The book is about ambiguity (i.e. situations which appear ambiguous to "us"), and how we deal with and should deal with it.
Instead of a scholarly account, or something approaching or based on it, the book is laden with short stories or case illustrations, which are supposed to elaborate on the propositions advanced by the author.
I'm not sure if there is a clear-cut basic message in the book, but it could be something along the lines of ambiguity increasing all the time in the modern world, and consequently people must be capable of effectively dealing with it - something that the school system should prepare our young.
Was it good?
To be honest, I expect a bit more from the book. The topic is quite interesting, but the book in a way did not fully deliver. The book is more of a collection of quite interesting stories or case illustrations, but a strong red thread throughout the book was a bit lost on me.
Thus, the book does not compare in terms of quality to Malcom Gladwell's comparable works, for example.
The main take-away for me?
This is quite hard to tell. Well, some of the stories, especially in the beginning of the book provide quite useful hints concerning how to eliminate and intentionally bring about ambiguity in social situations to one's benefit. Thus, ambiguity can be used tactically in social interactions.
Who should read the book?
This is so very general interest book, that it should be readily accessible to everyone. On the other hand, the lack of a clear-cut red thread throughout the book makes it quite hard to really recommend the book to anyone. Thus, instead of this one, I would recommend any of Malcom Gladwell's books instead - they cover quite similar issues, if not ambiguity as such in a book-long treatment,
The book on Amazon.com: Nonsense - The Power of Not Knowing
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