Talking To Strangers

Don't judge a book by it's cover. Or, not by its' title either. Ok, I was guilty of both, so this book was not what I expected. I should mention that I am not a great conversationalist and often struggle to make small talk with people I meet. I am familiar with Malcom Gladwell and have read a handful of his books. I thought this book would provide the data and anecdotal based advice I could use to improve my ability to talk with others. That's not what I got.

 

I should be clear, Talking to Strangers is a great book. I would highly recommend it, especially for people who wish to gain insight into why communication between people breaks down. More specially, how communication between strangers breaks down ... tragically. The research is bookended by the story of Sandra Bland and discusses Bernie Madoff, Neville Chamberlain, Sylvia Plath, and Amanda Knox along the way.

 

Gladwell books have a common tone. The books hold advice, but they are not self-help tomes. He chooses his anecdotes carefully and backs them up with other data and research. I like that he names names. Books of this type often refer to "a successful fortune 500 company" or "a national leader" without indicating who it is. When that happens I am inclined to think one of two things … the material is fiction or the subject does not agree with the assessment. That does not happen here. In fact, if you listen via Audible, you will hear actual recording from many of the subjects.

 

So I did not come away better prepared to strike up a conversation. But I learned a lot about communication regardless.

https://www.amazon.com/Talking-to-Strangers-audiobook/dp/B07NJCG1XS/ref=sr_1_1?crid=TEZVMYU97T6I&dchild=1&keywords=talking+with+strangers+malcolm+gladwell&qid=1590086680&sprefix=talking+wi%2Caps%2C148&sr=8-1

What I am reading | "Savages"

Savages: A Novel
Don Winslow

Nothing makes a long flight more tolerable than a good read. So long along those lines, I found myself in the Phoenix airport looking for a novel to entertain me on my trip back to New Jersey. I settled on Savages because it looked like an engaging quick read.

Anyway, the book is certainly a quick read. Honestly, though, this is probably the dumbest story that I've read since, well, maybe since ever. The characters are all stereotypes. The plot is cliche'. The prose is minimalist. It felt like Winslow tried to channel Cormac McCarthy, but the writing doesn't engage in the same way. I felt I was reading a story written by a sixth grader. Speaking of which, Winslow's poetic license of English grammar is worse than a sixth grader; the writing really has no form.

After reading an action passage, my son summed it up nicely, "wow, he made that explosion sound boring." Oops.

What I am reading | "Ultra-Marathon Man"

Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner
Dean Karnazes



I finished this book recently. It's a pretty entertaining read. While Dean is obviously not a writer by trade, his stories draw you in. While I have no desire to run ultra-marathons, the stories inspire me to continue my running. I found the marathon to the South Pole to be particularly interesting. In any case, this is an easy read; I recommend it for runners at all levels.

What I am reading | "Don't Make Me Think"

Don't Make Me Think! A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability
Steve Krug

I'm slogging my way through this guide to designing easy to use web sites. I had bought it with the idea that it would provide insight into good (web) application design. However, after reading a couple of chapters, it is apparent that web sites, those that provide content, and web applications, those that do something, are different animals.

The book is fine, and is a recommended read for anyone new to web design. Unfortunately for me, Mr. Krug hasn't provided any new ideas that I haven't seen, tried, or evangelized at some point. It's easy to read with good examples; follow the guidelines in the book and your web site won't suck.