Let's Talk About Hard Things
- Downloads：8160
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-05-08 01:19:30
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Anna Sale
- ISBN：B08LDVZJ4F
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Ellen
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Anna Sale has written a brilliantly insightful part memoir and essay on how to enter into hard conversations that have the capacity to change the course of our lives。 Very timely as we begin to re-engage one another after a year that separated us from many of the people and venues that were catalysts for deep and meaningful interactions。 Brava Anna！
Suzanne
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Author Anna Sale offers a book with challenging topics and urges readers to explore these topics without fear。 Death， sex， relationships and identity are all fair game in a book of anecdotes taken from her own experiences and conversations with others。 While I found the book interesting， it didn’t rise above the newspaper advice columns that offer such deceptively attractive advice to readers。 LET’S TALK ABOUT HARD THINGS was softer than I expected。 I received my copy from the publisher through Author Anna Sale offers a book with challenging topics and urges readers to explore these topics without fear。 Death， sex， relationships and identity are all fair game in a book of anecdotes taken from her own experiences and conversations with others。 While I found the book interesting， it didn’t rise above the newspaper advice columns that offer such deceptively attractive advice to readers。 LET’S TALK ABOUT HARD THINGS was softer than I expected。 I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley。 。。。more
Deshpande Raghavendra Rao
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The forces me to devour it in one or two strings。 It is so interesting。 Thanks。RaghavendraRao Deshpande。
Maryjane Gardner
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I may go back and change my rating if this book based off of the final version。 My review is based off of the ARC。 I felt the concept of the book was something I needed to read。 I also felt the first few sections were very well written and explained。 Around the middle of the book， it felt like the ideas were jumbled together and not as organized as the first part of the book。 There were also a lot of typos and mistakes in the ARC （such as a paragraph not ending and a new section picking up）。 Hop I may go back and change my rating if this book based off of the final version。 My review is based off of the ARC。 I felt the concept of the book was something I needed to read。 I also felt the first few sections were very well written and explained。 Around the middle of the book， it felt like the ideas were jumbled together and not as organized as the first part of the book。 There were also a lot of typos and mistakes in the ARC （such as a paragraph not ending and a new section picking up）。 Hopefully the book’s final edits will fix the problems of the ARC so that the strong beginning of the book carries it way through the end。 。。。more
laila
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I have mixed feelings about this book。 The content is presented in an approachable and informative writing style， which is a great merit of Anna Sale's writing。 That said， I found many jarring typos and a few odd phrases throughout that took me out of the overall message of the paragraph or even the entire passage they were included in。 I do appreciate， however， that Sale not only drew from her own experience， but took the time to really research and interview people of varying identities， belie I have mixed feelings about this book。 The content is presented in an approachable and informative writing style， which is a great merit of Anna Sale's writing。 That said， I found many jarring typos and a few odd phrases throughout that took me out of the overall message of the paragraph or even the entire passage they were included in。 I do appreciate， however， that Sale not only drew from her own experience， but took the time to really research and interview people of varying identities， beliefs， and life paths。 Because of this， my favorite section by far was "Identity。" I'm glad that Sale was able to call herself out for her privilege and how her identity has shaped her。 I think accountability is really important， especially in a book like this。 Sale did a great job holding herself accountable and truly solidifying her position as a listener and sharer instead of simply an informer。 This led to identity being a major theme that's present throughout the entire book， so I was pleasantly surprised to find a section that took an even deeper dive into all of the components that make up a person and their beliefs。I have to admit I wasn't ready to read about the impacts of COVID or the death of George Floyd。 It felt a little premature to approach these topics， but I suppose that only perpetuates the idea of the book as it encourages the reader to start tough conversations。 Overall， this wasn't my favorite read and I can't imagine myself picking it up again， but I am grateful for the experience。 。。。more
Polly
