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Let's Talk About Hard Things
From the host of the popular WNYC podcast Death, Sex, & Money, Let’s Talk About Hard Things is “like a good conversation with a friend” (The New Yorker) where “no topic is off-limits when it comes to creating meaningful connection” (Lori Gottlieb, author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone).
Anna Sale wants you to have that conversation. You know the one. The one that you’ve been avoiding or putting off, maybe for years. The one that you’ve thought “they’ll never understand” or “do I really want to bring that up?” or “it’s not going to go well, so why even try?”
Sale is the founder and host of WNYC’s popular, award-winning podcast Death, Sex, & Money or as the New York Times dubbed her “a therapist at happy hour.” She and her guests have direct and thought-provoking conversations, discussing topics that most of us are too squeamish, polite, or nervous to bring up. But Sale argues that we all experience these hard things, and by not talking to one another, we cut ourselves off, leading us to feel isolated and disconnected from people who can help us most.
In Let’s Talk About Hard Things, Sale uses the best of what she’s learned from her podcast to reveal that when we dare to talk about hard things, we learn about ourselves, others, and the world that we make together. Diving into five of the most fraught conversation topics—death, sex, money, family, and identity—she moves between memoir, fascinating snapshots of a variety of Americans opening up about their lives, and expert opinions to show why having tough conversations is important and how to do them in a thoughtful and generous way. She uncovers that listening may be the most important part of a tough conversation, that the end goal should be understanding without the pressure of reconciliation, and that there are some things that words can’t fix (and why that’s actually okay).
Run time: 8 hours 3 minutes
Anna Sale wants you to have that conversation. You know the one. The one that you’ve been avoiding or putting off, maybe for years. The one that you’ve thought “they’ll never understand” or “do I really want to bring that up?” or “it’s not going to go well, so why even try?”
Sale is the founder and host of WNYC’s popular, award-winning podcast Death, Sex, & Money or as the New York Times dubbed her “a therapist at happy hour.” She and her guests have direct and thought-provoking conversations, discussing topics that most of us are too squeamish, polite, or nervous to bring up. But Sale argues that we all experience these hard things, and by not talking to one another, we cut ourselves off, leading us to feel isolated and disconnected from people who can help us most.
In Let’s Talk About Hard Things, Sale uses the best of what she’s learned from her podcast to reveal that when we dare to talk about hard things, we learn about ourselves, others, and the world that we make together. Diving into five of the most fraught conversation topics—death, sex, money, family, and identity—she moves between memoir, fascinating snapshots of a variety of Americans opening up about their lives, and expert opinions to show why having tough conversations is important and how to do them in a thoughtful and generous way. She uncovers that listening may be the most important part of a tough conversation, that the end goal should be understanding without the pressure of reconciliation, and that there are some things that words can’t fix (and why that’s actually okay).
Run time: 8 hours 3 minutes
9 pages, Audible Audio
First published May 4, 2021
1108 people are currently reading
11286 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 439 reviews
June 18, 2021
I have to admit to giving up on this book after finishing half of it, only because I really slogged through the first half and life is too short to make yourself read a book you dislike when so many wonderful ones are out there.
I am not familiar with the author's podcast and perhaps I would have enjoyed this book more if I were. I knew going into it that I need to talk about the hard things (and read about them), but this didn't really offer me anything new or helpful at all. Most of the topics I would have liked to see in the sex section were missing, for instance. It was incredibly shallow IMO, and avoided most of the really important "hard things" I'd want to see discussed like when a partner has sexuality issues because of past sexual abuse, or how age influences sex function for men and women.
The death section was similarly unhelpful for me as someone who has been grieving loved ones quite a lot this year. And honestly, if we're going to talk about the hard things regarding death we really need to discuss that our own deaths will happen and we need to prepare for that as well (making arrangements, having a will, signing advanced directives, etc.).
This all felt like very generic advice that should be common sense to most people, without the real meat of the real hard conversations I would have liked to see.
Two stars for "it was okay" for me.
I read a digital ARC of this book via NetGalley.
