I first learned about Dylan Marron from a TED Talk. As with just about anything that captured my interest, I went to learn more and checked if there was a book. Happily, there is!

As a communications professional, I pay a fair amount of attention to how we interact with one another, the various ways we seek to connect, and both the good and bad results. In an increasingly divided world, it is clear that so many of us are shouting into the void, wanting to be heard. The scary part is how we seem to have unintentionally built and subscribed ourselves to shouting into an echo chamber instead. We grow enamored of our own voices and opinions, and we swell with pride when others agree with us. Dylan Marron, too, writes about his experience with this same thig–and he found his way out.

Most of us have received comments or messages or words of hot rebuke and rebuttal on the internet. Some, like the author, have gotten messages teeming with anger, vitriol, or threats. Asking himself what to do about such comments, Dylan came to a shockingly obvious solution: talk to the person. His experiences are deeply human and relatable. I go so far as to suggest the lessons he shares are universally applicable and beneficial. For that reason alone, CONVERSATIONS WITH PEOPLE WHO HATE ME feels like must-read material.

Yet the biggest thing I am taking away from this tremendous memoir is what Dylan ends with: the concept of conversation as a bridge—a bold yet ordinary act that can ultimately repair, connect, and empower us all.