The Kindness of Strangers

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there's good stuff in here. if you don't know the things he goes through, then it's worth reading. but i'd suggest reading about price or dawkins or hamilton elsewhere. and i'd suggest reading singer's the life you can save or macaskill's book rather than this. I don't know if any of Katrina Kittle's story is true or if it is derived from a true story but it takes some serious courage to talk about the details of abuse that I don't have. This is a collection of short stories/articles by various contributors, non-fiction. I guess we all have our own bias, so different chapters might appeal to different people. 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.

This book both made me want to travel, or more specifically to adventure, to more historically "out of bounds" or perhaps less trodden places but also offered some valuable life lessons. For example, sometimes taking is the best gift you can give (think restoring the dignity of refugees in, for example, the jungle).As McCullough explains, the explanation lies in our evolving ideas and justifications, guided by reason, for why we should consider the needs of others on par with our own, and with those of our closest kith and kin. Humans have learned, through various historical confrontations with mass human suffering, to expand their own circle of empathy by advancing arguments that break down arbitrary distinctions and divisions that prevent us from caring about the needs of others. Travel opens our minds to the world; it helps us to embrace risk and uncertainty, overcome challenges and understand the people we meet and the places we visit. But what happens when we arrive home? How do our experiences shape us? 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. The characters that are able to share their unique perspective really draws out the complex reactions to abuse experienced in the wider community but without the characters losing their individual identities. Their emotions and motivations come across as genuine. They are ordinary people who have to cope with a tragic set of circumstances while still living their lives. The Kindness of Strangers is a wonderful companion for travel. It enlarges us, reminds us that serendipity is one of the ultimate joys of life's constant journey. - AMY TAN

This book is a perfect example of why I love my GR buddies- without them I never would have had this on my radar; I never would have known this existed, because let's be honest: that cover is easy to overlook. Don't let the cute cover fool you- this is emotionally draining. But it's worth it.

i found a lot of the material in the middle of the book, dealing with the growth of government in dealing with poverty, not very interesting. How many times have you heard some variation of the phrase, advanced by David Hume in the 18th century, that “reason is the slave of the passions”? According to this doctrine, reason is used simply as justification for the pursuit of goals dictated by our emotions. If you want to understand human behavior, therefore, you don’t have to look much further than to what we are biologically programmed to want and pursue. I read this book about 8 years ago and it's one of those books that has stayed with me ever since. It will probably always be one of my favorite books. Even though it is also one of the most difficult books I have ever read. It's the book that comes to mind whenever someone asks for a recommendation. I had originally meant to write a review but somehow it slipped my mind.

A welcome contrast to the last book I read (The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich), the Kindness of Strangers lays out a history of humanity’s gradual cultural movement towards kindness and towards altruism. Without beating you over the head with it, the overall sentiment is that kindness works because it benefits individuals and society and ultimately makes for the things we all want in the world: peace and prosperity. McCullough seems to lay out an argument that modern globalism is an extension of understanding your neighbors, that since we are so much more aware of each other it is incumbent upon all people to show global compassion as an inevitable next step in our “kindness evolution”. Evolution works its magic over hundreds of thousands and millions of years, so humanity has essentially the same biological makeup as our distant ancestors. The fact that we live nothing like them tells us that we have altered our behavior, not because of a change in our biology, nature, or emotional profile, but through the use of reason and ideas that modulate those tendencies. This isn't an autobiography but more a memoir. Adie shows us round her career, but we walk behind her, not beside her. Adie the journalist is revealed in wonderful detail. Kate the woman is as much a stranger when you've finished the book as when you started. Travel is supposed to be challenging, you are out of your comfort zone, you are in unfamiliar places, often surrounded by people who don’t speak the same language as you and have a very different culture. It can pay rich dividends and give you an insight into how people live and how different it is to your way of life. These places that you see, the sunsets that you watch and the interactions that you have with other people, shape who you are.When an elementary boy tries to kill himself, people look for reasons. What they usually find is horrendous. Didn't finish this mainly due to time constraints - it was from a library reading group set and needed to be returned. Katrina Kittle writes about such a painful topic realistically and with sensitivity. There are many statistics in the book but they do not interfere with the storyline. The Kindness of Strangers is a compelling novel of survival and the healing power of love. It's an extended 'From our Own Correspondent', really, the Correspondent being Kate Adie, and she's reporting on the Japes that she experienced in her rather exciting and privileged life.