One publisher is hoping people will read between the party lines once it distributes books aimed at bridging the political divide.
Simon & Schuster will give away access to two books, Amanda Ripley’s High Conflict: Why We Get Trapped and How We Get Out and Anna Sale’s Let’s Talk About Hard Things: The Life-Changing Conversations That Connect Us, in audio and digital formats that could help “create meaningful connections,” the company announced Monday.
“We feel so strongly about what these books can do for all of us as individuals and as citizens that we want to make them freely available to all Americans for one month as e-books and audiobooks,” Jonathan Karp, the company’s CEO, said.
UKRAINE BANS RUSSIAN BOOKS AND MUSIC
Karp said it was the first time the company made books free outside of charitable efforts, as far as he knew. Both authors, whose books were published last year, also agreed not to receive any royalties for the copies downloaded.
“Publishers see that the books addressing the ideological extremes often sell the best, even though polling indicates that a majority of Americans are somewhere in the middle,” Karp told the Wall Street Journal. “What’s needed are more books that show us how to find common ground.”
“I believe this effort aims to strengthen our civic life at a time when that’s desperately needed,” Sale told the outlet.
Let’s Talk About Hard Things discusses ways to talk about identity, money, and death while also listening to opposing views. Ripley’s book advises how to leave behind conflicts that once shaped people’s identities.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
People in the United States have been divided over a host of political topics, particularly in the wake of Supreme Court rulings on abortion, gun access, and prayer on school campuses.
The digital and audiobooks will be free through the end of July, Karp said.
