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

Upon arriving in Birmingham, King
called a meeting of his planning team. “I
have to tell you,” he said, “that in my
judgment, some of the people sitting here
today will not come back alive from this
campaign.” Then he went around the
room and gave everyone a mock eulogy.
One of King’s aides would later admit
that he never wanted to go to
Birmingham at all: “When I kissed my
wife and children good-bye down on
Carol Road in Atlanta, I didn’t think I
would ever see them again.”
King was outgunned and
overmatched. He was the overwhelming
underdog. He had, however, an
advantage—of the same paradoxical