The Art of Fighting

The author of The Art of Gathering, Priya Parker, argues that healthy conflict is the element many people are missing when they try to build long-lasting communities, successful teams and lively friend groups. Parker disputes the notion that conflict is unusual or that healthy groups avoid fighting, holding instead that good groups flourish because their members disagree. Drawing on her work as a conflict facilitator, her own research and real-world examples, she lays out how to recognize disputes, how to handle them, and what to do when they cannot be resolved, whether the disagreement happens in a boardroom, a locker room, a church or online. It became an instant New York Times bestseller.

Adam Grant chose it for The 12 New Books to Spice Up Your Fall, calling it an openhearted guide to arguing better and building closer bonds.