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A More Just Future: Psychological Tools for Reckoning with Our Past and Driving Social Change
A revolutionary, evidence-based guide for developing resilience and grit to confront our whitewashed history and build a better future—in the vein of Think Again and Do Better.
The racial fault lines of our country have been revealed in stark detail as our national news cycle is flooded with stories about the past. If you are just now learning about the massacre in Tulsa, the killing of Native American children in compulsory “residential schools” designed to destroy their culture, and the incarceration of Japanese Americans, you are not alone. The seeds of today’s inequalities were sown in past events like these. The time to unlearn the whitewashed history we believed was true is now.
If we close our eyes to our history, we cannot make the systemic changes needed to mend our country. Today’s challenges began centuries ago and have deepened and widened over time. To take the path to a more just future, we must not ignore the damage but see it through others’ eyes, bear witness to it, and uncover its origins. As historians share these truths, we will need psychologists to help us navigate the shame, guilt, disbelief, and resistance many of us feel.
Dolly Chugh, award-winning professor of social psychology and author of the acclaimed The Person You Mean to Be , gives us the psychological tools we need to grapple with the truth of our country. Through heartrending personal histories and practical advice, Chugh invites us to dismantle the systems built by our forbearers and work toward a more just future.
The racial fault lines of our country have been revealed in stark detail as our national news cycle is flooded with stories about the past. If you are just now learning about the massacre in Tulsa, the killing of Native American children in compulsory “residential schools” designed to destroy their culture, and the incarceration of Japanese Americans, you are not alone. The seeds of today’s inequalities were sown in past events like these. The time to unlearn the whitewashed history we believed was true is now.
If we close our eyes to our history, we cannot make the systemic changes needed to mend our country. Today’s challenges began centuries ago and have deepened and widened over time. To take the path to a more just future, we must not ignore the damage but see it through others’ eyes, bear witness to it, and uncover its origins. As historians share these truths, we will need psychologists to help us navigate the shame, guilt, disbelief, and resistance many of us feel.
Dolly Chugh, award-winning professor of social psychology and author of the acclaimed The Person You Mean to Be , gives us the psychological tools we need to grapple with the truth of our country. Through heartrending personal histories and practical advice, Chugh invites us to dismantle the systems built by our forbearers and work toward a more just future.
224 pages, Hardcover
Published October 18, 2022
About the author
Dolly Chugh
3 books247 followersDolly Chugh (she/her, hear my name) is a social psychologist and management professor at the New York University Stern School of Business where she teaches MBA courses in leadership and management. Because of Dolly’s teaching skills, she was one of six professors chosen from thousands at New York University to receive the Distinguished Teaching Award in 2020 and one of five to receive the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Faculty Award in 2013.
Dolly’s research focuses on “bounded ethicality,” which she describes as the “psychology of good people.” Her work has been published in the leading psychology, economics, and management journals, and cited by many books and authors. She has been named an SPSP Fellow, received the Academy of Management Journal Best Paper award, been named one of the top 100 Most Influential People in Business Ethics by Ethisphere Magazine, and received many other research honors.
Dolly is best known for her two books The Person You Mean to Be: How Good People Fight Bias (HarperCollins, 2018) and A More Just Future: Psychological Tools for Reckoning with our Past and Driving Social Change (Simon & Schuster, 2022).
Her work has received rave praise from Adam Grant, Angela Lee Duckworth, Liz Wiseman, Billie Jean King, Kenji Yoshino, and many others. It has been covered on the TODAY Show, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Atlantic, the 10% Happier Podcast, the goop Podcast, NPR, Dr. Phil, and other media outlets.
Dolly’s TED Talk was named one of the 25 Most Popular TED Talks of 2018 and currently has almost 5 million views.
Prior to becoming an academic, Dolly worked at Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, Sibson and Company, Scholastic, and Time Inc. Dolly attended Cornell University where she majored in psychology and economics for her undergraduate degree and Harvard University for her MBA and PhD.
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Evidence-based. Action-oriented. Zeitgeisty.
More joyful than you are expecting. And free!
A monthly newsletter with tips on how to be the good-ish, growth-y person you mean to be.
No spam - ever. You have my word.
https://www.dollychugh.com/newsletter
Dolly’s research focuses on “bounded ethicality,” which she describes as the “psychology of good people.” Her work has been published in the leading psychology, economics, and management journals, and cited by many books and authors. She has been named an SPSP Fellow, received the Academy of Management Journal Best Paper award, been named one of the top 100 Most Influential People in Business Ethics by Ethisphere Magazine, and received many other research honors.