I am not familiar with the author's podcast and perhaps I would have enjoyed this book more if I were. I knew going into it that I need to talk about the hard things (and read about them), but this didn't really offer me anything new or helpful at all. Most of the topics I would have liked to see in the sex section were missing, for instance. It was incredibly shallow IMO, and avoided most of the really important "hard things" I'd want to see discussed like when a partner has sexuality issues because of past sexual abuse, or how age influences sex function for men and women.
The death section was similarly unhelpful for me as someone who has been grieving loved ones quite a lot this year. And honestly, if we're going to talk about the hard things regarding death we really need to discuss that our own deaths will happen and we need to prepare for that as well (making arrangements, having a will, signing advanced directives, etc.).
This all felt like very generic advice that should be common sense to most people, without the real meat of the real hard conversations I would have liked to see.
Two stars for "it was okay" for me.
I read a digital ARC of this book via NetGalley.
April 22, 2021
I've been a fairly longterm podcast listener of Anna Sale's WYNC show Death, Sex & Money, and was keen to try out this book that is so closely related it's almost a direct spin-off, despite not often being someone who'd head to the "Health, Mind & Body" section of a bookshop.
If you've listened to the show, you'll know that Sale's style of interviewing her guests is one filled with gentle compassion and curiosity, and truly about listening to them and their experiences. While conversations frequently turn to difficult subjects, the listener is never left with the impression that the guest is being pressured to talk about something they don't want to.
This book has an almost identical tone. I could hear Sale's voice in the writing; hear this being an extended series of episodes from her show. If you're a fan of the show, I am confident that you'll be a fan of the book.
It is very easily digested writing. A non-fiction book will often take me weeks, if not months or occasionally years, to read, yet I devoured this one in just two or three sittings. The writing style flows well, and is colloquial without feeling overly familiar or casual.
Separated into five chapters — Death, Sex, Money, Family, and Identity — Sale explores difficult subjects within these broad categories via interviews, quotes from other published work, and her own life. Despite being often a memoir, at times in self-help territory, it's the experiences of the people that the author speaks to that are centred throughout.
Each chapter could really be a full-length book of its own, yet are surprisingly in-depth for their relatively short size. The Death and Family chapters were the ones that felt most profound to me, with Identity at the other end of the spectrum feeling the most like it really only touched the surface. Family was, for me, the chapter that was left with the highest number of sections highlighted to revisit later.
Some content warnings, due to the nature of the book: miscarriage, police violence, terminal illness, sex, abuse. However, all of these topics were touched upon in particularly sensitive style as things that are notably hard to talk about.
If you've listened to the show, you'll know that Sale's style of interviewing her guests is one filled with gentle compassion and curiosity, and truly about listening to them and their experiences. While conversations frequently turn to difficult subjects, the listener is never left with the impression that the guest is being pressured to talk about something they don't want to.
This book has an almost identical tone. I could hear Sale's voice in the writing; hear this being an extended series of episodes from her show. If you're a fan of the show, I am confident that you'll be a fan of the book.
It is very easily digested writing. A non-fiction book will often take me weeks, if not months or occasionally years, to read, yet I devoured this one in just two or three sittings. The writing style flows well, and is colloquial without feeling overly familiar or casual.
Separated into five chapters — Death, Sex, Money, Family, and Identity — Sale explores difficult subjects within these broad categories via interviews, quotes from other published work, and her own life. Despite being often a memoir, at times in self-help territory, it's the experiences of the people that the author speaks to that are centred throughout.
Each chapter could really be a full-length book of its own, yet are surprisingly in-depth for their relatively short size. The Death and Family chapters were the ones that felt most profound to me, with Identity at the other end of the spectrum feeling the most like it really only touched the surface. Family was, for me, the chapter that was left with the highest number of sections highlighted to revisit later.
Some content warnings, due to the nature of the book: miscarriage, police violence, terminal illness, sex, abuse. However, all of these topics were touched upon in particularly sensitive style as things that are notably hard to talk about.
June 17, 2021
Let's Talk About Hard Things was a thought-provoking and generous look at how we can learn how to better communicate about the big things with the people we care about. I really loved how Sale uses stories and interviews to illustrate the techniques she endorses for talking about hard things. There aren't any scripts in this book but there are a lot of methods that I know I'll fall back on the next time I need to have a hard conversation.
