Wow. Okay, I went in, expecting a solid book to be more compassionate, to think less of oneself and more of others. How very wrong I was and am actually happy about it. While this was based on the culture of the US, I'm excited and interested to know how this would pan out in other countries.

Finding effective ways to communicate across the political aisle is so important, and Beyond Your Bubble provides actionable strategies for listening and being heard. Recognizing that a mutual willingness to engage in civil dialogue is key, this book offers thoughtful approaches to starting the conversations and keeping one's own emotions in check while maintaining a focus on the ultimate goal or purpose.

I received a digital pre-publication copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In a world that is more and more divided, Tania gives us some tips on how to bridge those differences and still have civil conversations with people who don't share our viewpoints. This was an intriguing book and has a lot of good tips.

I just didn't like this book. Blah and boring. I think I get overly excited about new books and think I can read them all. That's I'll love them all. That's not the case. I just can't get past the first chapter in so many of them.

I didn't have a chance to finish reading this title before its archive date, but I'll need to find it and finish up my read. This is the book we need right now in a time of division. It's very informative and actionable, and really wants us to learn how to start conversations that reach across the aisle. That being said, sometimes I don't know that conversations are worth starting—some people simply won't listen, and some people hold beliefs that they won't change that I just can't accept are right in any way. But overall, I really credit Tania with writing a much needed, thoughtful book, especially in the current climate.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book!

This is a much needed book for anyone who wants to know how to deal with differing opinions (not always just political opinions either!) or dealing with people who can't deal with your own differing opinion. We all have them, but it hasn't been talked about near enough in many circles. This book will help people to not only deal with it, but respect it and, hopefully, have others respect yours as well. There are lessons and writing exercises to help you dig deeper, as well as communication guidelines and examples. An insightful book I wish many would read.

This is a book that nearly everyone I know needs...or at least that was the case in the months leading up to our recent election. Written by psychologist Tania Israel, Beyond Your Bubble is designed to teach skills to facilitate constructive dialogue, particularly with those whose views differ from your own. Skills include effective listening, finding common ground, and avoiding self-righteousness. There are exercises for practice, self-quizzes, and tips on how to start and end challenging conversations.

I know many people who just don’t even try to communicate with those with opposite political views. Because I’m pretty conflict-averse and we are all locked down due to the pandemic, I admit I don’t currently have much occasion to use the skills in this book, but it will definitely be something I will re-read and recommend to others.

I was happy to receive a copy of this in exchange for my honest review, for which I thank the American Psychological Association’s APA Life Tools and NetGalley. Four stars.

This book is so important in our world today. As the political divide grows wider and wider, Beyond Your Bubble gives tips and practices to be able to have civil conversations with those you disagree with. Ms. Isreal's teachings could be the first step to putting our world back together.

Oh my, what a useful book. You still have time to read it before Zoom Thanksgiving 2020!

This is a guidebook to developing the skill of thinking before you speak and considering how your words will be heard and received by your audience. Rather than just dismissing Uncle Biff as a fool who's been made into a raving lunatic by social media algorithms, and speaking to him accordingly, Israel helps you understand what values and feelings might have led the Biffster to that QAnon chat room in the first place. And once you understand your audience, you can speak in a way that doesn't shut them down.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for a digital ARC for the purpose of an unbiased review.

It's easier to stay within our own political bubbles. The divisions outside our bubbles seem sharper than ever. But books like this one help promote healthy discussions that can make a difference.

Tania Israel gives us both motivation and advice to carry on meaningful dialogues with those we disagree with.

“My aim is to support people who want to connect with those who have different political views and values by offering concrete skills, as well as overarching principles and strategies that will promote constructive conversation.”

Whether you enjoy talking politics or whether you hate it with a passion, Israel gives you ways to decrease the stress of how we talk to each other. And even gives us permission to NOT have the conversation if we don't want to:

“Just because you can have dialogue doesn’t mean you must in every situation. It’s an opportunity, not a mandate.”

But other times, she encourages us to stay with the dialogue. With respect.

“Dialogue isn’t about winning. It’s about understanding.”

Here is more advice from the book.

“Ask questions from a place of curiosity rather than judgment. Don’t try to lure someone into saying something inconsistent or incorrect and then leaping on them with a ‘gotcha’ – it won’t help anything, and it’s disrespectful.”

“It’s more important to simply be present than to be brilliant.“

“Vulnerability is not knowing how the other person will respond, but making space for it anyway. We need to embrace, or at least tolerate, this vulnerability if we want to understand another person more than we want to advocate for our own perspective.”

“The first rule of timing: don’t interrupt just to ask a question.”

“It’s a little bit magical how much people appreciate being heard and understood.”

“People’s tendency to believe that people on their side are motivated by love, and people on the other side are motivated by hate appears to be at the root of some of the world’s most intractable conflicts.”

“Focus on the relationship, and persuasion may follow.”

My thanks to Net Galley for the review copy of this book.

