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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
More like 3.5. I love Revisionist History and how Malcolm Gladwell tells stories, so I knew I wanted to do the audio book. I could have looked at the description more ahead of time to know the topics would be what they were. I was expecting more of a lighter tone and every day talking to stranger insights… although that wouldn’t have been very typical of him anyways. It started good conversations with my partner and I about truth bias, reading others, and more that were interesting. 3.5 stars for challenging me to see scenarios in new light and start interesting conversations, but I was never hooked.
Got the audiobook version of this and it was by far the highest quality audiobook I've ever read. Care of a great podcast put into it. This book is class Gladwell but the title is slightly misleading. It's more about understanding how we judge ourselves versus how we judge others and how that impacts our interactions with strangers. "Talking to Strangers" definitely has a better ring to it though ;)
Listened to audiobook. Alright, maybe this wasn’t the best Gladwell book to start with. There were a couple of helpful takeaways, like how society creates many issues we experience when it comes to learning/talking to people we don’t know. However, there were a lot of very triggering descriptions. He does give a disclaimer in the intro that he’ll be mentioning cases that involve topics like sexual abuse, self-harm, and pedophilia, but wow, the level of detail was a bit much. I also had trouble seeing how his “case studies” connected to each other. The first 2-3 chapters were excellent, but once he started talking about the Brock Turner case and the Jerry Sandusky and Larry Nasser cases, I really had trouble seeing how these connected to his overarching point. It always sounded like a major stretch.
Anyway. I didn’t like this and I should’ve stopped listening when I started feeling like it wasn’t connecting back to anything relevant, but I pushed through, and it was a waste of my time.
Anyway. I didn’t like this and I should’ve stopped listening when I started feeling like it wasn’t connecting back to anything relevant, but I pushed through, and it was a waste of my time.
A fascinating read with some really interesting anecdotes
interesting. hard to follow the point at times, but interesting listen as always. not one i would recommend to others i don't think
Loved this book. I think of Malcolm Gladwell's books like ice cream—comfort food for the brain. They're consistently good, always satisfying, and I know exactly what I’m going to get: a fascinating premise, unconventional insights, and a series of compelling stories backed by data and narrative flair.
If you've read any of Gladwell’s other books, his signature style will feel familiar here. He presents an interesting, often counterintuitive idea, and then walks you through real-world stories and research that support it. Talking to Strangers is no exception.
What really sets Gladwell apart, in my opinion, is that he's not just a non-fiction writer—he’s a storyteller. His ability to weave together psychology, sociology, history, and human behavior into a gripping narrative is unmatched. Some may critique him for cherry-picking or oversimplifying, but you can’t deny his talent for storytelling. He makes you think, and he makes it enjoyable.
While I didn’t love this quite as much as Outliers or David and Goliath, it still ranks high among his work. It’s classic Gladwell: smooth, thought-provoking, and entertaining. Like I said—ice cream. You just can’t go wrong.
If you've read any of Gladwell’s other books, his signature style will feel familiar here. He presents an interesting, often counterintuitive idea, and then walks you through real-world stories and research that support it. Talking to Strangers is no exception.
What really sets Gladwell apart, in my opinion, is that he's not just a non-fiction writer—he’s a storyteller. His ability to weave together psychology, sociology, history, and human behavior into a gripping narrative is unmatched. Some may critique him for cherry-picking or oversimplifying, but you can’t deny his talent for storytelling. He makes you think, and he makes it enjoyable.
While I didn’t love this quite as much as Outliers or David and Goliath, it still ranks high among his work. It’s classic Gladwell: smooth, thought-provoking, and entertaining. Like I said—ice cream. You just can’t go wrong.
This was really fascinating. I would have liked Gladwell to dive more into race and racism specifically as related to this topic, but I still thought this was very well done and gave me a lot to think about. I listened to the audiobook which was excellent- I would highly recommend it. I'll probably listen again at some point, because I'd like to spend more time taking in and ruminating on all the information presented.
I hadn't read anything by Gladwell since high school so I wasn't sure how I'd feel about it this time around... Turned out to be pretty much the same....
While it was a quick and easy-to-read way to get a glimpse of some interesting research in some cases...and I don't doubt each piece of research has merit on its own, to thread all of it into an overeaching hypothesis is far-fetched and stupid at best, and pretty dangerous at worst.
Not to dismiss the interesting points and stories (there were some), but reading a bunch of disparate studies in totally different areas of research and connecting them under some grand relevation about human nature like this is barely above a conspiracy theory.
"I've connected the dots"
Sir, you have NOT in fact connected anything, you do not possess the skillset necessary for such an undertaking, nor should you be putting this out in mainstream "knowledge."
While it was a quick and easy-to-read way to get a glimpse of some interesting research in some cases...and I don't doubt each piece of research has merit on its own, to thread all of it into an overeaching hypothesis is far-fetched and stupid at best, and pretty dangerous at worst.
Not to dismiss the interesting points and stories (there were some), but reading a bunch of disparate studies in totally different areas of research and connecting them under some grand relevation about human nature like this is barely above a conspiracy theory.
"I've connected the dots"
Sir, you have NOT in fact connected anything, you do not possess the skillset necessary for such an undertaking, nor should you be putting this out in mainstream "knowledge."
wow. WOW. Malcolm Gladwell is a master of words. Taking important and complicated topics and distilling them into digestible chapters that all intertwine beautifully. This is an incredibly important book for EVERYONE to read — especially if you’re frustrated with police brutality in this country. It not only provides some answers, but also gives you clarity on why interactions between stranger often go awry. Highly recommend !