October 11, 2021
Let’s Talk About Hard Things by Anna Sale is a book about five ordinary subjects that most of us have a problem talking about with ease. They are death, sex, money, family and identity, all topics that are part of everyone’s lives, at one time or another. The author discusses openly, in a witty and interesting way, how to go about speaking up. Anna Sale, whose podcast deals with the same subject matter, is the narrator of the audiobook version of this title and she does so with kindness, experience and at times humour. I enjoyed Let’s Talk About Hard Things very much and would recommended it highly.
June 8, 2021
This was a miss for me. I love the podcast - but did not find that the concept translated well to this book. The podcast is great in part because the stories speak for themselves. That beauty was lost with the book which interspersed the stories with lots of forced “telling not showing” drawing of clunky conclusions. And the best story snippets in the book were from episodes of the podcast, which felt unfair to the reader. I also found the overarching premise very boring and underdeveloped - basically the book promises “you should talk about hard things” - but then makes clear through examples and commentary that this is true except for the many, many times when you can’t or shouldn’t or decide not to. The title could just as well have been “talk about stuff sometimes or not.” This to me encapsulates the problem with the podcast-to-book-deal genre.
June 29, 2021
I enjoy Sale's podcast Death, Sex, Money, so was eager to pick up this book about how to have the hard--but vital--conversations with the people in our lives about death, sex, money, identity, and family. This is less of a how-to guide and more of a persuasive argument to stop avoiding these complicated subjects, and how having these conversations can bring about greater self-awareness and connection. Sale intersperses her own autobiographical conversations as well as interviews and anecdotes from others about the conversations in their own lives.
May 27, 2021
Not to sound like Yogi Berra, but talking about hard things is hard. Emotions run high, vulnerabilities are exposed, and awkwardness abounds. It's impossible to make it to adulthood without having at least one "squirmy" conversation. Author Anna Sale recognizes that "it's downright terrifying to discuss the things that are most important to us with the people who are most important to us," and offers guidance on how to approach difficult conversations in a better way.
Sale hosts the long-running podcast Death, Sex, and Money, where she interviews people from all walks of life (mostly strangers, mostly not famous) about things we don't like to talk about, namely, as you may have guessed, death, sex, and money. For this book, she took what she's learned from these hundreds (thousands?) of hours of conversation, along with experiences from her own life, and through a thoughtful examination gives readers some direction on how to address these sometimes fraught and almost always awkward topics.
Although just a newbie listener, I've enjoyed Sale's podcast and correctly assumed I would like her book as well. She's a talented and empathetic interviewer and draws interesting (and helpful) stories out of people. Each of the five sections of this book--death, sex, money, identity, and family--contain plenty of these stories as well as many of her own. As someone who is fascinated by people and their life stories (i.e. nosy), their inclusion made this book an engaging, quick read.
Although I definitely expected to like this book, I was pleasantly surprised by how much advice/guidance I found useful. In fact, I started out with a copy from the library, but ended up buying a copy of my own so I could underline important phrases and make notes in the margins. Although there is a lot of great stuff in this book, here are three takeaways that stuck with me:
1. On listening well: The chief skill in any hard conversation is how you listen." Meaning not just waiting for your turn to talk, but truly listening to what the other person says. When we fail at listening, it's "not due to self-absorption or bad faith, but to our own need to say something."
2. On those heated family discussions: We need to understand that hard conversations with our families do not always result in agreement or forgiveness. Sale notes that "accepting the limitations of the people in our family is both realistic and compassionate."
3. On those tricky conversations about identity: If you are part of a dominant identity category you have certain responsibilities in these conversations. You should recognize "unsettling truths about power, unfairness, and injustice, and how these threads are a part of everything." Be prepared to come out of these conversations more unsettled than before as you acknowledge your own "blind spots and indifference" may have hurt others.
Read this book if you have a hard conversation on the horizon, if you just want to improve your communication skills, or if you simply enjoy good stories. All can be found here.
