My review is somewhat mixed. The production of the material was outstanding!. Using real-life audio and reenacting other scenes added immeasurably to the presentation of the material. The music was another story: whether or not it was Gladwell's intention to promote a liberal story line, the music did that, especially the repeated screams of "Say his name!" after shouting a name of a supposed "victim" such as Michael Brown or Freddie Gray. I live in a Baltimore suburb and have an entirely different view of Gray: he was a career criminal whose ultimately fatal injuries were at least in part self-induced. He was canonized by local thugs and sycophantic politicians, including a mayor who saw her political career go up in the smoke of the fires and riots that followed. Gray is no one to celebrate. Additionally, while the information was well-researched and reported, there seemed to be no real conclusions reached, no resolution, no strategies to address the problems Gladwell so clearly articulated. As a result, I found the book somewhat incomplete.

Another brilliant and inquiring experience from our/my favorite author. I would recommend this audiobook to everyone! And to learn how to be polite to everyone you meet, because most of the book slams into your head the message: People are judgemental and can't understand new ideas, things, or people that are different. In all seriousness though: 1. I found the "High quality Podcast" style very entertaining and appreciate the slow emergence of audiobooks adapting pieces of modern style 'Productions'. 2. Most of the parts were very entertaining and educational, but I did feel like the overall message was rather..... childish? Like.... other than the statistics and names of researchers, nothing that was "taught to me" seemed new to me. The decades of research and years of experience all lead to the point of: Don't be rude, be understanding, and trust others till they prove that point wrong. 'Put simply': Treat others like you want to be treated. that thing anyone in grade school, Sunday school, or with decent parents were told. 3. I am glad I didn't spend money on this and it was part of a Christmas special credit program, because I would rather go and listen to a season of a proper, free high quality Podcast then spend money on a 8 1/2 hour "new and special audiobook"

A must read. Malcom Gladwell as always has blown my mind, shifted my perspective, made me question the status quo, made me think, and made me more humble. This book made me cry, made me shiver, made me get tremendously mad at the injustices, made me feel scared... As I have an autistic child, I know he is at a higher risk of being treated unjustly, I am afraid for him, for the world may see him as mismatched. Hope everyone get the message that mismatched people are normal, natural, innocent. This book has been very important for me and my life. Thank you Malcom Gladwell and team. Hugs.

A well researched and interesting compilation. Though the author seems to think that only the police need to be cordial, and all others can do as they please. There are also a few moments where the author of this audiobook praises career criminals by using a clip of radicals chanting the names of those criminals who were rightfully terminated by police during violent encounters. Gladwell is great at throwing together stories and doing the research, but his personal bias for criminals destroys his conclusions.

Good listen

Phenomenal!

Positives: The production value was tremendous. Using the audio/film clips and having actors read transcripts for other studies/testimony really helps paint an audio picture. It provides a fullsome/podcast-y listening experience that is easy to consume. Gladwell is a good narrator. The book is interesting and thought provoking and he does a good job of contextualizing things, by applying his thoughts to cases/scenarios you may be aware of. Negatives: I don't really know what the point was. This isn't a book about teaching you strategies for talking to strangers. Some of the ideas in it feel contradictory...it was an interesting journey but I don't know if I ever arrived at the destination. There didn't seem to be any real conclusion - which may have been the point. I'm planning on listening to it again to see if there's something I missed. Though, John W. seems to have the same 'incomplete' feeling that I did.

The quality of contents is not satisfying. The title looks attractive though. I didn’t learn anything about talking to strangers. The summary is all about Don’t trust people!

I loved it. This is why reviews are not always trustworthy. Saw some really negative reviews. So thankful I took the chance. It was amazing, about half way through I had some inclination of where it was heading, but it was still a frightening gut punch. This is my first Malcolm Gladwell book. Now, I was all his work. A masterpiece

Great listen, very interesting insights. Ending is kind of hard to decipher. We live in a society that loves to place blame but the ending leaves me wondering where the author finds the blame. Great listen!