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I've been a fairly longterm podcast listener of Anna Sale's WYNC show Death， Sex & Money， and was keen to try out this book that is so closely related it's almost a direct spin-off， despite not often being someone who'd head to the "Health， Mind & Body" section of a bookshop。 If you've listened to the show， you'll know that Sale's style of interviewing her guests is one filled with gentle compassion and curiosity， and truly about listening to them and their experiences。 While conversations frequ I've been a fairly longterm podcast listener of Anna Sale's WYNC show Death， Sex & Money， and was keen to try out this book that is so closely related it's almost a direct spin-off， despite not often being someone who'd head to the "Health， Mind & Body" section of a bookshop。 If you've listened to the show， you'll know that Sale's style of interviewing her guests is one filled with gentle compassion and curiosity， and truly about listening to them and their experiences。 While conversations frequently turn to difficult subjects， the listener is never left with the impression that the guest is being pressured to talk about something they don't want to。 This book has an almost identical tone。 I could hear Sale's voice in the writing; hear this being an extended series of episodes from her show。 If you're a fan of the show， I am confident that you'll be a fan of the book。It is very easily digested writing。 A non-fiction book will often take me weeks， if not months or occasionally years， to read， yet I devoured this one in just two or three sittings。 The writing style flows well， and is colloquial without feeling overly familiar or casual。Separated into five chapters — Death， Sex， Money， Family， and Identity — Sale explores difficult subjects within these broad categories via interviews， quotes from other published work， and her own life。 Despite being often a memoir， at times in self-help territory， it's the experiences of the people that the author speaks to that are centred throughout。Each chapter could really be a full-length book of its own， yet are surprisingly in-depth for their relatively short size。 The Death and Family chapters were the ones that felt most profound to me， with Identity at the other end of the spectrum feeling the most like it really only touched the surface。 Family was， for me， the chapter that was left with the highest number of sections highlighted to revisit later。Some content warnings， due to the nature of the book: miscarriage， police violence， terminal illness， sex， abuse。 However， all of these topics were touched upon in particularly sensitive style as things that are notably hard to talk about。 。。。more
Candice Brusuelas
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This short but in-depth book covers the biggest topics we don't like to talk about: Death， Money， Family， Sex， and Identity。 Each offers a diverse view of these topics and the many challenges they face， along with some helpful perspectives about how to broach these topics with loved ones。 Because， after all， they are incredibly important topics to talk about。As someone who likes to write about difficult things， I was impressed with Sale's level of understanding and clarity on all of these issues This short but in-depth book covers the biggest topics we don't like to talk about: Death， Money， Family， Sex， and Identity。 Each offers a diverse view of these topics and the many challenges they face， along with some helpful perspectives about how to broach these topics with loved ones。 Because， after all， they are incredibly important topics to talk about。As someone who likes to write about difficult things， I was impressed with Sale's level of understanding and clarity on all of these issues， which are easy to get bogged down in the sheer depth and variety at which these topics come。 It is a great read for everyone - we all need to talk about these things！ 。。。more
Paul Vogelzang
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A great book from a great podcaster。 I was particularly impressed with Anna Sale's willingness to be both personal and inspiring。 Now more than ever these stories about honesty， sincerity， connection through communication are vital。 Great book！ I'll be interviewing Anna soon for my podcast and am really looking forward to it！ I received a copy of the book from publisher Simon & Schuster。 Thank you。 A great book from a great podcaster。 I was particularly impressed with Anna Sale's willingness to be both personal and inspiring。 Now more than ever these stories about honesty， sincerity， connection through communication are vital。 Great book！ I'll be interviewing Anna soon for my podcast and am really looking forward to it！ I received a copy of the book from publisher Simon & Schuster。 Thank you。 。。。more
Vicki Larson
