Consequential Strangers
By Melinda Blau and Karen L. Fingerman, Ph.D.
What unites Elizabeth Edwards, Malcolm Gladwell, and Jonnie Wesson, the student who masterminded a 2,000-person smart mob in New York City? Each is adept at harnessing the power of casual acquaintances, random encounters, and social networks, creating a convoy of consequential strangers—people to whom you are weakly connected who bring small pleasure and great opportunity, if properly attended to. A consequential stranger is anyone from your hairdresser to a casual business acquaintance; you might not send them Christmas cards, but you'd happily ask them for help in a pinch.
Consequential strangers reinforce our own identity and often lead to a critical exchange of emotional support or ideas, as Edwards and Gladwell discovered on their book tours. Fierce attachment to one's neighborhood is testament to the power of social convoys, as is the nostalgic refusal to jettison old address books or Rolodexes—tangible reminders of the consequential strangers who have traveled alongside us through life.
The authors make a compelling case that our social constellations are larger and sexier than we realize: Your neighbors will cease to be blurry faces and become nearby stars worth cultivating. —Kaja Perina
Weekends at Bellevue
By Julie Holland, M.D.
Treating patients with severe mental illness—many of whom are criminals—requires a steely outer shell and an appreciation for the dark humor that seeps out of each night's chaotic events. But Holland, a psychiatrist who worked the overnight weekend shift at New York City's notorious Bellevue Hospital for nine years, has a caring heart beneath her armor and a compulsive need to "fix" the helpless. Stories about Holland's entanglements with killers, malingerers, and administrators are interspersed with accounts of her own therapy. The tension between her macho swagger and her shame at the harsh way she occasionally treats patients gives this memoir extra intrigue. —Carlin Flora
Why Women Have Sex
By Cindy M. Meston, Ph.D. and David M. Buss, Ph.D.
Some of the reasons women have sex are common knowledge: to feel good, to connect, to have kids. Others, not so much: to relieve migraines, to feel closer to God, to be a conqueror. Meston and Buss, both researchers, enliven their analysis with pop culture references like the Aniston-Jolie rivalry and with quotes from over a thousand real women—sometimes repetitive, occasionally poetic, always candid. The book is filled with insights with which to start conversations (such as: women want mates who can give them sexy sons). Other material is more practical—such as a list of the most effective ways for men to lure women to bed. —Sophie Chen
Tags:
bellevue hospital,
business acquaintance,
casual business,
chaotic events,
compulsive need,
critical exchange,
dark humor,
Elizabeth Edwards,
entanglements,
jonnie,
julie holland,
karen l fingerman,
malcolm gladwell,
melinda blau,
nearby stars,
outer shell,
overnight weekend,
random encounters,
tangible reminders,
weekend shift
