Say the Right Thing

How to Talk about Identity, Diversity, and Justice

By: Kenji Yoshino, David Glasgow

Narrated by: Vikas Adam

A Living Now Book Awards Gold Medalist, Social Activism/Charity

A practical, shame-free guide for navigating conversations across our differences at a time of rapid social change.

In the current period of social and political unrest, conversations about identity are becoming more frequent and more difficult. On subjects like critical race theory, gender equity in the workplace, and LGBTQ-inclusive classrooms, many of us are understandably fearful of saying the wrong thing. That fear can sometimes prevent us from speaking up at all, depriving people from marginalized groups of support and stalling progress toward a more just and inclusive society.

Kenji Yoshino and David Glasgow, founders of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging at NYU School of Law, are here to show potential allies that these conversations don’t have to be so overwhelming. Through stories drawn from contexts as varied as social media posts, dinner party conversations, and workplace disputes, they offer seven user-friendly principles that teach skills such as how to avoid common conversational pitfalls, engage in respectful disagreement, offer authentic apologies, and better support people in our lives who experience bias.

Research-backed, accessible, and uplifting, Say the Right Thing charts a pathway out of cancel culture toward more meaningful and empathetic dialogue on issues of identity. It also gives us the practical tools to do good in our spheres of influence. Whether managing diverse teams at work, navigating issues of inclusion at college, or challenging biased comments at a family barbecue, Yoshino and Glasgow help us move from unconsciously hurting people to consciously helping them.

A wonderful primer for beginners

This is a wonderful book to give as a gift to our families, would be allies, and of course, for ourselves. We can all do better, as we learn to be more compassionate, more inclusive, and clearer communicators.

Makes me feel more empowered to speak up.

With this book I can start practicing how to be the best I can be to respond respectfully when you experience social injustice in my daily life. We are all flawed humans and many times unaware of how our comments affect others. We can understand this and have compassion for someone who says something non-inclusive. And with the tools and knowledge in this book we can speak up in the right way…changing our world, one conversation at a time. (I listened to this as an audiobook. My only wish was for the narrator to slow down a bit to process what was being said. I will need to listen a second time to get what I missed.)

Very Engaging!

A great read/listen for all to expand their thoughts and words concerning tough challenging topics such as diversity.

A worthwhile listen

Shows we are all human, and many of want to be kind and accepting and say the right thing in a beneficial way. If we mess up, admit it, learn from it, and do better next time.

Very appropriate advice for identity affirming action

This book approaches everyone struggling with navigating identity conversations with compassion while not ignoring the pain felt by people whose identities are marginalized in our society. Everyone will benefit free m considering how to apply the recommended approaches in their interactions with others.