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I'm a huge fan of Death， Sex & Money and podcast host Anna Sale， whose curiosity and kindness come through in the way she talks to her subjects。 Her book does the same， expanding on the themes of her podcast and interspersing it with her own life stories in a way that makes the reader feel like， I'd like to be her friend。All the topics she addresses — death， sex， money， family， and identity — are indeed hard to talk about with friends， coworkers and loved ones， so her suggestions of how to start I'm a huge fan of Death， Sex & Money and podcast host Anna Sale， whose curiosity and kindness come through in the way she talks to her subjects。 Her book does the same， expanding on the themes of her podcast and interspersing it with her own life stories in a way that makes the reader feel like， I'd like to be her friend。All the topics she addresses — death， sex， money， family， and identity — are indeed hard to talk about with friends， coworkers and loved ones， so her suggestions of how to start a hard conversation and stay focused on getting what you need from that conversation are helpful。 I don't know if her book will prompt people to actually have those hard conversations right away， but it will no doubt get readers to think a bit deeper about those issues， and that alone is a lot。Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for an advance reader copy。 。。。more
Scribe Publications
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The number one driver of human happiness， across time and culture， is meaningful connection to others。 The road to connection is conversations。 Anna Sale is giving us the encouragement， the example， and the tools to do the one thing that can bring us closer: talk about hard things。Kelly Corrigan， Host of Kelly Corrigan Wonders and Bestselling Author of Tell Me MoreIn Let’s Talk About Hard Things， Anna Sale brings us fascinating conversations that feel both intensely personal and widely universal The number one driver of human happiness， across time and culture， is meaningful connection to others。 The road to connection is conversations。 Anna Sale is giving us the encouragement， the example， and the tools to do the one thing that can bring us closer: talk about hard things。Kelly Corrigan， Host of Kelly Corrigan Wonders and Bestselling Author of Tell Me MoreIn Let’s Talk About Hard Things， Anna Sale brings us fascinating conversations that feel both intensely personal and widely universal， then shows us how to start having them in our own lives。 You will laugh， cry， nod in recognition， and by the end， feel like no topic is off limits when it comes to creating meaningful connection。 I want to give a copy of this book to every family member， friend， and therapy patient I see。Lori Gottlieb， Host of Dear Therapists Podcast and New York TimesBestselling Author of Maybe You Should Talk to SomeoneWith tremendous empathy and thoughtfulness， Anna Sale models how to have the hard conversations — about love and grief and fear and so much else。 Sale is a wise guide through the most difficult human terrain， and with her help， I'm now having conversations that before this book felt impossible。John Green， New York Times Bestselling Author of Turtles All the Way Down and The Fault in Our StarsAnna Sale has a real gift for cutting through the white noise that so often overwhelms our most urgent， high-stakes conversations。 She's teaching us how to listen to one another again。 No one can save us from life's plot twists — and no one should — but page by page， sentence by sentence， Sale is committed to seeing us through。Saeed Jones， Author of How We Fight For Our LivesLet’s Talk About Hard Things is a gift。 Filled with personal stories， complex emotions， and insight into the thorniest of interpersonal relationships， it is a balm， a challenge， and a celebration of our desire to be known in this world。Katie CouricIt’s not surprising to learn that Anna Sale applies the same compassion and thoughtfulness she displays as host to her writing， but it is thrilling all the same to quickly find Let’s Talk About Hard Things as inviting and comforting as any episode of Death， Sex， & Money。 It’s not easy to open up about what makes us most uncomfortable， but the stories shared throughout the book and Sale’s excellent writing around them shows how vital it is that we make the effort。 And while I still occasionally squirm over the reality that there is only so much that I can control in life， I am grateful for the tools Let’s Talk About Hard Things provides in helping me deal with such an unfortunate circumstance。 I was already a fan of Sale's as a podcaster and person， but happy to now be a fanboy of Anna Sale the writer， too。Michael Arceneaux， New York Times Bestselling Author of I Can’t Date Jesus and I Don’t Want to Die PoorAn empathetic debut … 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。Publishers WeeklyKind honesty — not the type where someone is shaming you， but loving communication of who you are — is one of the hardest things to talk about。 As the recovery movement has advised many: ‘Say what you mean， but don't say it mean。’ Anna Sale's book provides beautifully written hope that that we can talk about hard things and that makes hard things easier。 Or at the very least， spoken。 It's like overhearing people like you in a support group in the coziest of book forms。 It is thus a combination of my two favourite things: the vulnerability of shares in anonymous support groups and reading。Maria Bamford， Comedian and Writer 。。。more
Rachel
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Great depth of analysis of the author's own life， finding larger themes for others to use as a blueprint for examining their own lives and relationships more deeply。 Moving and lovely。 Great depth of analysis of the author's own life， finding larger themes for others to use as a blueprint for examining their own lives and relationships more deeply。 Moving and lovely。 。。。more