Dolly is best known for her two books The Person You Mean to Be: How Good People Fight Bias (HarperCollins, 2018) and A More Just Future: Psychological Tools for Reckoning with our Past and Driving Social Change (Simon & Schuster, 2022).
Her work has received rave praise from Adam Grant, Angela Lee Duckworth, Liz Wiseman, Billie Jean King, Kenji Yoshino, and many others. It has been covered on the TODAY Show, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Atlantic, the 10% Happier Podcast, the goop Podcast, NPR, Dr. Phil, and other media outlets.
Dolly’s TED Talk was named one of the 25 Most Popular TED Talks of 2018 and currently has almost 5 million views.
Prior to becoming an academic, Dolly worked at Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, Sibson and Company, Scholastic, and Time Inc. Dolly attended Cornell University where she majored in psychology and economics for her undergraduate degree and Harvard University for her MBA and PhD.
Follow me on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dolly-chugh/
Have you subscribed to my newsletter?
Evidence-based. Action-oriented. Zeitgeisty.
More joyful than you are expecting. And free!
A monthly newsletter with tips on how to be the good-ish, growth-y person you mean to be.
No spam - ever. You have my word.
https://www.dollychugh.com/newsletter
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
October 17, 2022
Americans are often presented with "whitewashed" facts about American history. Yet, in the wake of movements for racial justice in the past several years, more people are searching for unvarnished truth. However, learning stories that were left out of their elementary and high school education can be very emotionally upsetting for some.
This book shows how to build the psychological skills to meet the complexities and paradoxes of American history with grit and hope. One book can't solve the legacy of racism and other injustices, but to build a just future, we must learn to face the past. "A More Just Future" is a purposeful step toward the future by helping us all look at American history clearly and dream of a better tomorrow.
This book shows how to build the psychological skills to meet the complexities and paradoxes of American history with grit and hope. One book can't solve the legacy of racism and other injustices, but to build a just future, we must learn to face the past. "A More Just Future" is a purposeful step toward the future by helping us all look at American history clearly and dream of a better tomorrow.
October 2, 2022
Wow! I read an advance copy of Dolly Chugh's new book, “A More Just Future: Psychological Tools for Reckoning with our Past and Driving Social Change” and it's giving me such hope. Dolly Chugh gives us practical strategies for managing the paradox of loving our country AND reckoning with our past. Her humility and authenticity provide a supportive narrative to help us face painful truths about our history without defensiveness or dismissiveness. And that unlearning our whitewashed history does not mean total erasure. Are you looking for the clarity and confidence to address our past and move us forward to a more just future? This is the book for you. #AMoreJustFuture #DollyChugh
November 7, 2022
4.5 stars.
October 8, 2022
I just finished reading an advance copy of Dolly Chugh's new book, “A More Just Future: Psychological Tools for Reckoning with our Past and Driving Social Change.” I had high expectations after reading her first book “The Person You Mean to Be” and I was not disappointed! Dolly manages to break down complex issues into manageable, actionable pieces. I appreciate Dolly’s “meet you where you are” approach to grappling with our (both personal and collective) complicated relationship with the history we were taught and the history we were not taught. This book weaves personal anecdotes, scientific studies and thought-provoking questions into a page-turning work that lays the groundwork for relearning our past so that we can move forward, toward a more equitable future for all. Not only did Dolly write the book she needed to read, she wrote the book we ALL need to read.
September 8, 2022
Who do you want advice from about how to come to terms with the hard truths of our past and move forward to build a more just future? For me, it’s someone who can say: I didn’t know that. That was hard to hear. I had to look away. But I knew I had to look back, and I used every tool in my scientist’s arsenal to find a way to do so, and now I’m sharing my process with you. Dolly Chugh is that person, and this is the book that will meet you where you are. Genuine and vital.
October 15, 2022
This is a remarkable book and a very timely one. Through engaging stories and personal reflections, Chugh draws from her deep knowledge of social psychology to provide us with a set of tools that can prepare us both emotionally and intellectually for being part of a more just future by acknowledging, learning from, and confronting the full spectrum of our nation’s history. The book is forthright that we have to unlearn much of what we thought we knew about slavery, colonialism, exploitation, the extermination of indigenous people, and the ongoing inequality and segregation that brings the past to the present. But unlike so many others who have tried to write about these issues, Chugh helps us understand that we can affirm our values and our patriotism, love our country, and still call ourselves and our country to account for the injustices that are part of both our past and our present. Doing so requires unlearning as well as learning, accepting paradox and contradiction, overcoming hindsight and home team biases, preparing ourselves emotionally for threats to our sense of self and our collective pride, seeing the broader connections to which we have often been blind, both recognizing and rejecting racial fables, taking responsibility, and building grit. The book is beautifully written and easy to follow despite dealing with such consequential issues and difficult challenges about how we can be a better people living together in ways that make us authentically proud.
