The Kindness of Strangers

by Don George (Editor), Dalai Lama XIV (Foreword)

A collection of inspiring stories, this work explores the unexpected human connections that so often transform the experience of travel, and the gift of kindess wround the world.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Essays, Short Stories, Memoir, Anthologies, Adventure

272 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2003

Reviews

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I haven't finished every one of these essays, I've read the vast majority of them. I give the collection four stars on the whole, because a few of the tales are mediocre at best and a few are truly beautiful and outstanding. I like the fact that some are written by brand-new authors while others are by "famous" ones (and, as you might guess, some by the budding authors are better than those by the seasoned!) There is a fairly good variety of locales covered, though it's a bit light on the European side of things--a bit more on Asian and Middle Eastern travels. (Perhaps this is due to the fact that it seems more astonishing/interesting to find "kindness" from strangers when there is more of a language barrier or one is in an impoverished or politically unstable country.) It's a beautiful concept, even if the completed project falls short of perfection, and the Dalai Lama's foreward is exquisite. Here's to following the "religion of kindness!"


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Found this at the Barnes and Noble in Maui (we went in for the amazing collection of Hawaiian books, but I couldn't resist the entire travel section!) and I started it on the plane -- so far, I'm really enjoying it though some stories are better than others. Still, I love the idea and it's definitely heartwarming and inspiring.

[Pradnya · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a feel good read. A compilation of experiences of various travelers, a majority of them, published authors, who in the course of their travels, hitchhiking trips etc came across kindhearted people and acts . A sort of tribute to the goodness of humanity. Its mostly a light read, a mixed bag. While the introduction mentions that it is compilation of 26 stories from various travelers all over the world, a clear preference seems to be given to the writing quality - which of course needs to retain a standard, but due to which in several stories ordinariness of the content has been masked with the quality of writing. Several of these stories are really about very mundane acts of kindness which we otherwise call common courtesy. These should not qualify for a story really, everyone should and must be doing these - is what I felt. At the same time some stories are quite extraordinary. These however are mostly after half mark. The first part is all about quite simple experiences and I was tempted to even abandon the book for this very reason. However, I stuck to the book and enjoyed later sections.

[Margaret]

Did not finish. Mostly found it boring. Only managed about quarter of the book.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading The Kindness of Strangers slowly, savoring each story on its own. The stories take place all over the world - Russia, Burma, Hawaii, Morocco, Scotland, Argentina, Ascension Island, Lebanon... I loved getting glimpses into places far from home. And I loved that the focus of these stories is on the people more than the places, and the humanity that links us all. This isn’t just a 'feel good' book. Many of these stories feature kindness coupled with fearful or potentially tragic circumstances. The stories remind us that kindness co-exists with cruelty, love co-exists with fear.

My favorite stories in this book were Highland Remedy by Fran Palumbo and Brief Encounter by Carolyn Swindell. Both are stories about the simplest encounters - a woman chats with a man in a restaurant, another negotiates with a sales woman in a clothing store. Both writers were profoundly touched by a simple kindness offered when least expected. With attention to detail and plenty of humor, both stories describe a moment when a stranger wakes them up and jostles them into a better place. Of course, no one need travel across the world to experience a kind stranger. But sometimes the extreme aloneness of being in a far off land can make you pay extra attention to those who cross your path.

[Celeste Deliyiannis · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Mitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommended reading for backpacking travelers and others.

When I first saw this title, I thought it would be about unknown people being kind and helping others out when in need. It was, but more specifically about travelers in need- and usually shoestring travelers at that.

Several of the stories were quite memorable: the story about an accident in Turkey and the final entry come to mind particularly.

On the other hand, a few stories were out-and-out disturbing. A couple of women writers told of unwanted sexual advances, another told of a chaos of travel arrangements, there were a few accounts of travels in war zones, and then there was the account of the murdering pair who picked up happy-go-lucky hitchhikers...

So it's not all about how kind strangers can be and how that reassures you that people are, deep down, good to one another. It did remind me of a few times when good things happened to me on the road as well as that time in the desert at the camel butchering...

[Jade · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Kindness and compassion are among the principal values that make our lives meaningful. They are a source of lasting happiness and joy. They are the foundation of a good heart, the heart of one who acts out of a desire to help others." - His Holiness the Dalai Lama

This book is filled with essays from different people from all around the world describing the kind acts of strangers when they were in a time of need many are published authors, who when traveling came across kindhearted individuals. Reading this book was enjoyable and a feel good book showing the goodness of humanity. Many of these stories are about kind acts otherwise known as common courtesy, and some of these should not be included while other ones are unique and extraordinary.

