Sale, host of the podcast Death, Sex, and Money, explores how we can talk about difficult situations in order to better connect with family, friends, and coworker ... Not to be mistaken for a self-help guide, Sale’s book also analyzes the structural and cultural dynamics that impede meaningful conversations. Besides listeners of her podcast, this will appeal to any adult struggling to broach these topics.
Infusing it all with memoir, Sale is generous when divulging her tricky chats of yore, and always quick to acknowledge the privilege that has allowed her—a cis, heterosexual, married, white parent—to have some difficult conversations but not others. This book is a road map to navigating these sorts of conversations with friends and family, and even includes specific phrasing to try; it also offers a sense of solidarity. Simply bearing witness to the struggles of strangers is sure to leave readers feeling less alone.
Small talk is for the birds. The conversations that help us become more enlightened, or evolved or liberated, are — rightfully — big. (Breezy chitchat about weather patterns rarely changes lives.) In Let’s Talk About Hard Things Anna Sale makes the case for just that: that there’s value in tackling the tough stuff we tend to shy away from, such as mortality, intimacy and finances ... The text is a compelling exhortation to have difficult discussions ... While the recorded episodes are fluid and seductive, like overheard, heady conversations, the book is staccato, full of exposition, transitions and summaries that can detract from the potency of the narratives. It’s a shame, as many of the stories are quite fascinating ... Format may be partially to blame ... This book may be the most useful for the supremely reticent and emotionally risk-averse among us, those who need much persuasion to utter uncomfortable truths. If you’re already at ease with vulnerability and only need an occasional nudge or recalibration, you can still benefit, but many of the assertions may strike you as obvious.
Sale, host of the podcast Death, Sex & Money, dives deep into 'hard conversations' in her empathetic debut ... Sale offers no shortage of outside perspectives through interviews with former podcast guests, friends, and psychologists ... Fans of Sale’s podcast will find a familiar guide in her reflective and introspective voice, and those encountering her for the first time will find this a comfort in hard times.