May 11, 2023
I’ve been meaning to ready Dolly Chugh’s books for a while now, and although this is her newer book, I read this one first. I absolutely loved it, and she put into words something many of us on the progressive left think and feel. Basically, this book is about many of the issues that stem from America’s past such as slavery, colonization, and much more. Many think that this means we on the left “hate” America, but the reality is that we love it and it’s difficult for many of us to come to the realization that America has made some major mistakes.
Dolly goes through many of the troubling aspects of America’s past and discusses the cognitive dissonance many of us go through while also maintaining our love for the country. Dolly is an immigrant, and you can tell from this book how much she loves our country. But as Dolly explains in this book, just because you love something unconditionally, it doesn’t mean we can’t have criticisms or desire for us to reckon with the past and do right by the people who were harmed.
This is a fantastic book, and although I doubt it’ll happen, I wish more people on the right who think we hate America would grab a copy and get enlightened.
Dolly goes through many of the troubling aspects of America’s past and discusses the cognitive dissonance many of us go through while also maintaining our love for the country. Dolly is an immigrant, and you can tell from this book how much she loves our country. But as Dolly explains in this book, just because you love something unconditionally, it doesn’t mean we can’t have criticisms or desire for us to reckon with the past and do right by the people who were harmed.
This is a fantastic book, and although I doubt it’ll happen, I wish more people on the right who think we hate America would grab a copy and get enlightened.
October 7, 2022
With the same carefully-researched, thoughtful, and witty approach she brought to her first book, “The Person You Mean to Be: How Good People Fight Bias,” Dr Chugh has bravely taken on an important and difficult topic. Scholarly but highly accessible, “A More Just Future” feels like the antidote to some of the nihilism I have heard bandied about in recent years (and am occasionally sucked into). We CAN do something — and, what’s more, we must — and here’s an intelligent place to start, complete with the psychological toolkit we need to do it.
Chugh’s concept of “gritty patriotism” really spoke to me, an individual who loves her country but also has learned a fair amount of its history and is without a doubt, in Chugh’s words, “loving with a broken heart.” Her interview with George Takei inspired and moved me to tears. Chugh (and Takei) remind us that it is possible to love a thing and work tirelessly to make it better while still acknowledging its deep flaws. In fact, it’s necessary to do so if we are to truly achieve justice for all. Much as the best parents must (tirelessly) hold their children accountable for their actions despite their unconditional love for them, so we must do with our country. That includes loving it enough to examine ALL of its messy, beautiful past.
Like Chugh’s first book, this one is well titled. If you love the US and you have an interest in contributing to a more equitable future for everyone, this is a fantastic and inspiring resource.
Chugh’s concept of “gritty patriotism” really spoke to me, an individual who loves her country but also has learned a fair amount of its history and is without a doubt, in Chugh’s words, “loving with a broken heart.” Her interview with George Takei inspired and moved me to tears. Chugh (and Takei) remind us that it is possible to love a thing and work tirelessly to make it better while still acknowledging its deep flaws. In fact, it’s necessary to do so if we are to truly achieve justice for all. Much as the best parents must (tirelessly) hold their children accountable for their actions despite their unconditional love for them, so we must do with our country. That includes loving it enough to examine ALL of its messy, beautiful past.
Like Chugh’s first book, this one is well titled. If you love the US and you have an interest in contributing to a more equitable future for everyone, this is a fantastic and inspiring resource.
October 7, 2022
What I love about Dolly Chugh is that, over and over again, she embraces both her own full humanity and ours as well. In The Person You Mean to Be, Chugh showed us that by seeing ourselves as people in-the-process of becoming better, rather than as already fully "good," we can be more open and flexible to new learning and better acting.
In A More Just Future, Chugh tells us that we don't have to choose between loving the ideals that our country was built on and having a clear eyed understanding of our country's flawed past. In fact, she explains that we need to see and understand that flawed past in order to have the kind of present and future we want for America. Chugh then goes on to give us the tools we need to do the hard psychological work of seeing our country in a realistic way.