Beyond Your Bubble
Fascinating study of dialog/communication, getting to know more about other people, and getting your point across.

A point by point primer on navigating challenging conversations, specifically across political divides. The author is a psychologist and draws on professional training as well as what is clearly a deep and intentional thoughtfulness to common politically divisive issues. The structure of the book is logical, following a made-up conversation and it's branching possibilities as a structure for demonstrating how to think about having such a dialogue, inviting someone to participate, actively listening, sharing one's thoughts, dealing with strong emotions that arise during the conversation, sussing out goals (truly understanding vs changing someone else's mind), and how to end a conversation or avoid one in the first place. I really like the emphasis on listening skills and on the point of these skills - that this is NOT a way to change people's minds, even in a sneaky way. It's really about listening, understanding, and extending compassion and an agreement to disagree.

Probably the two strongest takeaways are that one thing that absolutely doesn't work is to shout (or tweet) politically divisive messages to people who disagree with you. Research shows this entrenches them further in their positions, whether liberal or conservative. Engaging in authentic dialogue with a focus on understanding, and asking people to walk through describing exactly how their thought process is working has the best chance of bringing someone to a more moderate view - but it shouldn't be done with the goal to bring them to a moderate view but of listening and understanding. I'm a bit skeptical that two people from such different points of view could hold a dialogue as shown in the book, especially if both have not read it and are actively applying the skills, but I'm interested to try out the approach to see what happens. It's unlikely to go as badly as a conversation wherein I'm trying to change someone else's mind, after all! Thanks to the publisher for a NetGalley; opinions are my own.

An excellent look at how to connect the political divide.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

"The United States is in turmoil."

"Political polarization is at an all-time high, and it is affecting us."

"Divisiveness is taking a toll on the mental health of Americans."

Very good book on improving our communication skills: how to handle constructive dialogue, listen without interrupt, reflect, and much more. Those are much needed skills as our country has become so divisive. We need to respect others' political stands and learn to communicate with those who do not share our beliefs. Learn to agree to disagree with respect toward our interlocutor(s) while understand where they are coming from, where they grew up, what community they are a part of, and much more.

Thank you Net Galley and APA for this e-galley in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the American Psychological Association for the eARC of this thoughtful and potentially very useful guide to dialogue with those we may not agree with.

As someone who has made great use of similar books to this in my career, I approached Beyond Your Bubble with a little bit of sense that I knew fairly well what to expect. The books Difficult Conversations, and Working with Emotional Intelligence have been touchstones for me in terms of productive conversations in order to achieve performance goals, and/or desired behaviors in the workplace, as well as to better understand where people in my personal life may be coming from when we have a disagreement. As both in one way or another grew out of the Harvard Negotiation Project, they share a certain features - background to what people go through when preparing for a tough interaction, sample scripts, etc. - although they go to different lengths and have different overall focuses.

Beyond Your Bubble aims to be a manual to help people get talking to each other again in the face of our seemingly-intractable political divide. Tania Israel deserves credit for facing up to the political question in a direct manner throughout this book, and yet maintains a fairly even keel in not favoring either side. In chapters that deal with preparing for dialogue, listening, managing emotions, and cultivating understanding, Israel gives us a valuable foundation of skills that some in life may come to fairly naturally, while others, like me, need real focus and attention. I believe that the chapter on listening is the longest chapter in the book, as well, which seems oh so appropriate for our time.

All in all, Beyond Your Bubble practically provides a seminar on how to approach these difficult topics, and even touches on Black Lives Matter in a late sample conversation. This is all to the good, and while there are resources listed at the back of the book on organizations that are devoted to the art of dialogue in communities and across political lines, I fear that her laudable and touching appeals to integrity and grace are many magnitudes more likely to be heeded by one side than the other.

This is one of the most helpful books I've come across when it comes to fostering meaningful dialogue with people who have very different believes or viewpoints from your own. Dr. Israel uses accessible language, filled with illuminating examples and anecdotes, examples, and actual strategies to use to foster crucial conversation on difficult topics. I want to give this to every fellow Midwesterner I know who has struggled to see eye to eye with friends and family members on hot-button issues. Dr. Israel highlights how differently conservatives and liberals see the world, pointing out the values they have, and how to approach subjects in a way that will matter to them.

Tania Israel is amazing. I will have to buy a copy when it comes out to recommend and loan out to people. Huge thank you to NetGalley and the APA for providing me with this fantastic ARC. Full review to come when it’s published.

I received an electronic ARC from American Psychological Association through NetGalley.
Practical information to enter into dialogue with those who do not agree with you. Israel presents steps to take to develop skills to talk with family, friends and others about uncomfortable topics. The exercises and examples provided let readers think through how they want to approach dialogue and avoid angry responses or withdrawal and avoidance.
This is a book readers can refer to over and over again as they develop this skill set.

Super useful for communicating with loved ones who have different political views. Overall a useful and thought-provoking read.