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A review by sabrielsbell
Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don’t Know by Malcolm Gladwell
challenging
emotional
4.0
I listened to this on audiobook and really liked the narrators. Some things I enjoyed about this book was the narrative aspects and the dig into current and historical events that dealt with miscommunication. I also liked the way the author slowly added on to the concept he was presenting.
There were a few things that kept me from giving it a five star rating. Mainly, there were several incredibly hard topics that were used to illustrate a point in the book which I did not mind. However, I think the author could have done a better job making sure the reader knew his stance on some of these cases. For example, Brock Turner and his assault is one of the cases. The author uses this story to illustrate the negative roles of alcohol in relation to stranger interactions. I wish the author had also made it clear that Brock Turner was wrong regardless of the alcohol. He does call the assault tragic, horrible etc. and discusses the ruling by the court and why it went the way it did. But, at times it felt that the author was rationalizing Brock's actions instead of using it to make a point. However, after listening to the whole book, I don't think the author was in any way siding with Brock or any of the "bad" people discussed. If the author had been more clear though I think this would be a book I recommended to more people.
There were a few things that kept me from giving it a five star rating. Mainly, there were several incredibly hard topics that were used to illustrate a point in the book which I did not mind. However, I think the author could have done a better job making sure the reader knew his stance on some of these cases. For example, Brock Turner and his assault is one of the cases. The author uses this story to illustrate the negative roles of alcohol in relation to stranger interactions. I wish the author had also made it clear that Brock Turner was wrong regardless of the alcohol. He does call the assault tragic, horrible etc. and discusses the ruling by the court and why it went the way it did. But, at times it felt that the author was rationalizing Brock's actions instead of using it to make a point. However, after listening to the whole book, I don't think the author was in any way siding with Brock or any of the "bad" people discussed. If the author had been more clear though I think this would be a book I recommended to more people.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Gun violence, Racism, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Police brutality, Suicide attempt, and Murder