Although it tackles a tough topic, this was a book that I couldn't stop reading - the relatable stories and metaphors Chugh uses to bring the psychological concepts to life kept me turning the pages.
In A More Just Future, Chugh tells us that we don't have to choose between loving the ideals that our country was built on and having a clear eyed understanding of our country's flawed past. In fact, she explains that we need to see and understand that flawed past in order to have the kind of present and future we want for America. Chugh then goes on to give us the tools we need to do the hard psychological work of seeing our country in a realistic way.
Although it tackles a tough topic, this was a book that I couldn't stop reading - the relatable stories and metaphors Chugh uses to bring the psychological concepts to life kept me turning the pages.
October 12, 2022
If you're serious about understanding and reckoning with our country's past, this book is for you. Chugh helps us take an unflinching look at our past by offering tools to help us understand and even embrace the contradictions of our country’s whitewashed history. She acknowledges how hard this work is but pushes us to do it anyway, while providing the support we need to do it effectively.
October 9, 2022
NYU Professor Dolly Chugh is a master of both pinpointing our flaws as individuals and as a society and motivating us to be better. A More Just Future is a compassionate yet honest take on reckoning with a past that brings us shame, and a desire to feel pride for our deeply imperfect country.
Through many historical examples and practical tips (as well some laugh out loud self deprecating wit), Chugh cultivates a deeper understanding of historical precedent for our actions. She guides us towards moving beyond a past that we want to hide from, to a future we can celebrate. A must read!
Through many historical examples and practical tips (as well some laugh out loud self deprecating wit), Chugh cultivates a deeper understanding of historical precedent for our actions. She guides us towards moving beyond a past that we want to hide from, to a future we can celebrate. A must read!
October 4, 2022
Dolly Chugh is very readable and relatable. She tackles equity issues with stories of individuals coming to terms with their blind spots and endeavoring to make the United States a better place for all its citizens. She discusses Both/And paradoxes that we all face, and helps the reader deal with complex feelings. To be both proud of one's heritage and acknowledge that all has not been well is a balancing act and she names that shame does not have to be a handicapping response where one avoids dissonance. Full of gems and ideas I will continue to reflect on. I found the Good People newsletter after reading The Person You Mean To Be: How Good People Fight Bias, and I feel like I am continuing a motivating conversation with somebody wise and dear.
January 8, 2024
Nuanced discussion of the psychological effects that a twisted and obfuscated cultural history has on the present. The author notes that grieving the loss of the reality we thought we lived in is an important psychological step to accepting and being willing to shift the narrative for future justice. The author notes that she is not a historian, providing the basics of historical misrepresentation, and then shines in the explication of the psychological principles underlying the way that we are taught a prevailing, positive narrative of the United States, and how to process the grief and shift perspective to acknowledge, accept, and change a more nuanced and accurate narrative.
November 4, 2022
I suspect I am the audience for this book. I am skeptical about the mandated, shame-based approaches often used in the name of increasing diversity and inclusion. I value diversity and inclusion but this does not mean support for many of the strategies employed.
Dolly offers a different touch. She deftly weaves in stories, science, and strategies that approach the topic of diversity and equality with complexity. An entire chapter focuses on the importance of a paradoxical mindset where you can hold multiple, competing ideas - such as love of country and disdain for past actions baked into the country. Her section on how to avoid falling prey to false narratives is certainly the most highlighted section of my book.
The writing is superb. I finished nearly half the book in one sitting. The other half on one plane ride.
She deserves a larger platform and I hope people find their way to this read.
Dolly offers a different touch. She deftly weaves in stories, science, and strategies that approach the topic of diversity and equality with complexity. An entire chapter focuses on the importance of a paradoxical mindset where you can hold multiple, competing ideas - such as love of country and disdain for past actions baked into the country. Her section on how to avoid falling prey to false narratives is certainly the most highlighted section of my book.
The writing is superb. I finished nearly half the book in one sitting. The other half on one plane ride.
She deserves a larger platform and I hope people find their way to this read.
November 10, 2022
If you already pay attention, there's not much new here. This book is a rather formulaic regurgitation of the past decade of pop psychology and the same often-told stories of the gross disenfranchisement of the many non-white peoples in the US that appear elsewhere. More of a compendium than anything original. Recommend Lies My Teacher Told Me over this.
December 31, 2022
I really loved the author's first book, but this one, for a book about justice and social change, is incredibly myopic and does some wildly, WILDLY disturbing straight-washing.
