When Ari Shapiro was growing up in the Pacific Northwest, his curiosity about the physical world was endless. He would forage mushrooms with his family or go searching for bright-colored sea creatures in tidepools, and he could always tell his classmates the difference between a blue jay and a Steller’s jay (whether they appreciated it or not). During his rebellious, dyed-hair high school days, his studious and diverting college years, and onwards to his career as a fledgling – and then seasoned – journalist at NPR, his curiosity kept him seeking out the wisdom of strangers, the endless possibilities of people and their stories. In this, his very first book, Ari Shapiro takes us around the globe as he discovers and reports on a variety of narratives that are sometimes heartwarming, sometimes heartbreaking, but always poignant. He details his time traveling on Air Force One with President Obama, or following the path of Syrian refugees fleeing their war-town country, or sharing space with those fighting for social justice both at home and abroad. His travels take him from Indonesia to Ukraine to Turkey, from drag shows in Florida to his own performances as a singer with the world-renowned band Pink Martini. As the self-reinforcing bubbles we live in become more impenetrable, Ari Shapiro keeps seeking ways to help people listen to one another. To find connection and commonality with people who seem different. To remind us that, before religion, or nationality, or politics, we are all human. THE BEST STRANGERS IN THE WORLD is a testament to one journalist’s passion for Considering All Things – and sharing what he finds with the rest of us.