[Alexis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some stories were very intriguing and heartfelt, while others felt forced into the theme of the collection. Worth the read if you’re feeling the travel bug and want to imagine going on some ill-planned adventures.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here are 26 traveler's tales by different authors. The best known is Dave Eggers, who tells a story about Cuba. Some of the authors make their published debut in the collection. Alice Waters and Pico Iyer are other famous names. Handy author bios appear at the end. It was published by Lonely Planet, the guidebook publisher, in 2016 altho all of the stories are copyrighted 2003.

Many of the stories take place in the middle east and Africa. The tone of the tales varies a lot. Some are light or funny, some are more philosophical, some are adventure stories, and at least one has a strong true crime plot line. There is quite a bit of suspense as the travelers encounter dangerous or uncertain circumstances on the road. The theme of kindness is mostly constant, although the term is interpreted broadly. My favorite is a beautifully and subtly written chapter by Anthony Sattin, a British citizen who makes a Palestinian pilgrimage. Another favorite takes place in Morocco, and it involves a case of mistaken identity and a rather startling description of the women's communal bath.

Many of the stories take place in troubled parts of the world, like the middle east and Africa. Reading travel experiences in areas that you aren't likely to visit is, to me, the easiest way to deepen your understanding of the history and politics of the region.

It's very easy to pick up and let yourself get lost in a different locale and culture for 10-20 pages. It makes a great summer read, especially if you don't have a trip planned.

[Vivian Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liked: I love reading travel books because I feel like I get to know places without having to move. This book was great because it made me want to look around for someone traveling in my town and help them out.
Did not like: At first you think "Ah, there are good people in the world" but then you realize that many of the stories are nice people saving the author of the story from threatening situations many of which are brought about by *bad* people. So its kind of a wash for humanity.

[Tiawna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing collection of travel essays. Easy to get lost in the words of each author.

[Neena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twenty six travel stories including the "Kindness of Strangers." I really have enjoyed all the Lonely Planet books I have read, including this one.

[Sintija · Rating 2 out of 5]

After reading some reviews, I had the understanding I’ve picked up a feel-good piece. This, however, wasn’t even a feel-good read - I was more like quiye pissed off or bored reading it. Here’s a cocktail of reasons what’s wrong with the book.
1) The first few essays were quite badly written. The authors spent a great deal of their piece apologizing for something, and ending with a vague summary of some thoughts about kindness.
2) The book lacks balance. At first, you finish a few stories about different countries and leisure travels. Then there’s a big batch of stories of war-ridden territories and dangerous events happening.
3) It’s very much a typical American style narrative - with the locals portrayed as quite some weirdos, or bizarre people. No offence to any Americans though. It’s just that I’ve observed Europeans to not be so self-centered and they don’t talk about locals like they’re those weird strangers.
4) The focus on kindness of strangers were lost in many of the essays. It felt like the authors rambled on sometimes.
5) And most annoyingly - to put a “Dalai Lama vaguely talks about kindness” stamp on this whole parade? That raised an expectation that was never actually met - for reasons I mentioned above.

I did enjoy a few stories though. And added a lot of travel books to my to-read list. So I did receive something from this book and it’s not time wasted. The book itself does get well deserved two stars. Collections of stories can be done soooo much better.

[Anca Burducea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started reading this book while staying at a couple's farm while WOOFing for the weekend, and finished it while visiting a friend's parents for Thanksgiving. I encountered the kindness of strangers while within a couple hours from home.

This book takes this concept to the next level and has travelers around the world share their stories about the way their life intersected with the kindness of strangers. And this kindness has multiple facets: it can save your life and make you witness magical moments in foreign lands, but it can also be nagging you to admit the greatness of these foreign lands instead of letting you enjoy your trip, or even ask you to pay back for the kindness that you received, in money or unwelcome intimacy.

Rather than revolving around a monotone idea of "I was in a bad position, a stranger showed up and saved my life", this book explores the idea of kindness and generosity from unexpected angles, and I enjoyed being surprised by every new story that I read.

[Terry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another reviewer made the astute observation that this collection of tales doesn't offer enough space for the reader to become acquainted with the characters and they didn't like this book. I found it delightful because I was introduced to skilled authors and a taste of their travel adventures. So while it's true that the stories are short, they reminded me that dusty corners of the globe are full of friendly natives and intrepid first world explorers who enjoy the same experiences I do. This is heartening and a worthy evening retreat toward the Land of Nod, i.e., bedtime. Dave Eggers and Laura Fraser's stories were particularly attractive.

