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The cover of The Persuaders

The Persuaders

Anand Giridharadas, 2022

A journalist follows activists, organizers and a congresswoman who try to change minds rather than write people off, from the Women's March to deep canvassing at voters' doors.

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8 parts, about 25 minutes to read.

Why read it

  • Argues that movements seeking deep change must win people over rather than write them off, and shows what that costs
  • Offers working tools such as calling in, deep canvassing, message order and inoculation against lies
  • Built from close reporting on organizers, canvassers, messaging experts and a former cult member who disagree about how hard to push

Who it is for

  • Activists and organizers tired of preaching to the converted
  • Campaign staff and communicators writing political messages
  • People trying to reach relatives lost to misinformation

What the summary covers

  1. The War on Persuasion2 min
  2. The Waking Among the Woke5 min
  3. Can Love Change a Mind?3 min
  4. A Movement That Grows2 min
  5. The Inside Outside Game5 min
  6. The Art of Messaging3 min
  7. The Vaccine Against Lies2 min
  8. Meaning Making at the Door3 min

Recommended by

  • Robert B. ReichBest selling author of The System
    Anand Giridharadas shows the way we get real progressive change in America
  • BrenĂ© BrownHost of Unlocking Us
  • Clint SmithAuthor of How the Word Is Passed
    At the heart of The Persuaders is an immense spirit of generosity.
  • Clint SmithAuthor of How the Word Is Passed
    At the heart of The Persuaders is an immense spirit of generosity.

About the author

  • Anand GiridharadasWriter and political commentator, former New York Times columnist
    • Born in Shaker Heights, Ohio
    • Studied politics and history at the University of Michigan
    • Moved to Mumbai in 2003 as a McKinsey consultant
    • Became a journalist in 2005, covering India for the International Herald Tribune and The New York Times
    • Started the Currents column in 2009
    • Started the newsletter The.Ink in June 2020
    • Books: India Calling (2011), The True American (2014), Winners Take All (2018), The Persuaders (2022)
    • Honors include the Radcliffe Institute Fellowship, the Porchlight Business Book of the Year Award, Harvard's Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award for Humanism in Culture and the New York Public Library's Helen Bernstein Book Award for Excellence in Journalism

Read it alongside

  • Goes deeperStrangers in Their Own Land

    Giridharadas shows why persuaders listen to life stories. Hochschild explains how some Louisiana Tea Party supporters turn stalled advancement and threatened status into a sense of betrayal by government.

  • Goes deeperThe Constitution of Knowledge

    Giridharadas presents public resilience; Rauch explains how falsehood floods can create epistemic helplessness.

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