Katie - Girl About Library
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"When we have the courage to talk about hard things， we learn about ourselves， others and the world that we make together"。I recently finished reading "Let's Talk About Hard Things" by Anna Sale。 I was unfamiliar with her podcast before beginning the book but was pulled in by the title and topics covered - the hard conversations in life - death， sex， money， family， and identity - and why we should have those conversations， despite， and because of， their difficulty。In the first chapters， the book "When we have the courage to talk about hard things， we learn about ourselves， others and the world that we make together"。I recently finished reading "Let's Talk About Hard Things" by Anna Sale。 I was unfamiliar with her podcast before beginning the book but was pulled in by the title and topics covered - the hard conversations in life - death， sex， money， family， and identity - and why we should have those conversations， despite， and because of， their difficulty。In the first chapters， the book really felt like a warm invitation to have hard conversations， why they are important， and how to have them。 And I really enjoyed the author's perspective on how to achieve this - particularly， that the end goal of difficult discussions shouldn't be absolute agreement or a reconciliation， but understanding。 My favorite parts of the book included tips for how best to facilitate these difficult discussions。 Anna has had many typically uncomfy conversations as part of her podcast and her real world tips and notes were very enlightening， such as how making sure to explain why you're asking a hard question of someone can change the tone of the conversation for the better。 However， those tips became fewer as the book continued on which was disappointing。 "Let's Talk About Hard Things" walks a line between being very focused on current events， like COVID or Black Lives Matter， and also more generally relatable - we all die， have relatives we disagree with， etc。 Frequently that mash-up just did not work for me。 All of the conversations explored in the book are important， and it felt like some sections were underdeveloped for how the reader could themselves tackle the hard conversations covered， particularly when that is such an important goal。 There was so much to learn from the topics included in this book， but I do wish that there had been more conversation suggestions， stumbling blocks to avoid， etc from someone who professionally discusses these difficult topics。 。。。more
Kristina
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LET'S TALK ABOUT HARD THINGS is a natural byproduct of Anna Sale's fantastic podcast "Death， Sex， and Money。" While the podcast has a catchy name， it is ultimately focused on talking about topics that are difficult to bring up and discuss。 Sale expands upon these areas in her book as well as adds two additional themes- family and identity， though all of the themes can be interconnected。 Each section usually begins with an example from Anna's life， then adds interviews she has done on her podcast LET'S TALK ABOUT HARD THINGS is a natural byproduct of Anna Sale's fantastic podcast "Death， Sex， and Money。" While the podcast has a catchy name， it is ultimately focused on talking about topics that are difficult to bring up and discuss。 Sale expands upon these areas in her book as well as adds two additional themes- family and identity， though all of the themes can be interconnected。 Each section usually begins with an example from Anna's life， then adds interviews she has done on her podcast and expands to other examples of difficult situations and conversations people have had。 The book provides more than just examples of these challenging situations。 It does provide some good advice on how to have these conversations。 Anna is a fantastic interviewer on her podcast， so some of this concrete advice is not surprising。 Some things that stood out for me include in the first chapter on death where she puts into words things I have not really thought through。 Death is inevitable， but we tend to keep the reality of death and grief at a distance。 People have no idea what to say。 The chapter on sex highlights examples of difficult conversations around one's changing needs and the continued emphasis on the importance of consent。 Conversations around money are always challenging。 She makes a vital distinction between money and wealth， and the importance around the generational timing on when one grows up。 The family chapter is a thorny one as these systems are based on long-standing patterns and roles and conversations can be incredibly difficult because of the intimacy of those relationships。 Some important tools I took from this book is the importance of "don't speak。 listen" （sometimes sitting in silence is challenging， but you do not always need to fill it） and a reminder that these conversations are often not one-offs and morph over time。 For fans of Anna's podcast， this is a must-read， and a thought provoking book。Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this advance reader copy in exchange for honest review。 。。。more
Charlotte
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