What inspired you to read the book?
A couple of months ago I took a MasterClass in writing from Malcolm Gladwell. Although I knew nothing about him at the time, I took the class to learn how to find, research and write stories that could help me capture big ideas. His class focused on several important points he values within his books, one of them being the “Advantages of Disadvantages and the Disadvantages of Advantages” that are the base to David and Goliath.
Malcolm Gladwell is an author and journalist that has been included in Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People list and is the author of many New York Times bestselling books including The Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers, Talking to Strangers and What the Dog Saw.
What you learned from reading the book?
The book taught me fascinating facts in many different topics from cancer medicine to dyslexia, history of art to science and struggles of civil rights to world battles. However the most important lesson that the book has given me, is that throughout history there is proof that being an underdog and having the odds lined up against you is not a situation that should scare you, as it is actually a situation that empowers you, by giving you determination and a relentless faith to be successful.
How the book will influence your life and prepare for success upon release?
Once a person lands in jail or prison you will forever be seen as a criminal in the eyes of society. A misfit, with the giant world against you. The day that you are released from incarceration you immediately become the underdog. This book has given me an important perspective on overcoming
the social paradigm of what society believes we are able to achieve. This book has not only given me facts, evidence and proof that many of the social ideas are wrong but it has empowered me to fight even harder to become another story of David defeating Goliath.
What was the most inspiring quote?
“Choose you a man and let him come down to me! If he prevail in battle against me and strike me down, we shall be slaves to you. But if I prevail and strike him down, you will be slaves to us and serve us.” – Goliath