Pushing back against a widespread view that in this era of political polarization, it’s futile to try to change anyone’s opinion because so many Americans have their minds made up, Anand Giridharadas focuses on a number of people on the left—activists, organizers, politicians, educators, and others—who still believe in the idea of persuasion. He explores their efforts to build political support, whether it’s going door to door in Arizona to change minds on immigration or conducting race training in Ohio to get people to rethink their identities and choices. The Persuaders offers hope and potential pathways for bridging our country’s deep divides. “While the world seems to counsel despair,” wrote a New York Times reviewer, “The Persuaders is animated by a sense of possibility.”
