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The Art of Fighting: The Transformative Power of Conflict
Not yet published
Expected 8 Sep 26A paradigm-shattering exploration of how we fight and how we build healthy conflict, from the author of
The Art of Gathering
We say we want community. Successful teams. High-performing colleagues and workplaces. Dynamic friend groups. Yet many of us don’t understand the crucial element we need to forge long-lasting communities in our lives: healthy conflict.
In The Art of Fighting, Priya Parker explains that we can’t form and grow effective relationships without a fight. She rejects the idea that conflict is abnormal or that good groups don’t fight. All groups change and evolve; indeed, it’s because people disagree that good groups flourish.
As she did in the now-classic The Art of Gathering, Parker draws on her far-reaching experience as a conflict facilitator, her own detailed research, and real-world examples to lay out the ways that people can identify disputes, determine how to address them, and what to do if they are insurmountable. Whether people disagree in the boardroom or the locker room, on a playground or in church, online or in person, conflict is a part of life, and understanding healthy conflict and how to harness its power is more important than ever. The Art of Fighting is a vital primer to help all of us understand how to do that.
We say we want community. Successful teams. High-performing colleagues and workplaces. Dynamic friend groups. Yet many of us don’t understand the crucial element we need to forge long-lasting communities in our lives: healthy conflict.
In The Art of Fighting, Priya Parker explains that we can’t form and grow effective relationships without a fight. She rejects the idea that conflict is abnormal or that good groups don’t fight. All groups change and evolve; indeed, it’s because people disagree that good groups flourish.
As she did in the now-classic The Art of Gathering, Parker draws on her far-reaching experience as a conflict facilitator, her own detailed research, and real-world examples to lay out the ways that people can identify disputes, determine how to address them, and what to do if they are insurmountable. Whether people disagree in the boardroom or the locker room, on a playground or in church, online or in person, conflict is a part of life, and understanding healthy conflict and how to harness its power is more important than ever. The Art of Fighting is a vital primer to help all of us understand how to do that.
320 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication September 8, 2026
About the author
Priya Parker
5 books453 followersPriya Parker is a facilitator and strategic advisor.
She is the founder of Thrive Labs, at which she helps activists, elected officials, corporate executives, educators, and philanthropists create transformative gatherings. She works with teams and leaders across technology, business, the arts, fashion, and politics to clarify their vision for the future and build meaningful, purpose-driven communities. Her clients have included the Museum of Modern Art, LVMH, the World Economic Forum, meetup.com, Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, the Union for Concerned Scientists, and Civitas Public Affairs.
Trained in the field of conflict resolution, Parker has worked on race relations on American college campuses and on peace processes in the Arab world, southern Africa, and India. She is a founding member of the Sustained Dialogue Campus Network. She has been appointed a member of the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on Values Council and the New Models of Leadership Council. She is also a senior expert at Mobius Executive Leadership.
Priya is the author of The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters (Riverhead Books, 2018). She is passionate about helping people create gatherings in their work and life that are transformative and meaningful for the people in them. She is also the co-creator of the 15 Toasts dinner series format and I Am Here Days. Her TEDx talk on purpose has been viewed more than 1 million times.
Priya studied organizational design at M.I.T., public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, and political and social thought at the University of Virginia. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.
She is the founder of Thrive Labs, at which she helps activists, elected officials, corporate executives, educators, and philanthropists create transformative gatherings. She works with teams and leaders across technology, business, the arts, fashion, and politics to clarify their vision for the future and build meaningful, purpose-driven communities. Her clients have included the Museum of Modern Art, LVMH, the World Economic Forum, meetup.com, Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, the Union for Concerned Scientists, and Civitas Public Affairs.
Trained in the field of conflict resolution, Parker has worked on race relations on American college campuses and on peace processes in the Arab world, southern Africa, and India. She is a founding member of the Sustained Dialogue Campus Network. She has been appointed a member of the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on Values Council and the New Models of Leadership Council. She is also a senior expert at Mobius Executive Leadership.