More than a decade ago I was reading the Santa Fe New Mexican's Sunday travel section where a story left a deep impression on me. It described a traveler aboard a slow Russian steamer who persuaded the crew to allow him to disembark on isolated Ascension island. I've been searching to reread that story ever since. Fortuitously, I found it, by Simon Winchester, in this book.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

white people being culturally insensitive making very poor choices then being rescued by either cons or nice people.
I am actually surprised at the narrow breadth of these stories.
A few were great, a few were very disturbing and a few were just plain boring.

SPOILER ALERT
One of the ones I found particularly disturbing was the hitchhikers.

It was obvious from the beginning of the story that the drivers were going to be bad guys. What was disturbing to me was how totally selfish and life-threateningly inconsiderate the narrator was if his critically ill, severely dehydrated girlfriend.
I was appalled reading how poor his choices were, not just in putting them both in such extreme danger, but in obvious risking her life, because he just had to get to one more park. It was shameful.
Then he was grateful, thought it was “kind” that the murderers spared them because they liked them so much???
The arrogance is again, not only awful, but he doesn’t even seem to recognize that he really almost killed his girlfriend in multiple ways.
What a horrible person.

[Jnuck · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really love short stories, and I have read short story anthologies in the past, but I struggled a little with this one because the stories were so short. Any time I start a story, it takes a while to wrap my mind around the setting, the characters and the voice. With this book, by the time I settled into the story, it ended, and I was sometimes loath to start the next one because of the work it would take to mentally get into the new setting, character and voice.

That said, I have done quite a bit of international traveling, and I really resonated with a lot of the stories. I enjoyed the story "Serendipity" about the woman who kept running into Larry even though the coincidences didn't mean anything in the end. I was getting a visa in Mozambique when I was certain that I had met my soulmate: a Peace Corps volunteer who was also fluent in Portuguese. Sadly, he never seemed that interested in talking to me -- even when our paths crossed a second time. I also loved the story "Brief Encounter" about the sexy Argentinian underwear. Chocos and REI hiking pants made me feel so out of place in much of Latin America! I was pretty annoyed with the woman in "Andean High" whose poor planning and lack of funds put a lot of people in difficult situations. In other stories, people were helped out of problems or dangerous situations that were random or unexpected or accidental, but this situation was entirely preventable and entirely of her own making, which I found annoying.

Generally I preferred the stories where the helper and the traveler felt more like "equals" such as in the Serendipity story or the story "Losing it in London" or the final, beautiful story "Ascension in the Moonlight." It was hard for me not to read all the other stories through the lens of power and privilege, and to assess who had the power and privilege in each story and who did not. Sometimes the rich white person was put in a position where they lost their power and privilege -- like when the girl got lost in the African desert and had to have an African man find her camp -- and those dynamics were also interesting. A turning point for me in the book was the story by Dave Eggers about Cuba because he addressed the question of power and privilege straight on and how tricky it is for travelers who are aware of that dynamic to successfully navigate it. The sense of guilt that he describes and the feeling of not knowing the "right" way to behave/respond/engage is why I think traveling in the developing world is so complicated and challenging.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.
I started this coming out of a bit of a mental slump and thought it would be uplifting to read stories about kindness abroad. I guess something I failed to consider is that the most meaningful acts of kindness occur when you need it most. There are multiple stories where women are rescued from situations where they could've experienced a SA or been murdered. It made me uncomfortable to think about how lucky they were and how many women have been in those situations and not been so lucky. Honestly, this book should have trigger warnings because I was not prepared for that.
There were still several stories that I enjoyed, and these were my favorites: Meeting Maung-Maung, Highland Remedy, Looking for Abdelati, Loosing It in London, Might Be Your Lucky Day, and Ascension in the Moonlight. They all brought feelings of warmth and comfort.
Overall, I love the premise, and I really enjoyed some of the stories, but the collection as a whole wasn't really what I expected.

[Carianne Carleo-Evangelist · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the perfect read for the world in 2017. A gentle reminder that behind every "these people" and "those people" are good hearted individuals. The intro by the Dalai Lama just sets it perfectly. The collection is dated, with many written before 9/11 so the Middle East stories have a different flavor to them. I've read some in other collections, or in the writers' own volumes, but overall a quick and enjoyable read. Heavy on Africa and the Middle East but I think that was reflective of the time in which they were written - travelers were a novelty there. And I love Belle and Sam -- that one pops up in all the places.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have no idea when or how I acquired this book, but it must have been quite some time ago. It's signed by the editor, Don George, with an inscription to some unknown fellow traveler.

