Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell

Gladwell, the author of The Tipping Point, and Outliers, in this book asserts that people are pretty bad at telling when strangers are lying. He talks about how people think they can tell if someone is lying by looking at their body language, but that studies show that this is not true.  He talks about why intoxication is such a complicating factor when trying to assess guilt in a date rape situation, and how Fidel Castro was able to plant multiple people as spy double agents in the CIA.  He talks about how people just don't want to believe that someone is lying and how that allows people like Bernie Madof and Adolf Hilter to deceive people quite easily. He finishes the book with a look at what happens when we don't "default to true", and how that brings its own consequenses.  

This had interesting ideas, but, like some of the other nonfiction I have read lately, it was gritty.  Gladwell describes date rape, murder, suicide and Guantamo Bay style torture. I feel like I have some new insite to human behavior, but I kind of feel like I need to go and wash out my brain with soap to clean out the nasty images. So, read at your own risk.  (2019, 400 p)