4 stars
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Sale hosts the long-running podcast Death, Sex, and Money, where she interviews people from all walks of life (mostly strangers, mostly not famous) about things we don't like to talk about, namely, as you may have guessed, death, sex, and money. For this book, she took what she's learned from these hundreds (thousands?) of hours of conversation, along with experiences from her own life, and through a thoughtful examination gives readers some direction on how to address these sometimes fraught and almost always awkward topics.
Although just a newbie listener, I've enjoyed Sale's podcast and correctly assumed I would like her book as well. She's a talented and empathetic interviewer and draws interesting (and helpful) stories out of people. Each of the five sections of this book--death, sex, money, identity, and family--contain plenty of these stories as well as many of her own. As someone who is fascinated by people and their life stories (i.e. nosy), their inclusion made this book an engaging, quick read.
Although I definitely expected to like this book, I was pleasantly surprised by how much advice/guidance I found useful. In fact, I started out with a copy from the library, but ended up buying a copy of my own so I could underline important phrases and make notes in the margins. Although there is a lot of great stuff in this book, here are three takeaways that stuck with me:
1. On listening well: The chief skill in any hard conversation is how you listen." Meaning not just waiting for your turn to talk, but truly listening to what the other person says. When we fail at listening, it's "not due to self-absorption or bad faith, but to our own need to say something."
2. On those heated family discussions: We need to understand that hard conversations with our families do not always result in agreement or forgiveness. Sale notes that "accepting the limitations of the people in our family is both realistic and compassionate."
3. On those tricky conversations about identity: If you are part of a dominant identity category you have certain responsibilities in these conversations. You should recognize "unsettling truths about power, unfairness, and injustice, and how these threads are a part of everything." Be prepared to come out of these conversations more unsettled than before as you acknowledge your own "blind spots and indifference" may have hurt others.
Read this book if you have a hard conversation on the horizon, if you just want to improve your communication skills, or if you simply enjoy good stories. All can be found here.
4 stars
Find this book and other titles within our catalog.
May 1, 2021
Author Anna Sale offers a book with challenging topics and urges readers to explore these topics without fear. Death, sex, relationships and identity are all fair game in a book of anecdotes taken from her own experiences and conversations with others. While I found the book interesting, it didn’t rise above the newspaper advice columns that offer such deceptively attractive advice to readers. LET’S TALK ABOUT HARD THINGS was softer than I expected. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.
Read
August 14, 2021I enjoy Sale's podcast Death, Sex, Money, so was eager to pick up this book about how to have the hard--but vital--conversations with the people in our lives about death, sex, money, identity, and family. This is less of a how-to guide and more of a persuasive argument to stop avoiding these complicated subjects, and how having these conversations can bring about greater self-awareness and connection. Sale intersperses her own autobiographical conversations as well as interviews and anecdotes from others about the conversations in their own lives.
*Review by Angie from Information & Reader Services*
*Review by Angie from Information & Reader Services*
April 21, 2021
This short but in-depth book covers the biggest topics we don't like to talk about: Death, Money, Family, Sex, and Identity. Each offers a diverse view of these topics and the many challenges they face, along with some helpful perspectives about how to broach these topics with loved ones. Because, after all, they are incredibly important topics to talk about.
As someone who likes to write about difficult things, I was impressed with Sale's level of understanding and clarity on all of these issues, which are easy to get bogged down in the sheer depth and variety at which these topics come. It is a great read for everyone - we all need to talk about these things!
As someone who likes to write about difficult things, I was impressed with Sale's level of understanding and clarity on all of these issues, which are easy to get bogged down in the sheer depth and variety at which these topics come. It is a great read for everyone - we all need to talk about these things!
July 16, 2021
A simple and sincere approach to life experiences that can become foundations to analyze and internalize our behavior and reactions in similar situations to those narrated and shared by the author.
It's interesting but deep down I think it lacks a bit of sustenance to be a book.
It's interesting but deep down I think it lacks a bit of sustenance to be a book.
