I guess we need more Nate's in the world to convince us we have enough to give, Danny's to not hold a grudge and forgive and Sarah's to have patience and well, be the mom. I have always depended on the kindness of strangers", a line from Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire (1947)

I absolutely loved this book. It is without a doubt one of the most heartbreaking books I've ever read, but also the most heartwarming, in an alternating pattern that varies throughout the book. Dealing with the aftermath of horrible child abuse in a way that is honest and real, there is no sugarcoating of facts to be found here. Obviously, things aren't blatantly described, but the author has no problem discussing the issue. But, at the same time, this is not a story about child abuse, but rather a story about triumph, survival, and the love and support of a family. Don't bother reading this if you want to find out about Ms Adie's personal life. I did find it interesting for fleshing-out the news stories that were on the telly as I was growing up, in particular Northern Ireland and the Falklands War.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. 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. Then he was grateful, thought it was “kind” that the murderers spared them because they liked them so much??? After reading quite a few books about inequality, racism, and other issues that plague the world, this book was a bright light that was much needed in my reading rotation. I've been waiting for this book for months from Michael McCullough, and it was phenomenal. The Kindness of Stranger is a perfect blend of evolutionary psychology along with effective altruism, and I learned a ton by reading this book.

Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves; it's in every traveller's hands. It's on mobile phones. It's on the Internet. It's everywhere, and it's telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.' - Fairfax Media (Australia) Only one character is discussed as family - the BBC itself. Like a complicated father, the BBC has contradictory attributes: amateurish, dedicated, tolerant, autocratic. It is an affectionate but exasperated portrait - Adie is lacerating about management's influence on news. 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. This is a book written by solo wanderlusters for solo wanderlusters, an assemblage of journals that showcase why kindness is a universal language that transcends countries, cultures, language and race; it is an ode to travelers who have had firsthand witness to unrequited kindness that challenges xenophobic sentiments and unfair stereotypes towards selected nations. At the same time, this book is also dedicated to people who doubt the excitement and adventure that solo traveling brings, making them intrigued to go out there and start exploring the world for themselves. It's a book that shows how there is still so much about the human heart that people don't fathom, and learning how to be humble in accepting just how little we know about people in foreign lands, and thereby restoring some faith in humanity. Jordan, aged beyond his mere eleven years, cannot understand why this is happening to him. He is a child, unwilling and unable to comprehend his situation. For him, there is no escape.Jordan is the quiet, skinny, pale boy who is best friends with the youngest of Sarah's two sons. Sarah is recently widowed and runs a catering business out of her home. She has catered "parties" for Jordan's parents on numerous occasions. She is close friends with Jordan's mother. When police investigate Jordan's reason for attempting to take his own life, the small town where they all live is thrown into a confusing denial. None more so than Sarah. It was oddly structured. The first chapter consists of a gentle moan at the change in culture at the BBC - from a slightly laissez-faire attitude when she first started working for the corporation to the current mode of professionalism and accountability. Post-Saville, one thinks 'Thank Goodness" and cringes slightly. If this were republished today, I'd certainly make sure this wasn't the opening chapter. 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. This book is an entertainingly written historical, evolutionary discussion, that complements many of the most pressing topics in today’s news and society. I see some ways this book is an optimistic view of some of the topics in the book “Sapiens”, where Harari points out the trade-offs we make by giving up individualism for society, McCullough shows the large leaps forward in the way we consider others has been beneficial for both.