Civil unity The radical path to transform our discourse, our lives, and our world

Go Together Globalfounder and CEO Richards offers a manifesto for improving the quality of life and work in a stressful world. "I have been broken by this world, and maybe you have too," writes the author. "There are times in my most private moments where I am haunted by the cruelty I have experienced and equally overwhelmed by the harshness and brutality of the world around me." However, he's also received healing warmth and kindness from strangers, he says, and in these pages, he defines this kind of civility and lay out possibilities for its growth and spread in a society that seems hostile to such ideas. He advocates keeping what he calls a "Civil Unity Journal" for the benefits of regular reflection; he also strongly suggests that readers delete social media from their lives, and, for the uninitiated, he explains such concepts as emotional regulation or personal triggers. Along the way, he also offers a good deal of advice about dealing with stress-inducing people. He effectively explains common fallacies, such as the omnipresent affinity bias, which arises from the fact that large percentages of Americans never deal with people of "different races, sexual orientations, ethnicities, or religions," and he warns of the risks of fabricated stories: "Just because a piece of content aligns with your political and social views doesn't mean that it's true." Throughout, Richards' strong, encouraging voice presents pragmatic, upbeat tips for fighting against forces that make civility more difficult. He even offers an optimistic guiding philosophy for helping radicalized people to feel valued, so that they don't join extremist groups to find companionship. Whether readers are dealing with disconnect on a personal or societal level, they'll find a good deal of humanistic advice here. A warmly compassionate call for better listening and more discussion about things that matter. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.