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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
Although quite repetitive, the ideas presented are revolutionary to my worldview, yet to be discovered whether or not I want to adopt any of his views. The example cases justify rape and child molestation. He is a good writer, which is why I finished the book.
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
fast-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
I always get a little frustrated when I read Malcolm Gladwell because I think he has a tendency to make the jump to point C while skipping over B. However, his writing is so engaging and he makes complex psychological processes understandable and that is an incredibly difficult and impressive feat. This book specifically really made the science of human interaction (an area of psychology I generally find rather boring) so engaging and interesting and I love how he uses real examples of how interactions can go so wrong in real life.
informative
inspiring
This book probably incited the most talks with strangers every time I read it in public due to its title. So I guess it was allowing me to also figure out stuff along the way with it. This is by no means a 1o1 on how to talk with strangers, with steps to get you through but it allows you to go through the preconceived ideas we might have and everything we assume in our interactions.
I really found interesting how the author interlaced all different cases and felt very guided through from beginning to end, like we were going to get somewhere. And we did.
My favourite line is probably the last one, so I will not add it here, but overall super eye opening and informative.
I really found interesting how the author interlaced all different cases and felt very guided through from beginning to end, like we were going to get somewhere. And we did.
My favourite line is probably the last one, so I will not add it here, but overall super eye opening and informative.
My rating here is 3.5 stars. I found this book very interesting even though I don't agree with everything the author says in it. Most of all, I don't agree with his reasoning behind the Stanford rape case and its comparison to the other cases of mistaken reading of stranger's signs. There were a couple of other stories that I found fascinating and told in a compelling way. Gladwell is clearly a great storyteller, and the audiobook is especially gripping since it includes real-life recordings and materials. I’d recommend it as something that is thought-provoking and with which you don’t have to agree completely but that will make you re-examine yourself and those around you.
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
Talking to Strangers was not the book I thought would be. I was expecting an Adam Grant or James Clear type of self-help book about why we must talk to strangers and how to do so. Instead, Malcolm Gladwell constructs a lesson about a fundamental aspect of our lives through an example where it all goes wrong -- Sandra Bland's interaction with the police. Her death was so much more than just the specific incident but everything that created the condition for the incident and the aftermath of those events leading to her death.
With books like these, you can always argue that the examples used to illustrate its points are cherry-picked; however, this doesn't reduce its legitimacy because there are several other examples similar to the ones that Gladwell uses.
One critique about the examples, though, is that they sometimes felt unrelatable. For example, the early part of the book focused on espionage and deception from people we wouldn't expect. While it conveyed his message, I felt like I didn't know enough about the topic o understand the extent of its seriousness.
One point that really resonated with me is this idea of mismatches. This is the disconnect between the way a person acts, feels and how we perceive them. I think my takeaway is not to judge someone, especially strangers, based along on their actions. Instead, it's important to get to know people (context matters). This is harder than it seems because we have gut reactions that we trust, but it's important to acknowledge that other people's lived experiences can be different. If you want to talk about this, let me know!
With books like these, you can always argue that the examples used to illustrate its points are cherry-picked; however, this doesn't reduce its legitimacy because there are several other examples similar to the ones that Gladwell uses.
One critique about the examples, though, is that they sometimes felt unrelatable. For example, the early part of the book focused on espionage and deception from people we wouldn't expect. While it conveyed his message, I felt like I didn't know enough about the topic o understand the extent of its seriousness.
One point that really resonated with me is this idea of mismatches. This is the disconnect between the way a person acts, feels and how we perceive them. I think my takeaway is not to judge someone, especially strangers, based along on their actions. Instead, it's important to get to know people (context matters). This is harder than it seems because we have gut reactions that we trust, but it's important to acknowledge that other people's lived experiences can be different. If you want to talk about this, let me know!