So myopic. The author only looks at racial justice (and that very narrowly as well) without any focus on LGBTQ rights, disability rights, antisemitism, or other really disturbing and problematic areas of injustice in the US right now. Literally, there was only one partial sentence about discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Wow. Must be nice to be able to ignore all those areas of injustice and call it good.
The author referenced the experiences of (Anderson Cooper) or interviewed (George Takei) two gay men whom she found laudable for different traits - dressing for the weather and grit/resilience. She was unable to make the connection between their identities and these traits. I would recommend reading The Queer Advantage (Gelwicks) for more info about how identity has a positive impact on LGBTQ people. The author really missed out here.
Based on the author's previous work, I don't think she's homophobic. I just think...immersed in heteronormativity and very short-sighted. It really made me angry, because my community has just as much at stake in justice/social change and in the teaching of history as any other marginalized group. Ugh.
For what it's worth, readers coming to the book expecting such a narrow focus will likely be less disappointed.
Full disclosure, I also come to this one as someone who doesn't really get/feel patriotism. I didn't pick where I was born. I accepted it. I just don't feel strong emotions about it.
The reason the book gets more than a single star? I always appreciate seeing writers engage with the concept of reparations for slavery, even at a surface level, because it's a conversation that's long overdue and something I would like to see happen in my lifetime. Also, stylistically, I enjoy how the author writes, even if it's occasionally a little too chipper/like a cheerleader, especially for a serious academic.
Overall, no, please skip. Read her first book instead. This one is problematic and a disappointment.
Alternative reads: From Here to Equality (Darity), The Queer Advantage (Gelwicks), and 400 Souls (Kendi).
So myopic. The author only looks at racial justice (and that very narrowly as well) without any focus on LGBTQ rights, disability rights, antisemitism, or other really disturbing and problematic areas of injustice in the US right now. Literally, there was only one partial sentence about discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Wow. Must be nice to be able to ignore all those areas of injustice and call it good.
The author referenced the experiences of (Anderson Cooper) or interviewed (George Takei) two gay men whom she found laudable for different traits - dressing for the weather and grit/resilience. She was unable to make the connection between their identities and these traits. I would recommend reading The Queer Advantage (Gelwicks) for more info about how identity has a positive impact on LGBTQ people. The author really missed out here.
Based on the author's previous work, I don't think she's homophobic. I just think...immersed in heteronormativity and very short-sighted. It really made me angry, because my community has just as much at stake in justice/social change and in the teaching of history as any other marginalized group. Ugh.
For what it's worth, readers coming to the book expecting such a narrow focus will likely be less disappointed.
Full disclosure, I also come to this one as someone who doesn't really get/feel patriotism. I didn't pick where I was born. I accepted it. I just don't feel strong emotions about it.
The reason the book gets more than a single star? I always appreciate seeing writers engage with the concept of reparations for slavery, even at a surface level, because it's a conversation that's long overdue and something I would like to see happen in my lifetime. Also, stylistically, I enjoy how the author writes, even if it's occasionally a little too chipper/like a cheerleader, especially for a serious academic.
Overall, no, please skip. Read her first book instead. This one is problematic and a disappointment.
Alternative reads: From Here to Equality (Darity), The Queer Advantage (Gelwicks), and 400 Souls (Kendi).
October 26, 2022
Dolly Chugh is such a breath of fresh air. While she is fiercely on the side of equality and social justice, she recognizes that she (we) are human and instead of holding an attitude of knowing all and being hyper aware, she admits to the holes in her knowledge of history and strives to unlearn the detrimental things we’ve been taught.
Every June people ask me how I feel about corporations celebrating Pride and will sometimes point out facts such as Barack Obama’s lack of support for same sex marriage when he entered the White House. People like to point out what others have done wrong in the past without giving credit to those who strive to learn and UNlearn to change for the better.
A More Just Future embraces this concept. We, especially those of a certain age, have all been taught historical concepts that favored those in power without examining the whole story. Being open to unlearning and relearning the truth may feel like a gut punch at times, but it is this process that will ultimately make us better humans and our country a better place to live.
I think my favorite story in the book was George Takei singing Hello Dolly! as began his interview. Not to mention how she got that interview! But kidding aside, like so many stories in the book, I knew some of the truths, but I appreciated having the gaps filled.
Every June people ask me how I feel about corporations celebrating Pride and will sometimes point out facts such as Barack Obama’s lack of support for same sex marriage when he entered the White House. People like to point out what others have done wrong in the past without giving credit to those who strive to learn and UNlearn to change for the better.
