SCPL Online NonFiction Book Club discussion

I have many thoughts about this book, but before I get carried away I wanted to take some time to look at what others are saying about it too. I looked at three reviews from the New York Times, The Guardian and the Globe and Mail, and overall the feedback is positive, but that’s to be expected given it’s a bestseller.

All three reviewers were impressed with how well Gladwell was able to string together different anecdotes into an enlightening and relevant teachable moment. However, with the bleak conclusion of: it’s disastrous to stop trusting people, but we suck at perceiving strangers there was the same desire from all reviewers to have something just a bit more… practical? I think NYT reviewer, Anthony Gottlieb, hit the nail on the head when he said that, “It would, of course, be too much to ask for effective tips on how to spot the next Madoff, but a little more substance would have been nice” (Gottlieb, para. 11). I don’t know about you, but I would like some tips on how to be a bit more perceptive.

In the Globe and Mail review by Russell Smith he mentions Live PD, a show which I have personally spent countless hours watching on YouTube. In this show you can see the tactics used by American police officers from the comfort of home, and this show instantly popped into my head when I was reading. It’s interesting because the show was created for the purpose of accountability… and until I read this book I bought into that notion, but my views have changed. Now it seems like a way to cover themselves without taking a deeper look at where the problems really lie. I feel like all the police departments in America should read this book.

What are your thoughts about this book? Have you read any reviews that got you thinking or changed your opinion?

New York Times review:

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/10/bo...

The Guardian review:

https://www.theguardian.com/books/201...

Globe and Mail review:

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/...