July 14, 2023
I really appreciate that this book directly confronts the old adage about not talking about hard things. In my own personal experience, glossing over personal beliefs or uncomfortable topics has caused disconnection in relationships I thought were strong, and the advice in this book for broaching these subjects was so relevant! Especially in this day and age where people from traditionally marginalized groups are speaking out more often and those in traditionally power-wielding groups have difficulty hearing and reflecting on what’s being said, these types of conversations are of the utmost importance.
If you have found yourself in a place where you are having difficulty talking about hard things (especially in the areas of death, sex, money, family, or identity), this is a great resource to help steer those conversations in a way that maintains dignity and respect, as well as perspective-taking and empathy.
August 2, 2022
Okay I loved this. Written by the podcast host of ‘Death, Sex, and Money’ the book covers these topics as well as Family and Identity: topics that our lives revolve around but we never talk to each other about (and if we do, we don’t know how).
This felt like a hilarious and helpful chat with an experienced older sibling. I love how she weaved in helpful advice, with stories from her podcast on each of the related topics. It was so informative and found myself nodding and laughing in each section.
As a grief-y person, I found the entire Death section to be maybe the best piece of grief/death info I’ve come across.
The Money section was also 10/10 for me.
This felt like a hilarious and helpful chat with an experienced older sibling. I love how she weaved in helpful advice, with stories from her podcast on each of the related topics. It was so informative and found myself nodding and laughing in each section.
As a grief-y person, I found the entire Death section to be maybe the best piece of grief/death info I’ve come across.
The Money section was also 10/10 for me.
July 5, 2021
Anna Sale is an amazing interviewer- both intellectual and socially intelligent. I learn so much from her podcast and this book is a wonderful extension. At times, though, it does read a bit like an NPR’y advice book. And- I missed her adorable laugh.
June 12, 2021
I think I was expecting different things from the Money and Family chapters, but this was really good and insightful.
June 13, 2021
Maybe a 3.5. I really enjoyed the first half more than the second half. I'm rating it lower as there was a certain lack of flow to the book. I do think this is a good one to listen to. I'm very familiar with the podcast "Death, Sex, and Money" that this is based off of and I really like that premise-- things we think about a lot and need to talk about more. I thought the thoughts and comments on death and grief were particularly pertinent as people so often do not know what to say and/or parrot wildly unhelpful, trite phrases after a death. I'd recommend it just for that.
Read
June 7, 2021I was surprised that this would be a two star book for me, although I also gave up before the family and identity sections. I don't listen to the author's podcast but had enjoyed hearing her interviewed on other podcasts, so I thought I would like to book. I found it pretty shallow and structurally repetitive, introducing a topic, collecting anecdotes, adding experiences from the author's life, touching on everyone's experiences briefly, and then wrapping up.
April 30, 2022
I let out multiple breaths I didn’t know I was holding. What a great book.
August 26, 2021
Anna Sale is a host and podcaster for WNYC who brought elements of her podcast into book form when she revisited some of the interviews years later and wove them together to discuss some of the issues facing us as a society. The short takeaway is perhaps what sets us apart from robots (and animals) is human emotion since those form such a part of every conversation. We'd make much more rational decisions without them. Sale is a divorced, white woman from West Virginia living in California via Wyoming and NYC. Many different pieces shaped her story, and she was cognizant in making her subjects well-rounded too: they weren't just an elderly neighbor facing her mortality, or a native guide hosting a tipi at Powwow, but rather real people with a thick, vibrant fabric. This would have been a shorter read with more time.
February 26, 2021
"When we have the courage to talk about hard things, we learn about ourselves, others and the world that we make together".
I recently finished reading "Let's Talk About Hard Things" by Anna Sale. I was unfamiliar with her podcast before beginning the book but was pulled in by the title and topics covered - the hard conversations in life - death, sex, money, family, and identity - and why we should have those conversations, despite, and because of, their difficulty.
In the first chapters, the book really felt like a warm invitation to have hard conversations, why they are important, and how to have them. And I really enjoyed the author's perspective on how to achieve this - particularly, that the end goal of difficult discussions shouldn't be absolute agreement or a reconciliation, but understanding. My favorite parts of the book included tips for how best to facilitate these difficult discussions. Anna has had many typically uncomfy conversations as part of her podcast and her real world tips and notes were very enlightening, such as how making sure to explain why you're asking a hard question of someone can change the tone of the conversation for the better.
