選擇就讀頂尖大學的迷思，我們總以為讀頂尖大學能提供優勢，事實上，並不必然。──《舊金山紀事報》（San Francisco Chronicle）

　　帶領讀者深入了解各領域人物克服艱難的心路歷程，有英軍涉入愛爾蘭新教徒與天主教徒爭戰、癌症藥物研究、美國民權運動等等，無數的故事與精闢洞察交織成這本饒富趣味的著作。──《華爾街日報》（Wall Street Journal）

　　葛拉威爾擅於解釋這世界的種種現象、臨界質量的威力、成功的無常性等等，並以有趣、易讀、鞭辟入裡的文風呈現他的洞察。──《今日美國》（USA Today）

　　葛拉威爾擅長質疑傳統智慧之見，他在本書中檢視弱者戰勝強者的故事，世人往往認為這類故事是難以置信的奇蹟，但透過他精闢分析，我們看到，這樣的事並非那麼難以置信，也絕非奇蹟。我們給這本佳作四顆星評價！──《時人》雜誌（People Magazine）

　　引人入勝之作，葛拉威爾真是綜合大師！這位永駐的暢銷書作者展現過人的全新思考，也敦促我們跟進。──《華盛頓郵報》（Washington Post）

　　葛拉威爾是概念綜合大師，擅長把來自種種不同領域（從商界到科學界到聖經）的概念結合起來，形成看待世界的新思維。──《讀者文摘》（Reader’s Digest）
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作者簡介

　　Malcolm Gladwell has been a staff writer at The New Yorker since 1996. He is the host of the podcast Revisionist History and the author of The Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers, and What the Dog Saw. Prior to joining The New Yorker, he was a reporter at the Washington Post. Gladwell was born in England and grew up in rural Ontario. He now lives in New York.