Priya is the author of The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters (Riverhead Books, 2018). She is passionate about helping people create gatherings in their work and life that are transformative and meaningful for the people in them. She is also the co-creator of the 15 Toasts dinner series format and I Am Here Days. Her TEDx talk on purpose has been viewed more than 1 million times.
Priya studied organizational design at M.I.T., public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, and political and social thought at the University of Virginia. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
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April 9, 2026The Art of Fighting by Priya Parker is an upcoming exploration of how conflict, when approached intentionally, can lead to deeper understanding and stronger relationships. Known for her work on meaningful gatherings, Parker is expected to bring a thoughtful and structured perspective to navigating disagreements in both personal and professional settings. While details are still limited, the book promises to reframe conflict as a tool for connection rather than division, offering practical insights on how to engage in more productive and purposeful conversations. Even ahead of its release, The Art of Fighting stands out as a highly anticipated guide for anyone looking to handle conflict with clarity, intention, and impact.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
[Out 9/8/26] 4.25// This was one of my most anticipated reads for the Fall, so I was so excited when I received an e-galley. After coming off of her mega-popular book THE ART OF GATHERING, Priya Parker brings her expertise as a conflict-resolution facilitator in her newest book. She starts off by saying, "I became a conflict facilitator not because I am fearless, but because I hate conflict" - what an opening line! From here, Parker makes a case that our society's inability to hold conflict and engage in it in a healthy way is a driver for the loneliness and isolation we face. In 3 parts - "TEAR," "GRAPPLE," and "CLEAVE" - she walks the reader through best practices in managing group conflicts and disputes. In order for a successful and productive group conflict, what we do before the fight matters. While engaged in the conflict, we need to have a high level of emotional intelligence (or as she says, "group intelligence") and the willingness to explore what is the capital N "Need" of the group. Parker teaches us how to hold space and hold heat; ask the questions and provide the most helpful formats. Finally, she guides us in how to navigate the emotions after a fight, whether that means breaking up or building back better.
It is clear how smart and experienced Parker is. She draws from experience working with a variety of groups, from companies to nonprofits to friend groups to restaurants. That being said, there is a lot of information to process. This book is really a workbook, and really requires the reader to work. It took me two weeks of reading this book slowly so that I could process the amount of information. I think it's probably more information than the average reader needs, especially the "interludes" which cap off each chapter, yet they're really more of a continuation of the chapter. What I was really missing was a summary at the end of each chapter and/or appendices in the back. That could help make the book easier to reference when conflict arises.
I could see this being a great resource for someone who manages conflict on a daily basis, such as HR. For the everyday reader, it's probably more than what I needed, but I'll still be considering many frameworks she presented, such as the Magnitude of Conflict grid.
Thanks to Riverhead Books and NetGalley for the ARC.
It is clear how smart and experienced Parker is. She draws from experience working with a variety of groups, from companies to nonprofits to friend groups to restaurants. That being said, there is a lot of information to process. This book is really a workbook, and really requires the reader to work. It took me two weeks of reading this book slowly so that I could process the amount of information. I think it's probably more information than the average reader needs, especially the "interludes" which cap off each chapter, yet they're really more of a continuation of the chapter. What I was really missing was a summary at the end of each chapter and/or appendices in the back. That could help make the book easier to reference when conflict arises.
I could see this being a great resource for someone who manages conflict on a daily basis, such as HR. For the everyday reader, it's probably more than what I needed, but I'll still be considering many frameworks she presented, such as the Magnitude of Conflict grid.
Thanks to Riverhead Books and NetGalley for the ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
Disclosure: I received a copy of THE ART OF FIGHTING: THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWER OF CONFLICT by Priya Parker in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Riverhead Books—an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, author Priya Parker, Goodreads giveaways, and everyone involved in the opportunity to review this book. Shout out to Helen Yentus of Riverhead Books for her gorgeous book cover design.
