If you are looking for hope that you can bridge the gap and find the reasons to stay in the lives of those with whom you have strong and heartfelt disagreements, this book will give you that hope along with real, repeatable ways to approach it. I love that Beth and Sarah have included so many examples of real conversations on real topics. I don't have to go far to apply them to my own life and relationships. While the book is focused on the big things, it also reminded me that it helps to dig to the why in all the little disagreements too.

I went into this thinking I would get a recipe for how to prove my family members wrong, or finally justify to them my right-ness (talk about pride!) but walked away with a really certain understanding that resolving tension or finally convincing someone to agree with me isn't how to strengthen connections. It's fundamentally changed my motivation for having conversations with people who disagree with me. They are now learning experiences where I hope to learn about how our differences and uniqueness strengthen relationships.

So, all in all, I (again) learned so much from Sarah and Beth. I'm so grateful for their work over at Pantsuit Politics and in their first book, "I Think You're Wrong, but I'm Listening."

“I’m so proud to be an American. I love this country. And I want us to acknowledge where we’ve gone wrong. I want us to want to do better.”

I have been listening to the Pantsuit Politics podcast since around the time of the 2020 election. Before that, and especially since 2016, I have avoided most news (especially political news) in an effort to protect my mental health. Sarah and Beth have helped me stayed informed without getting me overwhelmed.

Their first book, I Think You’re Wrong But I’m Listening, was to me an extension of their podcast, focusing on how differences of political opinions were starting to divide us. Their latest book, Now What? How to Move Forward When We’re Divided (About Basically Everything) acknowledges how divided we currently are and how to make peace with that in our relationships, starting with our families of origin and continuing all the way to local governments and international communities.

Sarah and Beth don’t offer simple solutions to solve our divide. I so appreciate how they talk through the issues we face with intelligence and grace. I highly recommend this book, and their podcast, if like me you want to stay informed without the overwhelm.

I preordered a hard copy of this book and then joined the launch team, where I was given a digital copy in exchange for an honest review. Now What? is currently available for preorder and publishes on May 3rd.

Having spent well over a thousand hours since December 2016 listening to Sarah Stewart Holland and Beth Silvers process the news of the day through a lens of thoughtful reflection on their podcast, I jumped at the opportunity to read an advance copy of their book, Now What? How to Move Forward When We’re Divided (about basically everything) . It was no surprise to find that the book is imbued with those same authentic, steady voices upon which I and other devoted listeners have come to rely. Now What? Is a veritable citizen’s guide to effective engagement in all aspects of 21st century life, from our families of origin to friends, spouses, and children, to local, state, and national institutions to the global ecosystem. Rather than position themselves as all-knowing narrators with all of the answers, Sarah and Beth instead enlist their readers as companions on a journey of curiosity marked by the willingness to ask difficult questions and consider unflinchingly the complicated answers that trouble narratives that have guided us in the past as we seek to pen a more reliable story of the future for ourselves, our families, and our nation. A book I could scarcely put down and am confident I will return to again and again.

Hosts of Pantsuit Politics podcast tackle the increasingly important topic of how to be in relationship with people and engage in your community when politics has increasingly been dividing us for years.

I have been a listener of Pantsuit Politics for a long time now and everything I love about their podcast is in this book. If you’re already a fan of their podcast, you’ll know what I mean and you should read this book immediately. If you haven’t heard of Pantsuit Politics, it’s political therapy. Sarah and Beth bring the most human perspectives to politics. They’re both so smart but have huge hearts. The personal stories they tell about their relationships to their partners, family, work, and communities help you figure out your own place. They help you understand your own emotions around tough topics while giving you the tools to empathize and engage with people you disagree with. They’re also realistic about when hard boundaries need to be drawn. If nonfiction and/or politics is not your thing, it’s a very short and accessible book that I think anyone could benefit from reading.

​​ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review and participating on the launch team for the book.

I have listened to the Pantsuit Politics podcast for over 3 years now, am a member of their premium channel, and read their first book. So, when they announced NOW WHAT? HOW TO MOVE FORWARD WHEN WE’RE DIVIDED (ABOUT BASICALLY EVERYTHING), I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. Thank you @Netgalley and #revellpublishing for the advance e-ARC of this book. It will be published on May 3, 2022.

3.5 out of 5 stars - rounding down here on NetGalley,.

THOUGHTS: I wanted to love this book, and I just didn’t. I like the way they have it organized, and started with relationships closest to us, and moving out into the community. However, I felt throughout that this book was written by extremely privileged people for other privileged people. They give some good advice, but it doesn’t feel like advice that would fit with people who are not as privileged as they are. I also think there were a lot of “insider” things in the book, so if you listen to the podcast you will get it, but it probably won’t make sense to people who don’t listen.

I also don’t love their writing style, and the use of so many parentheses; I think that better writing leads to less use of having to clarify things with parentheses. I am considering listening to the audio version of this to see if it sounds better than it reads in print.

I really respect these ladies and wish I had loved their book, but I just did not. If you listen to the Pantsuit Politics podcast and love it, you will probably appreciate this book. If you don’t, I don’t recommend it.