A More Just Future embraces this concept. We, especially those of a certain age, have all been taught historical concepts that favored those in power without examining the whole story. Being open to unlearning and relearning the truth may feel like a gut punch at times, but it is this process that will ultimately make us better humans and our country a better place to live.
I think my favorite story in the book was George Takei singing Hello Dolly! as began his interview. Not to mention how she got that interview! But kidding aside, like so many stories in the book, I knew some of the truths, but I appreciated having the gaps filled.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 17, 2022
It’s hard not to feel some type of way about the paradox of the United States of America, that we can be a nation of wonderful ideals that we haven’t/aren’t living up to. And it’s harder still to know what to do with all this information and whether the change we desire is even possible. This is why Dolly Chugh’s book is so important for the tough times we are living in when nearly every day there’s a new debate about the past: how to teach U.S. history in schools, what to do about Confederate monuments, whether to celebrate Columbus Day, etc. Chugh’s book helps us move past denial, guilt, and shame about our history and into resilience and grit. Chugh gives us research-backed tools and weaves in stories from others, just like us, also grappling with these issues, and, importantly, she offers us hope that we can handle what we may uncover about America’s past and use our knowledge to shape a better future. I highly recommend this book for all – whether you know a lot about U.S. history or a little, I suspect few of us have access to the psychological tools Chugh gives us for how to move forward.
October 18, 2022
If you are a person who asks yourself “Why didn’t I learn that,” when discussing aspects of American History, then this book is for you.
If you have asked yourself “Why do we need to talk about reparations?” If you think that discrimination and racism doesn’t exist to the degree that others do, or that it was solved with the civil rights movement, then this book is for you.
If you believe that it is “self-evident, all men are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,” then this book is for you.
If you believe in “Freedom, and Liberty and Justice for all,” or even if you believe it in it just for yourself, then this book is for you.
If you love your country, then this book is for you. If you love your country, but think we can do better, then this book is for you. If you love your country, and think we need to go back to when it was better, then this book is for you.
Dolly Chugh explores some difficult topics with both a historical and a personal perspective. Her experiences are relatable to people coming to this subject from a variety of perspectives. There is truly something for everyone to gain by reading this book.
If you have asked yourself “Why do we need to talk about reparations?” If you think that discrimination and racism doesn’t exist to the degree that others do, or that it was solved with the civil rights movement, then this book is for you.
If you believe that it is “self-evident, all men are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,” then this book is for you.
If you believe in “Freedom, and Liberty and Justice for all,” or even if you believe it in it just for yourself, then this book is for you.
If you love your country, then this book is for you. If you love your country, but think we can do better, then this book is for you. If you love your country, and think we need to go back to when it was better, then this book is for you.
Dolly Chugh explores some difficult topics with both a historical and a personal perspective. Her experiences are relatable to people coming to this subject from a variety of perspectives. There is truly something for everyone to gain by reading this book.
October 18, 2022
Another excellent read and resource for anyone on their journey towards facing systemic racism and working towards a more just society! I would suggest any wanting to read this book to have read The Person You Mean to Be: How Good People Fight Bias first. It is not a prerequisite and this is not a sequel. Instead, I felt the information and guidance in this book was not as obviously accessible to the reader as perhaps it was in Person. But, having read Person first, the reader would have a foundation for how Ms. Chugh presents her information and thereby help understand her points and be prepared for the mental and emotional situations this book will place the reader. No white people (myself included) can be left comfortable with our version of history but we also need to not be knee-jerk reactive to the ugliness of our history. This book can help with starting that journey within ourselves.
Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for a copy of the book. This review is my own opinion.
Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for a copy of the book. This review is my own opinion.
January 1, 2023
I was genuinely surprised by this book. I was expecting a heady, academic examination of the psychological underpinnings rooted in our country's experience with racial justice. This was not that. At all. However, I'm not mad at it. Chugh demonstrated her legitimate academic prowess on the subject matter but did it in a way that was so gentle, so measured, so accessible, it was like having a conversation over tea rather than attending a university lecture. And for that, I'm grateful. Reckoning with difficult history that has been mostly ignored/hidden/whitewashed/glossed over is SO hard. But without that crucial step, whatever halting progress made will be incomplete and bogged down by those who either don't know or don't want to know the truth. In my experience, most people fall into the "don't know" camp, and those that tend toward the "don't want to know" only do so because we've failed so completely at helping citizens work through the process, interrogate their beliefs, and grow comfortable with changing their mind. We can do better, and books like this one is a perfect place to start.
