Death. Sex. Money. Tricky subjects we’re taught to avoid in polite conversation. Here, the host of a hit podcast reveals how to talk about difficult things, and why it might be the most important thing we do.
In Let’s Talk About Hard Things, Sale takes her quest for more honest communication into her own life. She considers her history of facing (and sometimes avoiding) difficult subjects; she reflects on race, wealth, inequality, love, grief, death, power — all the things that shape our daily lives, the things we should be talking about, but often struggle to.
Through the personal stories of people whose lives have been transformed by tough conversations, we discover new ways of approaching these tricky topics with family, friends, loved ones, and strangers.
Let’s Talk About Hard Things is candid, unflinching, and entertaining in its quest to make everyone more comfortable with the uncomfortable realities of life.
About the Author :
Anna Sale is the host and managing editor of Death, Sex & Money, WNYC’s interview show about the big questions and hard choices that are often left out of polite conversation. Recently named New York Magazine’s number one podcast, the show has also been featured by The New York Times, The Atlantic, Buzzfeed, The Guardian, Fast Company, and Real Simple.
Before developing Death, Sex & Money, Anna covered politics for years, including the 2013 New York City mayoral race, the 2012 presidential campaign, and the statehouse beat in Connecticut and West Virginia. She has contributed to Fresh Air with Terry Gross, This American Life, NPR News, Marketplace, Studio 360, PBS Newshour, and Slate.
A West Virginia native, Anna graduated from Stanford University with a degree in history.
Review :
‘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.’
‘In 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.’
‘With 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.’
‘Anna 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.’
‘Let’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.’
‘It’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.’
‘An empathetic debut … In addition to her own experiences, Sale offers no shortage of outside perspectives through interviews with former podcast guests, friends, and psychologists … 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.’
‘[E]xplores how we can talk about difficult situations in order to better connect with family, friends, and coworkers. This debut covers five topics — death, sex, money, family, and identity — which Sale explores via stories from her own life and by interviewing a racially and economically diverse group of people. Not to be mistaken for a self-help guide, Sale’s book also analyses the structural and cultural dynamics that impede meaningful conversations. Besides listeners of her podcast, this will appeal to any adult struggling to broach these topics.’
‘Expanding on her hit WNYC podcast, Death, Sex, & Money, journalist Sale urges readers to have difficult conversations about their lives … There are stories of divorce, the sudden loss of a young partner, alienation from one's immediate family, secret investments gone wrong, and the pain of systemic racism. The book elaborates on content that aired previously on her show and includes new interviews with friends and celebrities. Infusing it all with memoir, Sale is generous when divulging her tricky chats of yore, and always quick to acknowledge the privilege that has allowed her — a cis, heterosexual, married, white parent — to have some difficult conversations but not others. This book is a road map to navigating these sorts of conversations with friends and family, and even includes specific phrasing to try; it also offers a sense of solidarity. Simply bearing witness to the struggles of strangers is sure to leave readers feeling less alone.’
‘Absolutely brilliant … it’s amazing.’
‘It’s not a how-to, but it’s instructive — and timely … many of us are realising that we’ve forgotten how to talk about the easy things, let alone the hard ones … As Sale shows us how supportive listening happens, and doesn’t scold anyone for not doing it better, we deepen our trust for her as a narrator: she’s dispensing not 'tough love' to the reader but empathy. By the end, we feel clearer, more known, and ready to proceed. In that way, her book is not unlike a good conversation with a friend.’
‘There’s value in tackling the tough stuff we tend to shy away from, such as mortality, intimacy and finances … The text is a compelling exhortation to have difficult discussions … The book also smartly considers not just when to talk but when to listen and when to quit entirely. Sale resists simple answers and asserts that challenging conversations are not cure-alls, even with the best of intentions and tactics. It’s a well-worn message, but one that bears repeating.’
