Talking To Strangers

 I listened to Malcolm Gladwell's book, Talking To Strangers, and I am glad I chose the audio version. The audio version has recording of interviews with the people mentioned in the book. In some cases he reenacted interviews with actors. This book meanders through a bunch of topics including how difficult it can be to spot a liar, the CIA, police practices, rape, and child abuse. He starts out talking about Sandra Bland, a woman who was stopped for a traffic violation in Texas and was arrested for felony assault and later hung herself to death in her jail cell. We actually hear her voice (she did podcasts) and the voice of the officer who arrested her. Some of the book talked about some dark stuff that was hard to hear. The author uses a lot of anecdotes to make his points. I was less than convinced. I enjoyed listening to his theories but he didn't change my mind about anything. I was disappointed that he never offered any solutions other than be kind when you listen to people and try to get a feel for the context they are in. I really disagreed with his thoughts on rape. He seems to think rape is about miscommunication and the use of alcohol. I think rape is about power. I also disagreed with his thoughts about the Penn State University officials who knew that Jerry Sandusky was being inappropriate and let the child abuse continue. This author says we shouldn't judge them harshly because it is human instinct to believe people when they say they are innocent. He says the same thing about the gymnastic coaches who covered up for Larry Nassar. I totally disagree and frankly angry that he would even suggest such a thing.