Book Review - Talking to Strangers

Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell Gladwell’s theme is “what we should know about the people we don’t know.” Through a series if inquiries taken from the headlines; the Jerry Sandusky pedophilia scandal at Penn State University, the suicide of Sylvia Plath, the death of Sandra Bland and others, he weaves studies, ideas, and accounts of how we don’t understand how to talk to strangers or judge their intent. I was fascinated by the book even though sometimes I wasn’t sure what exactly the point was. In the end it’s about trust. How we trust, who we trust, and why we trust. It seems to be our default. Which can be good or it can very negative consequences. I always find Gladwell interesting. If you’re familiar with him I’d recommend this book. If you’ve never read him you might want to start with The Tipping Point, one of his earlier works. Carol Lloyd is the Director of the Churchill County Library. She loves being surrounded by so many books and ideas.     Sign up to receive updates and the Friday File email notices. Support local, independent news – contribute to The Fallon Post, your non-profit (501c3) online news source for all things Fallon.