Excerpts from my personal journal:
“When management decided to place colleagues on 6-month static high conflict work teams, chaos followed. They called us to a retreat with a facilitator who gave us an easel-sized flip chart pad and markers and tasked us to use unrestrained honesty to draw a ship representing our office…apparently it was a rhetorical question not to be answered.”
“Our work team vessel was deeply ridiculed—a pirate ship depicting colleagues collapsing from exhaustion swabbing the decks, people stepping over bodies, refusing to work and getting promoted, others voluntarily jumping ship. Our ship became the talk of the session, and was apparently super problematic as it noted colleagues were forced to walk the plank while some were pushed overboard.”
“Our radical honesty was met with management hostility and accusations of dishonesty. How dare we make a mockery of the conflict resolution exercise? (Read: How dare we deign to tell the truth?)”
“The result? We learned there was no safe space, telling the truth came with consequences, and management’s apparent motivation was to label truth-tellers as ‘troublemakers’ and to push them out the organization. Solving disputes was not their end goal. Getting rid of and/or silencing perceived troublemakers was…and when all was said and done fewer people offered any hot takes when asked…at meetings colleagues universally refused to speak up out of fear of retribution.”
The Art of Fighting is an essential tool across life’s spectrum of messiness— from professionals navigating toxic workplaces to parents investigating why their kiddos had a bad day at soccer camp.
Excerpts from my personal journal:
“When management decided to place colleagues on 6-month static high conflict work teams, chaos followed. They called us to a retreat with a facilitator who gave us an easel-sized flip chart pad and markers and tasked us to use unrestrained honesty to draw a ship representing our office…apparently it was a rhetorical question not to be answered.”
“Our work team vessel was deeply ridiculed—a pirate ship depicting colleagues collapsing from exhaustion swabbing the decks, people stepping over bodies, refusing to work and getting promoted, others voluntarily jumping ship. Our ship became the talk of the session, and was apparently super problematic as it noted colleagues were forced to walk the plank while some were pushed overboard.”
“Our radical honesty was met with management hostility and accusations of dishonesty. How dare we make a mockery of the conflict resolution exercise? (Read: How dare we deign to tell the truth?)”
“The result? We learned there was no safe space, telling the truth came with consequences, and management’s apparent motivation was to label truth-tellers as ‘troublemakers’ and to push them out the organization. Solving disputes was not their end goal. Getting rid of and/or silencing perceived troublemakers was…and when all was said and done fewer people offered any hot takes when asked…at meetings colleagues universally refused to speak up out of fear of retribution.”
The Art of Fighting is an essential tool across life’s spectrum of messiness— from professionals navigating toxic workplaces to parents investigating why their kiddos had a bad day at soccer camp.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I had the opportunity to see Priya Parker at a conference in 2019. From there, I've so appreciated her perspective of gatherings of all types. I was excited to see this focus on conflict. The biggest compliment I can give this book is it's one I see myself revisiting again and again. It's one I cannot wait to discuss with others and put into educational experiences. This does such a great job of making conflict less scary and more a tool to make organizations and relationships better. It explains that a conflict isn't just one moment, but rather it's a process to go through. There were so many passages I highlighted as it reframed this dynamic in such a helpful and accessible way. Throughout, there are questions and tools to use making this a truly actionable book. This is just a gem all-around. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the look at this September 2026 release!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This is going to change some lives! I'm an unabashed Priya Parker acolyte and loved her first book on gathering, using her insights frequently for hosting gatherings and facilitating groups. This is just as useable, approachable, transformative with clear teachings and concrete skills to help us engage in disagreements in groups of all varieties. Lots of people are calling for us to disagree better; Priya has actually put together a guide to build the toolbox and mindset to actually do it. Looking forward to seeing how this moves the needle in organizations around the world.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of The Art of Fighting. I came in a big fan of Priya Parker, but this one lacked the crispness and focus of her previous work. It didn’t draw me in, and it didn’t leave me with the kind of sharp takeaways her other books did. One nugget did stick with me: that gossip can actually serve a purpose in the art of fighting. That alone made it worth the read, but overall this one could use some sharpening.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews