Discover the unexpected pleasures and exciting possibilities of
talking to people you don't know--how these beautiful interruptions can
change you, and the world we share.
When Strangers Meet argues for the pleasures and transformative
possibilities of talking to people you don't know. Our lives are
increasingly insular. We are in a hurry, our heads are down, minds
elsewhere, we hear only the voices we already recognize and rarely take
the effort to experience something or someone new. Talking to strangers
pulls you into experiences of shared humanity and creates genuine
emotional connections. It opens your world. Passing interactions cement
your relationship to the places you live and work and play, they're
beautiful interruptions in the steady routines of our lives. In luminous
prose, Stark shows how talking to strangers wakes you up.
Threaded throughout are powerful vignettes from Stark's own lifelong
practice of talking to strangers and documenting brief encounters, along
with a deep exploration of the dynamics of where, how, and why strangers
come together. Ultimately, When Strangers Meet explores the rich
emotional and political meanings that are conjured up in even the
briefest conversations and unexpected connections with strangers. Stark
renders visible the hidden processes by which we decide who to greet and
trust in passing, and the unwritten rules by which these encounters
operate. When Strangers Meet teaches readers how to start talking to
strangers and includes adventurous challenges for those who dare.