September 23, 2022
It is a well-researched and timely book in an increasingly divided world. Though it discusses the various injustices in the USA and how to accept and make amends for them, injustice is a subject we all need to study.
Sometimes, when things are going well for us, we are apt to overlook, or even deny, the suffering of others. This book encourages us to question some of our strongest beliefs and learn to understand multiple perspectives of complex situations.
Dr. Chugh tells us how to critically analyse the fables of glory and heroism we have grown up listening to. We need to take stock of the various injustices that have happened in the past and continue to happen around us. She teaches us that we cannot improve the status quo if we refuse to accept that mistakes were made. This acceptance may be painful and may fill us with shame. She gives us tools to handle those uncomfortable feelings.
The best part of the book is that it gives us hope. Much has gone wrong in the past. With a deeper understanding of the past, the future can be made better.
Sometimes, when things are going well for us, we are apt to overlook, or even deny, the suffering of others. This book encourages us to question some of our strongest beliefs and learn to understand multiple perspectives of complex situations.
Dr. Chugh tells us how to critically analyse the fables of glory and heroism we have grown up listening to. We need to take stock of the various injustices that have happened in the past and continue to happen around us. She teaches us that we cannot improve the status quo if we refuse to accept that mistakes were made. This acceptance may be painful and may fill us with shame. She gives us tools to handle those uncomfortable feelings.
The best part of the book is that it gives us hope. Much has gone wrong in the past. With a deeper understanding of the past, the future can be made better.
October 21, 2022
Dolly’s review:
Dolly’s bold and fearless new book, A More Just Future, Psychological Tools for Reckoning with our Past and Driving Social Change, is a game changer for anyone who wants to take an honest look at America’s whitewashed history and feel empowered to transform how we BE in the world. Dolly delivers a powerful message with actionable tools to face systemic racism from a human-centered perspective. She inspires the reader to reflect on personal responsibility as well as systemic ideologies. As an antiracist leader, organizational consultant, coach and Black woman, I have shared this long-awaited guide, and Dolly’s premiere book, The Person You Mean To Be, with many people in my network as essential reading. This book is a must read for you, your staff, your team, your board, your constituents, your colleagues, your mentees, your friends & your family.
Mary Pender Greene, LCSW-R, CGP
President & CEO of MPG Consulting, a company Committed to Eliminating Bias and Structural Racism in the Workspace™
Dolly’s bold and fearless new book, A More Just Future, Psychological Tools for Reckoning with our Past and Driving Social Change, is a game changer for anyone who wants to take an honest look at America’s whitewashed history and feel empowered to transform how we BE in the world. Dolly delivers a powerful message with actionable tools to face systemic racism from a human-centered perspective. She inspires the reader to reflect on personal responsibility as well as systemic ideologies. As an antiracist leader, organizational consultant, coach and Black woman, I have shared this long-awaited guide, and Dolly’s premiere book, The Person You Mean To Be, with many people in my network as essential reading. This book is a must read for you, your staff, your team, your board, your constituents, your colleagues, your mentees, your friends & your family.
Mary Pender Greene, LCSW-R, CGP
President & CEO of MPG Consulting, a company Committed to Eliminating Bias and Structural Racism in the Workspace™
April 23, 2024
I had the pleasure of hearing Dr. Chugh speak at NCSS last year and immediately got in line for her book. This book talks through both why it is emotional and hard to reckon with the reality of our country's past AND the psychological tools we can use to do it anyway and make a "more just future." When I heard her speak, I just kept being brought back to Clint Smith's "How the Word is Passed," because it named so many of the strategies he uses throughout that book so intentionally. I was affirmed to see Chugh mention him many times in the book and think it would be a pretty powerful paired reading.
I especially appreciated the section on embracing paradox mindset. Chugh's love of country paired with her unlearning really pushed on me in new ways, too. I have done a lot of unlearning, but it has generally made me feel more frustrated and disillusioned with America. She definitely provides a road map for both those refusing to accept real history and tout the myth of America and those giving up on America to come together.
I especially appreciated the section on embracing paradox mindset. Chugh's love of country paired with her unlearning really pushed on me in new ways, too. I have done a lot of unlearning, but it has generally made me feel more frustrated and disillusioned with America. She definitely provides a road map for both those refusing to accept real history and tout the myth of America and those giving up on America to come together.