The Kindness of Strangers is a delightful collection of positive stories about travel. I highly recommend it to anyone who has wanderlust, particularly if you view travel as being a great way to connect with people from other places.. Each story is a quick read, so even ones that might not be as interesting go by quickly. When the world might seem terrible, the essays here show that beacons of light still exist.

I'm going to hang on to this one until I find a fellow traveler who needs it.

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an enjoyable collection of short pieces about how travel adventures were salvaged, augmented, sanctified, rescued, or otherwise made more memorable by chance encounters with total strangers. Some of these tales are chilling, some humorous, and some deeply touching. Some of the writers are well-known professionals, but others are clearly still working on their craft or even just trying their hand at it. The selections are accordingly of uneven quality and readability but the nobility of the project redeems even some of the weaker contributions. Worth the time for those for whom travel is a necessity of spirit, not a luxury.

[Karol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the stories were great . . . but many were about travel in troubled areas of the world or just troubled neighborhoods and I wondered why the traveler was so set on stupidly rushing headlong into danger.

It's always hard to rate a volume of short stories. There were some real gems in this collection. Others were maddening in some way or another. Too many ended without endings, leaving you hanging. That's my number 1 pet peeve with contemporary writing. I'm perhaps too old school, and want a satisfying conclusion to a tale.

[Brendan Monroe · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a disappointingly disjointed collection of stories. "Kindness" apparently does not make for a very good writing prompt.

Most of these stories should have never seen the light of day. Some I downright hated. I'm thinking particularly of the truly horrible "Andean High", though "Egg Child" and numerous others made me throw up in my mouth a little as well.

There were two, I repeat, TWO stories that were very good and those are the last two stories in the collection - "Might be your lucky day" and "Ascension in the moonlight". As a result, I will give this collection two stars.

[Richard Propes · Rating 3 out of 5]

I absolutely expected to love this book, but with an uneven collection of stories and an overall tone that lacks the sentimentality that one should expect from a collection of stories about the kindness of strangers it's a book that falls within the middling range almost solely because a handful of the experiences do manage to be somewhat enchanting and transformative. For the most part, this feels like a more matter-of-fact collection and it seems like most of the writers are waxing eloquently but not really saying all that much.

[Suzanne Fournier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Lonely Planet collection of travel stories, this time themed around the kindness that travellers receive, that could be minor or save their lives.

I love these collections, especially these days when I cannot travel. Some really interesting stories like 'One night in the Sahara' by Amanda Jones or 'Highland Remedy' by Fran Palumbo. I loved 'Losing it in London' by Douglas Cruickshank.

I have to say 'Might be your lucky day' by Jeff Greenwald is the wildest, craziest story I've heard that's true. It almost deserves it's own anthology of insane travel adventures.

[Elle Hansen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to really enjoy this book, but I simply didn't. The idea of these travel stories--being in a far away place, alone, with the world simultaneously at your fingertips and lurking dangerously over your shoulder--was alluring, but the stories themselves were a little too everyday, a little too mundane. I think this would have made a better audiobook, perhaps, as these sorts of stories are best told between friends.

2/5 - would recommend to a certain type of reader.

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed most of these travel stories, though I don't think any will really stick with me. However, the stories were mostly uplifting, a few were scary, something I needed. The small volume was easy to carry in my bag and read in fits and spurts, mostly as I sat in the hospital or ate meals. Many of the locales were exotic to me, places I will likely never visit, so that also added interest in some of the stories. I was not familiar with many of the writers.

[Debby Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great stories

Anyone who travels whether it's a mile from home or thousands can relate to these stories.
From lending a helping hand to saving their life these stories show real people at the mercy of complete strangers.
I enjoyed the book very much and purchased a hard copy of it to pass along - perhaps to a stranger someday.

[Anne K · Rating 4 out of 5]

What the world needs now...is kindness born of caring, even from strangers. I loved this anthology of stories; I felt present in each well-written story, and as touched and as grateful as the recipients of such unexpected kinship, hospitality, help, and affection. If you’re looking for an uplifting book to revive your faith in the selfless goodness of humanity, this is your next read.

[Loulose · Rating 3 out of 5]

En helt OK bok om folk som drar på tur og opplever at de blir reddet eller hjulpet. Jeg syns det beste var egentlig oppbygningen av boken. Det starter med ganske vanlige backpacker-problemer som de fleste opplever på et eller annet punkt og avslutter med historier der hovedpersonen ender opp i livstruende situasjoner.