"There is nothing remotely challenging, for most of Gladwell’s readers, in this story; it is the sort of uplift in which they already believe."

"The dominant narrative for the last three centuries has been one in which the power of elites and rulers is progressively overcome by the moral force of the common man and woman who sticks up for what is right. Far from being a forbidden truth, this is what everyone thinks. Here we can glimpse one of the secrets of Gladwell’s success. Pretending to present daringly counterintuitive views to his readers, he actually strengthens the hold on them of a view of things that they have long taken for granted. This is, perhaps, the essence of the genre that Gladwell has pioneered: while reinforcing beliefs that everyone avows, he evokes in the reader a satisfying sensation of intellectual non-conformity."

From John Gray's TNR article "Malcolm Gladwell Is America's Best-Paid Fairy-Tale Writer/The heavily-footnoted uplift of 'David and Goliath.'"

Here's the book, "David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants," in case you nevertheless want to buy it.

If not, maybe this is a good place to remind you that you can always show a little love for the blog called Althouse whenever you need to do some shopping, by using the Althouse Amazon Portal (the link for which is always up there in the blog banner).

Have you been buying books that make you feel like you're getting something challenging and daring but that really are just reinforcing stuff you already believe and want to keep believing?