Some of you know my wife, a.k.a. the Queen of Gathering, a.k.a. Priya Parker.

She is not only the lone person on earth (besides me) who has read THE PERSUADERS three times. But this coming Sunday, she is hosting a tea for her community. And, persuader that I am, I convinced her to let you join, too!

Come hang with us on our couch this Sunday (via Zoom; it’s a modestly sized couch). We'll be sipping and spilling some tea.

Sign-up info below in Priya’s note to her newsletter community.

Dear all, 

This coming week in my household is a big one. My husband, Anand Giridharadas, is launching his fourth book, The Persuaders: At the Frontlines of The Fight for Hearts, Minds and Democracy. 

And because this newsletter community means so much to me, I’m writing to invite you to a very special (and totally free) Zoom Tea with us this Sunday at 4pm EST to discuss and celebrate live from our living room. Consider it a first glimpse of this book, before the rest of the world sees it. 

Sign up to join us for a Zoom Tea.

I think you may know that my day job is still as a group conflict resolution facilitator. I work with groups who are at moments of crisis and transition to have the conversations they’ve been avoiding. There’s a lot going on in our country right now. And wow are we in a moment of many transitions. 

The Persuaders is a stunning account about the people in this country who, despite the division, disinformation, and growing fracture, are on the ground working to change minds and bring people along through the massive changes and upheavals we’re currently in. 

I’ve read the book three times — and even putting aside my extremely proud wife hat — it’s awesome. It’s one of the most hopeful, practical, incisive books I’ve read about what those who believe in a multi-racial liberal democracy can do to fight off growing authoritarianism and bring along some portion of the country to build a stronger social fabric. 

It’s also, interestingly, a book about many types of transformative gatherings and intentionally engaging with other people while holding deeply onto your values — which makes it an intriguing and immensely helpful read for the artful gatherers in this community.

I care very deeply about this country and the preservation of a multi-racial democracy that’s fighting to be a more perfect union. The Persuaders is a clear-eyed guide for all of us to tell the better narrative, develop better threat assessment, and learn how to engage without giving up our ideals and values.

In short, this book makes me laugh (as does Anand), makes me cry, and makes me feel hope. 

It arrives in the world next Tuesday, October 18th, and it couldn’t come sooner. 

Please come enjoy a cozy Sunday afternoon with Anand and me, from our home, for “online tea” and book conversation. We’ll get started at 4pm EST on Sunday, October 16th. Bring a cuppa something. We’ll have cameras on (if you’d like). And I’ll interview Anand about his book, what this moment means for our democracy, and whether or not he used these same skills to persuade me to marry him… 

Let us know if you’re coming: RSVP for this Sunday's Zoom Tea here.

Hope to see you there!

Priya 

Pre-order The Persuaders

I hope you will consider pre-ordering The Persuaders. 

Early orders make a huge difference in signaling to bookstores that this one is worth stocking. Available everywhere books are sold. Indiebound. Bookshop.org. Barnes & Noble. Books-A-Million.Amazon. Penguin Random House.

Join Anand on book tour

Catch Anand at a book tour event near you! He'll be on a big in-person road trip this fall. Check out the tour schedule and get tickets here. 

And if you’re in New York, join us in person at the Bell House on launch night, October 18, 2022 (the ticket includes a signed book).

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