However, those tips became fewer as the book continued on which was disappointing. "Let's Talk About Hard Things" walks a line between being very focused on current events, like COVID or Black Lives Matter, and also more generally relatable - we all die, have relatives we disagree with, etc. Frequently that mash-up just did not work for me. All of the conversations explored in the book are important, and it felt like some sections were underdeveloped for how the reader could themselves tackle the hard conversations covered, particularly when that is such an important goal.
There was so much to learn from the topics included in this book, but I do wish that there had been more conversation suggestions, stumbling blocks to avoid, etc from someone who professionally discusses these difficult topics.
I recently finished reading "Let's Talk About Hard Things" by Anna Sale. I was unfamiliar with her podcast before beginning the book but was pulled in by the title and topics covered - the hard conversations in life - death, sex, money, family, and identity - and why we should have those conversations, despite, and because of, their difficulty.
In the first chapters, the book really felt like a warm invitation to have hard conversations, why they are important, and how to have them. And I really enjoyed the author's perspective on how to achieve this - particularly, that the end goal of difficult discussions shouldn't be absolute agreement or a reconciliation, but understanding. My favorite parts of the book included tips for how best to facilitate these difficult discussions. Anna has had many typically uncomfy conversations as part of her podcast and her real world tips and notes were very enlightening, such as how making sure to explain why you're asking a hard question of someone can change the tone of the conversation for the better.
However, those tips became fewer as the book continued on which was disappointing. "Let's Talk About Hard Things" walks a line between being very focused on current events, like COVID or Black Lives Matter, and also more generally relatable - we all die, have relatives we disagree with, etc. Frequently that mash-up just did not work for me. All of the conversations explored in the book are important, and it felt like some sections were underdeveloped for how the reader could themselves tackle the hard conversations covered, particularly when that is such an important goal.
There was so much to learn from the topics included in this book, but I do wish that there had been more conversation suggestions, stumbling blocks to avoid, etc from someone who professionally discusses these difficult topics.
February 20, 2021
I've been an avid listener to Anna Sale's podcast, "Death, Sex, and Money," so requesting this ARC to review was a no-brainer for me. I spend a lot of my life at work and outside it with people who are facing difficult or weighty things-- death, relationship pain, chronic illness, homelessness, disability, and other sources of pain and frustration. I've watched how often, people's discomfort with talking about the hard thing keeps them from seeking or resting in the human connections that could give them strength and courage.
Listeners to her podcast know that Anna Sale knows how to ask the hard questions while staying present to the humanity of the people sharing their messy emotional and meaningful stories. In this book, she writes clearly and openly about why and how she can do that. Even better, she gives frank and practical advice: specific things to say when someone is dying, or ways to talk with your friends about your personal history with money.
This book is a gift to everyone who has faced the discomfort of not knowing what to say, but feeling like *something* needed saying. Sale is a gifted storyteller and a gently provocative writer. "I can talk about these things," she says, "and you can, too."
Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Listeners to her podcast know that Anna Sale knows how to ask the hard questions while staying present to the humanity of the people sharing their messy emotional and meaningful stories. In this book, she writes clearly and openly about why and how she can do that. Even better, she gives frank and practical advice: specific things to say when someone is dying, or ways to talk with your friends about your personal history with money.
This book is a gift to everyone who has faced the discomfort of not knowing what to say, but feeling like *something* needed saying. Sale is a gifted storyteller and a gently provocative writer. "I can talk about these things," she says, "and you can, too."
Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
May 21, 2021
The book "Let's Talk About Hard Things" is a memoir that focuses on what happened in the author's life when she hit thirty, and her first marriage was surprisingly ending. She had to figure out how to rebuild her emotional scaffolding and decide the next phase of her life. This book points out that when we dare to talk about hard things that happen to us in our lives, we learn more about ourselves. This book dives into five difficult topics like death, sex, money, family, and identity.
