A lone hiker atop a massive cliff
The underdog
History loves an upset.
Underdogs, assemble.
Being the little guy is a superpower. Proof inside. Bring opinions. Gladwell did. Read like you plan to win the argument. Advantages have disadvantages. Discuss. Goliath never read the scouting report.
Your book this summer

David &
Goliath

by Malcolm Gladwell — Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants
Seriously — start here
The PDF is the full assignment

This page is only the short version. Download the PDF below and read the whole thing — every direction, example, and requirement is in there.

⬇  Download the 11th Grade Assignment (PDF)
PDF · 1 page
Slingshot not required.

The short version full details in the PDF

  • Read the Introduction, “Goliath” (pages 3–15), and Part I, “The Advantages of Disadvantages” (pages 17–96). That’s it — one part of one book. Your teachers will lend you a copy if you need one.
  • Notes in the margins are recommended — future-you will thank you when the talking starts.
80 pages. You scroll farther than that before breakfast.

When school starts

  • Nothing to turn in — no writing is due.
  • Come knowing the chapters cold, ready to talk about what Gladwell is arguing.
“Your initiation into the world of rhetoric and argument.”
— Mr. Kramer & Ms. Yoshiyama
The arguing starts here.
Message your teachers

Stuck? Curious? Lost your way? Type it here and hit send — it goes straight to your teachers. The reply comes to the email you enter below, so check that inbox over the next day or two.

Your teachers: Mr. Kramer  ·  Ms. Yoshiyama
← All gradesWrong grade? Happens. No judgment.