The author offers an in-depth examination of personal interactions between strangers that draws on the latest public scandals to show how the tools and strategies people use to understand one another lead to conflict and misunderstanding.
Content Note
Introduction: "Step out of the car!" -- Part one: Spies and diplomats: two puzzles. Fidel Castro's revenge ; Getting to know der Fu¨hrer -- Part two: Default to truth. The queen of Cuba ; The holy fool ; Case study: The boy in the shower -- Part three: Transparency. The Friends fallacy ; A (short) explanation of the Amanda Knox case ; Case study: The fraternity party -- Part four: Lessons. KSM: what happens when the stranger is a terrorist? -- Part five: Coupling. Sylvia Plath ; Case study: The Kansas City experiments ; Sandra Bland.