I liked how the author started by discussing her divorce, her unexpected singleness at thirty, and how her life took a different path than she expected. Not only did she track her evolution as a person to help her understand what happened to end her relationship, but she also interviewed people on the topics to find out what wisdom they had to share from their own experiences. I loved how her personal story was interspersed with other people opening up about their struggles and snippets from experts that shared why we need to have tough conversations and learn from each other.
To listen to my interview with the author, go to my podcast at:
https://zibbyowens.com/transcript/ann...
I liked how the author started by discussing her divorce, her unexpected singleness at thirty, and how her life took a different path than she expected. Not only did she track her evolution as a person to help her understand what happened to end her relationship, but she also interviewed people on the topics to find out what wisdom they had to share from their own experiences. I loved how her personal story was interspersed with other people opening up about their struggles and snippets from experts that shared why we need to have tough conversations and learn from each other.
To listen to my interview with the author, go to my podcast at:
https://zibbyowens.com/transcript/ann...
August 26, 2021
Let's Talk About Hard Things was hard to get through, not because of the subject matter, but because it felt flat and is forgettable. I didn't learn or gain much from this book and found it boring.
In the book, the author shares stories and interviews. The book goes through stories of people who lived through and learned how to talk about the challenges and pitfalls of subjects from the experience of death, sex, money, family, and identity. I didn't find the book inspiring, nor did I find it provided insight or guidance on having these types of discussions. It didn't sit with me.
In the book, the author shares stories and interviews. The book goes through stories of people who lived through and learned how to talk about the challenges and pitfalls of subjects from the experience of death, sex, money, family, and identity. I didn't find the book inspiring, nor did I find it provided insight or guidance on having these types of discussions. It didn't sit with me.
May 30, 2021
This is a good read. The author doesn’t give you a script, more a reasoned and compassionate approach to hard conversations. Death, sex and money are certainly difficult conversations, but her approach to having these, takes into account perspective, position, and what is wanted/needed out of the conversation. But it was from her chapter on identity that I think I got the most out of. These are tricky conversations, but her thoughtfulness would help guide you through them.
June 28, 2021
I liked this pretty well, though it’s a bit uneven in quality. I’m not sure the nuanced podcast concept of Death, Sex & Money quite translates to book format, especially when so much is gained from hearing the stories themselves. Even so, I think the “death” section is the strongest and has some gems.
June 30, 2022
Thank you to LibroFM and Simon & Schuster Audio for an audio copy of Anna Sale’s Let’s Talk About Hard Things.
Let’s Talk About Hard Things is an extension of Sale’s popular podcast, Death, Sex, and Money. I’m a huge fan of her podcast and was very excited for this memoir. Sale breaks Let’s Talk About Hard Things into sections: death, sex, money, family and identity. Similar to her podcast, Sale weaves stories from her personal life with interviews and statistics to explore each topic.
The magic of Sale is how she manages to make difficult topics accessible. She reminds her audience that these are unavoidable topics and topics that are made easier when we realize that they affect us all. While it may be difficult to have financial or end of life conversations with our loved ones, Sale opens the door to the way in which we may broach these subjects and gives us examples of other people having these brave discussions. It gives us courage to take the same actions in our own lives and also makes us feel less alone.
Let’s Talk About Hard Things and Death, Sex, and Money are both excellent tools that can help anyone at any stage in life. Last year, I discovered a wonderful TedTalk by author Donna Jo Napoli, where she explains that stories prepare people for events that may occur in their lives and that through experiencing stories, we can imagine scenarios that perhaps could happen to us. I think this is the power of Sale’s work. You might not have had an illness or been a caretaker, yet by reading these sections, you can think about how a similar scenario could impact you in the future, in turn preparing you. You might not identify as LGBTQ, yet reading these sections of Sale’s book and hearing the stories of others, opens the door for listening and empathizing.
I highly recommend Let’s Talk About Hard Things. It’s filled with encouraging true stories on vital topics. The audio book, narrated by Sale, is fantastic, but I also plan to purchase hardcover versions to give as gifts. I can’t imagine a person who wouldn’t benefit from this book.
