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5.52k reviews for:
Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don‰ЫЄt Know
Malcolm Gladwell
3.83 AVERAGE
5.52k reviews for:
Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don‰ЫЄt Know
Malcolm Gladwell
3.83 AVERAGE
This was classic Gladwell. He has really mastered the art of new perspectives.
I do think that he has oversimplified a lot of the ideas that he has explored but I do understand where he is coming from. Not all of this book can be put down to “we are bad at talking to strangers” however the content is still good to think about.
I do think that he has oversimplified a lot of the ideas that he has explored but I do understand where he is coming from. Not all of this book can be put down to “we are bad at talking to strangers” however the content is still good to think about.
It is always great when a book changes my thinking on a topic I completely take for granted. This book is not about small talk, by the way. Gladwell spends much more time raising interesting questions than providing satisfying answers, but that can be forgiven. Definitely read the audiobook version if possible, it contains recordings of the many interviews included in the book.
dark
informative
slow-paced
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
medium-paced
So intelligent and appropriate. Be warned that the content is very dark - dealing with murder, rape, and torture. But it is a brilliant exploration of human perception. So well done.
challenging
informative
reflective
fast-paced
It was really interesting, and I learned a lot about the psychology of how we communicate and interact with strangers. But I feel like he didn’t really come to any conclusions about how we can better talk to strangers, he kind of just explained what happened in each example he gave. Which was still interesting but not what I wanted to get out of reading this book.
The author doesn’t over-interpret as much as I believed he might by the popularity of this title. A group of good stories which expose the failings of evolution to be socially adept in our modern society. It’s good to know you all are as bad as I am.
Challenged me but overall felt like pop science and I agree with more of the criticisms of this book than I agreed with any of the good points.
"Because we do not know how to talk to strangers, what do we do when things go awry with strangers? We blame the stranger."
Malcolm Gladwell is a genius narrator. Listening to him feels like being personally guided through complex ideas, and the audiobook is more like an investigative podcast than a typical nonfiction book. He teaches you, challenges your assumptions, and makes you reflect on how we interpret the actions of people we don’t know.
The book explores why we so often misjudge strangers and the real-world consequences that follow. Gladwell examines everything from criminal cases to political scandals to ordinary misunderstandings, all while questioning the tools we rely on to read people.
It’s a solid read. The ideas are interesting, the examples are compelling, but at times the structure feels a bit scattered. Still, it leaves you thinking, and that makes it worth your time.