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Brought to you by Penguin

A riveting insider account of how activists politicians educators and citizens are working to change minds bridge divisions and save democracy

The lifeblood of any free society is persuasion changing other peoples minds to enable real change But America is suffering a crisis of faith in persuasion that is putting its democracy and the planet itself at risk People increasingly write each other off instead of seeking to win each other over Debates are framed in moralistic terms with enemies battling the righteous Movements for justice build barriers to entry instead of onramps Political parties focus on mobilizing the faithful rather than wooing the sceptical And leaders who seek to forge coalition are labelled sellouts

In The Persuaders bestselling author Anand Giridharadas takes us inside these movements and battles seeking out the dissenters who continue to champion persuasion in an age of polarization We meet a cofounder of Black Lives Matter a leader of the feminist resistance to Trumpism white parents at a seminar on raising adopted children of colour Bernie Sanders and Alexandria OcasioCortez a team of door knockers with an uncanny formula for changing minds on immigration and an excult member turned QAnon deprogrammer

As they grapple with how to call out threats and injustices while calling in those who dont agree with them but just might one day they point a way to healing and changing a broken society

Anand Giridharadas 2022 P Penguin Audio 2022