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jedwardsusc's review against another edition
4.0
Books about "dialogue" are almost always overly idealistic--presupposing the goodwill of the interlocutors, lack of deliberate manipulation of data, etc. That said, Lee does a better-than-average job of acknowledging the complexity of dialogue and not treating it as a simplistic means to cooperation.
meabird's review against another edition
4.5
I would say everyone has to read this book, but the amazing thing about it is that it's written with the mindset that people won't read it. Lee lays out a method to approach strategic dialogue so that we can lovingly and respectfully communicate with people who we struggle to agree with. Filled with confidence, hope, and empowerment Talking Across The Divide is a smooth quick read that gives you the tools to navigate conversations in a way that can be productive and not damaging. The more people who do read this book though, the better off we all would be.
allie_schick's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
danicapage's review against another edition
3.0
I really enjoyed this book but am comparing it to I think you're wrong but I'm listening, which isn't fair.
It was a very accessible and good read and something that a lot of us could be a lot better at.
It was a very accessible and good read and something that a lot of us could be a lot better at.
phenixsnow's review against another edition
5.0
I don't know about changing the world but I wish i'd gotten further in this book sooner, perhaps some of the divisive (coronavirus/race/politics) discussions i've had over the past few weeks would have gone at least marginally better.
I was disappointed at the beginning of the book. I didn't think it was going to be applicable to me at all. It seemed more applicable to moderating panel discussions between groups or for face-to-face planned sitdown discussions to intentionally have a dialogue about a point of disagreement... I was more interested in how i could have unplanned socially distanced discussions about hard topics and still be on speaking terms at the end.
It ended up being very practical and useful. the latter two thirds of the book focus on how to have strategic dialogue with people who don't agree with you. So many of the things he points out are places i can see many of my discussions went off the rails... the point where myself of the other person really dug our heels in or got defensive. I think i need to reread this book a second time.
I was disappointed at the beginning of the book. I didn't think it was going to be applicable to me at all. It seemed more applicable to moderating panel discussions between groups or for face-to-face planned sitdown discussions to intentionally have a dialogue about a point of disagreement... I was more interested in how i could have unplanned socially distanced discussions about hard topics and still be on speaking terms at the end.
It ended up being very practical and useful. the latter two thirds of the book focus on how to have strategic dialogue with people who don't agree with you. So many of the things he points out are places i can see many of my discussions went off the rails... the point where myself of the other person really dug our heels in or got defensive. I think i need to reread this book a second time.