David and Goliath

by

Malcolm Gladwell

Mike Reynolds Character Analysis

Mike Reynolds is Kimber Reynolds’s father. In the aftermath of Kimber’s shooting and subsequent death, Mike Reynolds gathers all the influential people he knows and brainstorms ways of addressing California’s high crime rate. He’s especially angry because Douglas Walker—one of the men involved in Kimber’s death—was temporarily released from prison to visit his pregnant wife and simply never returned. Worse, both Walker and his accomplice, Joe Davis, have long criminal records, which is why Reynolds comes up with the Three Strikes Law—a law that sends third-time offenders to prison for 25 years to life, no matter how small or insignificant their third crime is. Reynolds is extremely proud of the effect this law had on California, but Gladwell is unconvinced that Three Strikes did any good, since the crime rate had already begun to fall when Three Strikes was instituted, meaning that the decrease in crime can’t be attributed solely to the new policy. What’s more, there are numerous studies that suggest that Three Strikes actually had a negative impact on crime, but Reynolds remains proud of what he’s done—an example of how strongly people often hold to their convictions, even when their beliefs don’t necessarily align with reality.

Mike Reynolds Quotes in David and Goliath

The David and Goliath quotes below are all either spoken by Mike Reynolds or refer to Mike Reynolds. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Advantages and Disadvantages Theme Icon
).
Chapter 8: Wilma Derksen Quotes

Is Wilma Derksen more—or less—of a hero than Mike Reynolds? It is tempting to ask that question. But it is not right: Each acted out of the best of intentions and chose a deeply courageous path.

The difference between the two was that they felt differently about what could be accomplished through the use of power. The Derksens fought every instinct they had as parents to strike back because they were unsure of what that could accomplish. They were not convinced of the power of giants.

Related Characters: Malcolm Gladwell (speaker), Mike Reynolds, Wilma Derksen
Related Symbols: The Three Strikes Law
Page Number: 253
Explanation and Analysis:
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Mike Reynolds Quotes in David and Goliath

The David and Goliath quotes below are all either spoken by Mike Reynolds or refer to Mike Reynolds. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Advantages and Disadvantages Theme Icon
).
Chapter 8: Wilma Derksen Quotes

Is Wilma Derksen more—or less—of a hero than Mike Reynolds? It is tempting to ask that question. But it is not right: Each acted out of the best of intentions and chose a deeply courageous path.

The difference between the two was that they felt differently about what could be accomplished through the use of power. The Derksens fought every instinct they had as parents to strike back because they were unsure of what that could accomplish. They were not convinced of the power of giants.

Related Characters: Malcolm Gladwell (speaker), Mike Reynolds, Wilma Derksen
Related Symbols: The Three Strikes Law
Page Number: 253
Explanation and Analysis: