Take a photo of a barcode or cover
5.52k reviews for:
Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know about the People We Don't Know
Malcolm Gladwell
3.83 AVERAGE
5.52k reviews for:
Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know about the People We Don't Know
Malcolm Gladwell
3.83 AVERAGE
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Very insightful. Great at helping us question our own assumptions. Half history, half psychology.
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicide, Police brutality, War
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
not at ALL what I was expecting going into it, a ton of dark themes when I thought I was gonna read about how to talk to strangers. still really good though, I learned a lot even though it wasn't what I thought I was going to learn. even though every chapter was a lesson on how we talk to and understand strangers, I didn't get the overarching theme and how they connected. instead I learned about why cops pull people over for no reason and how we drink too much.
informative
medium-paced
All his books are quite repetitive imo. If you've read one, you've practically read them all.
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