Let’s Talk About Hard Things is an extension of Sale’s popular podcast, Death, Sex, and Money. I’m a huge fan of her podcast and was very excited for this memoir. Sale breaks Let’s Talk About Hard Things into sections: death, sex, money, family and identity. Similar to her podcast, Sale weaves stories from her personal life with interviews and statistics to explore each topic.
The magic of Sale is how she manages to make difficult topics accessible. She reminds her audience that these are unavoidable topics and topics that are made easier when we realize that they affect us all. While it may be difficult to have financial or end of life conversations with our loved ones, Sale opens the door to the way in which we may broach these subjects and gives us examples of other people having these brave discussions. It gives us courage to take the same actions in our own lives and also makes us feel less alone.
Let’s Talk About Hard Things and Death, Sex, and Money are both excellent tools that can help anyone at any stage in life. Last year, I discovered a wonderful TedTalk by author Donna Jo Napoli, where she explains that stories prepare people for events that may occur in their lives and that through experiencing stories, we can imagine scenarios that perhaps could happen to us. I think this is the power of Sale’s work. You might not have had an illness or been a caretaker, yet by reading these sections, you can think about how a similar scenario could impact you in the future, in turn preparing you. You might not identify as LGBTQ, yet reading these sections of Sale’s book and hearing the stories of others, opens the door for listening and empathizing.
I highly recommend Let’s Talk About Hard Things. It’s filled with encouraging true stories on vital topics. The audio book, narrated by Sale, is fantastic, but I also plan to purchase hardcover versions to give as gifts. I can’t imagine a person who wouldn’t benefit from this book.
September 7, 2022
I would never have picked this up if it wasn't for my book club, and that honestly would have been for the better. The title was giving me major self help vibes, which I personally consider a waste of time and paper it is printed on. I'm not sure if this particular work can be considered a self help book bearing in mind that it predominantly relies on anecdotal experiences and lacks any practical advise, but then again I'm not an expert when it comes to this genre.
My low rating is based on the fact that the book largely abandons the idea of exploring the topics it promises to scrutinize in a nuanced way and instead explores them almost entirely through the lens of someone with a far left political worldview. And I wouldn't even mind that if it was done in an imaginative and insightful way, but the author just failed to deliver.
My low rating is based on the fact that the book largely abandons the idea of exploring the topics it promises to scrutinize in a nuanced way and instead explores them almost entirely through the lens of someone with a far left political worldview. And I wouldn't even mind that if it was done in an imaginative and insightful way, but the author just failed to deliver.
October 11, 2024
“But [hard conversations] do not fix hard things. You can give up that sense of pressure, because that’s not the goal. Rather, the goal is to try. When you start the conversation, you are taking responsibility to create more clarity than there was before.”
I’ll admit now that I was kind of hesitant to read this for a while bc I was worried it would be a heavy one to get through. And that was silly, bc while heavy topics are obviously discussed, the entire raison d’être for this is to show how people’s lives have been improved by at least talking about the hard things. It is ultimately a hopeful book and I’d recommend it to all
I’ll admit now that I was kind of hesitant to read this for a while bc I was worried it would be a heavy one to get through. And that was silly, bc while heavy topics are obviously discussed, the entire raison d’être for this is to show how people’s lives have been improved by at least talking about the hard things. It is ultimately a hopeful book and I’d recommend it to all
December 9, 2021
I love Sale's podcast "Death, Sex, and Money," and this book did not disappoint!
This book is all about tough topics and conversations. Three areas/takeaways in particular stand out: how Sale challenges readers to find peace with uncertainty, knowing when to walk away from unhelpful or futile conversations, and encouraging readers to embrace life experiences to find happiness instead of racing to a non-existent end goal in a futile attempt to find happiness. An insightful read!
This book is all about tough topics and conversations. Three areas/takeaways in particular stand out: how Sale challenges readers to find peace with uncertainty, knowing when to walk away from unhelpful or futile conversations, and encouraging readers to embrace life experiences to find happiness instead of racing to a non-existent end goal in a futile attempt to find happiness. An insightful read!
June 20, 2022
I loved this book! Probably at least a bit influenced by my work as a therapist but I think it's a validating resource nonetheless. Great examples of how to discuss challenging things Ina variety of contexts.
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