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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
challenging
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
I listened to this audio book in one day. It was not what I expected, but I enjoyed his podcast like style and learned a lot about human beings. I do wish there were trigger warnings throughout it, however.
TW: sexual assault
This was an okay read for me. I do enjoy his writing style but I personally thought this book was a bit disorganized. There were chapters I was really fascinated by, particularly the ones on Ana Montes (the Cuban spy) and the Madoff Ponzi scheme. The idea of coupling was also interesting. However, I thought a few of the chapters were unnecessary. Especially the ones regarding the Stanford and Penn State sexual assault cases...it felt icky. They were bordering on insensitive. I will give credit to how Gladwell tied everything together at the end with the close examination of what happened to Sandra Bland and criticism of modern policing culture. It was a quick read and I’m curious to read some of Gladwell’s past works.
This was an okay read for me. I do enjoy his writing style but I personally thought this book was a bit disorganized. There were chapters I was really fascinated by, particularly the ones on Ana Montes (the Cuban spy) and the Madoff Ponzi scheme. The idea of coupling was also interesting. However, I thought a few of the chapters were unnecessary. Especially the ones regarding the Stanford and Penn State sexual assault cases...it felt icky. They were bordering on insensitive. I will give credit to how Gladwell tied everything together at the end with the close examination of what happened to Sandra Bland and criticism of modern policing culture. It was a quick read and I’m curious to read some of Gladwell’s past works.
Fascinating book in the sense that it will make you question what you know and expect from others.
Granted I am already a big Gladwell fan, I love his podcast and have read Outliers and some chapters of David and Goliath, I found Talking to Strangers exceptional. I’m always impressed with how easily Gladwell ties such different stories together into one narrative — I never would have considered that Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi scheme or Sylvia Plath’s suicide would help me better understand Sandra Bland’s death. I really found this book to be a wake up call for understanding why I might give some strangers the benefit of the doubt while I treat others with suspicion.
A fascinating read that helps us understand the factors that contribute to the judgements we make of those we don’t know. I highly recommend the audio book. It is produced more like a podcast.
challenging
dark
fast-paced
Has nothing to do with talking to strangers. Is confusing if you do not read it quickly. I read the first few chapters and set the book aside for a month or two. When I returned I was extremely confused. The information he gives to make his case is presented all over the place. It’s not very coherent.
I don’t know if I really agree with his overall premise.
Would not recommend.
I don’t know if I really agree with his overall premise.
Would not recommend.
I did not finish the book. When discussing the Brock Turner rape case, he asserts that alcohol creates a feeling of myopia, that the reason Turner raped her was because the alcohol Turner consumed rendered him incapable of reading her messages, and also that her messages were mixed due to her own myopia. Gladwell then extrapolates out that of course unfortunate situations happen.
He never explains why some men rape when they’re drunk but others don’t or why women very rarely do, or why women or color are assaulted at a higher rate then white women. Surely he isn’t intimating that women of color are more myoptic when drunk... mayyyybe rape is about social capital, privilege, and power? On this he is silent.
And what the hell is this line: “The outcome of People v. Brock Turner brought a measure of justice to Emily Doe.” The whole controversy was regarding the light sentence!
I gave up while reading about water boarding, before I got to Sandra Bland’s arrest and death. Just couldn’t do it.
He never explains why some men rape when they’re drunk but others don’t or why women very rarely do, or why women or color are assaulted at a higher rate then white women. Surely he isn’t intimating that women of color are more myoptic when drunk... mayyyybe rape is about social capital, privilege, and power? On this he is silent.
And what the hell is this line: “The outcome of People v. Brock Turner brought a measure of justice to Emily Doe.” The whole controversy was regarding the light sentence!
I gave up while reading about water boarding, before I got to Sandra Bland’s arrest and death. Just couldn’t do it.
I enjoyed this thought-provoking book immensely. I especially liked the audio format with real/enacted audio clips played throughout. I don't agree with everything he said, particularly the part about Brock Turner's rape being a "tragic misunderstanding," but most of his case studies and examples were well-connected and contributed well to the overall theme being portrayed. The first few were quite long explanations about the context just to convey a pretty simple idea. I had to relisten to a few of the ones about cuba because of the convoluted double agent stories, but the intent was clear: people, even those trained in counter-intelligence, are really bad at telling when other people are lying. The book was wrapped up well at the end and I definitely recommend that most people read this book. It doesn't have any groundbreaking insights, but it does make you think and be more aware of your interactions with others, which I think is the intent.