October 18, 2022
I was so excited to get my eyes on this book after Dolly Chugh's The Person You Mean to Be, and it did not disappoint. Dolly has a unique ability to draw you in with a relatable example (who didn't read and blindly adore stories like the Little House on the Prairie growing up?), while humbly getting you to acknowledge that you are battling the same internal conflicts she has about our history and the way it is communicated and upheld today. How do we reckon with a "whitewashed" version of American history, and more wholly come to understand the nation we live in and love? If you've even had thoughts that grapple with contradictions in our past that continue to surface today, and wonder -- what should I know about this? How might I feel about what I learn and is that okay? How do I explain this to my kids? then this book is for you. To "unlearn", in Dolly's words, in order TO learn about our complex past, and build a better, brighter, more united outlook for our future.
October 18, 2022
For people committed to creating a more just society, this is an unmissable book. And I feel incredibly grateful for being able to review an advanced copy. With a wealth of knowledge and deep honesty, Professor Chugh offers us a roadmap for reckoning with our American past. A MORE JUST FUTURE combines intimate and compelling stories with evidence from psychology that show us the way forward. I was left reflecting on moments from my childhood where historical truth was obscured or avoided. And the book encouraged me to make a commitment to my own children to help them see the United States both as it actually is and as it could be. We may think we are protecting them, saving them from ugliness, but we do a disservice to the stewards of the future when we retell whitewashed origin myths.
November 9, 2022
I loved "A More Just Future." Chugh is a gifted writer in whose hands the charged political topics of race, culture, and identity are rendered sane and reasonable and human. Every chapter made me grateful for Chugh's humanity and forgiveness, allowing me to hold both my love of my country and my knowledge of its imperfections at the same time, accepting that tension as the reality of being an American.
She resists the temptation to oversimplify the culture-war conflicts that have riven America's political landscape, and avoids demonizing those who might disagree with her. She considers America's virtues and its failings with open eyes and a warm heart.
Chugh's reading of her own book is inflected with genius, emotion, and self-deprecating humor that made me love both her and the book. This book is well worth reading or listening to. Highly recommended!
She resists the temptation to oversimplify the culture-war conflicts that have riven America's political landscape, and avoids demonizing those who might disagree with her. She considers America's virtues and its failings with open eyes and a warm heart.
Chugh's reading of her own book is inflected with genius, emotion, and self-deprecating humor that made me love both her and the book. This book is well worth reading or listening to. Highly recommended!
January 19, 2023
Chugh doesn't offer any new insights in the book and I question the need for her discussion with her workout trainer and many other subsections. What value does including the fact the she does planks and pilates with her workout trainer add to this book's purpose?
The author also regurgitates very basic social psychology in a loquacious manner. Her penchant for a performative writing strips away from the knowledge kingdom where the laity can truly explore. The book has a lot of potential--especially with the selected topic-- however, the use of more research to demonstrate evidence as well as having depth in her arguments would have augmented the book. She discusses critical race theory but does so in such a superficial manner that it fails to motivate, educate, as well as engage the reader. Organization, continuity, and cohesiveness were also lacking.
The author also regurgitates very basic social psychology in a loquacious manner. Her penchant for a performative writing strips away from the knowledge kingdom where the laity can truly explore. The book has a lot of potential--especially with the selected topic-- however, the use of more research to demonstrate evidence as well as having depth in her arguments would have augmented the book. She discusses critical race theory but does so in such a superficial manner that it fails to motivate, educate, as well as engage the reader. Organization, continuity, and cohesiveness were also lacking.
October 26, 2023
A More Just Future is a call to action for all Americans to take responsibility for making America an equitable place to live for future generations. I love the metaphor of America as an old house that is in need of repair. We can love America while acknowledging that things need to be fixed to make it a better place to live. What I loved most about this book is it gives the readers small steps that anybody can take to make small changes so all citizens can enjoy a better future. As Americans, we can acknowledge the mistakes that have been made in the past, connect the dots to the future and make better decisions going forward. My call to action after reading this book is to educate my students and my family on all perspectives of our shared history and ask both myself and my students to imagine being in someone else's shoes before making a decision on an issue.
October 18, 2022
We're at a cultural moment in time where we're talking a lot about social justice yet still feeling stuck in what to do to create a better world. The research shows that one of the stuck points is that we don't recognize how our normal, human biases and defensive reactions can interfere with positive movement forward. Enter the voice of the wise, warm, and incredibly relatable Dr. Dolly Chugh. She offers a set of powerful tools from psychological science to help us understand our own biases to strategies and to manage our painful emotions in confronting them. These tools help us to reckon with the painful experiences of the past and the present and and guide us towards towards building a better future. What a timely and powerful read!
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