Don't Label Me ― A Conversation for Divided Times

A unique conversation about diversity, bigotry, and our common humanity, by the New York Times bestselling author, Oprah “Chutzpah” award-winner, and founder of the Moral Courage Project

Freedom of speech versus "freedom of screech." Uncivil showdowns over Civil War symbols. From Trump's wall to the walls we erect against those we disagree with and even hate, both online and off. America and the world have never been more fractured. Now what?

What can decent people do to heal the caustic chasms without compromising our personal convictions? How do we stand our ground yet seek common ground? Where's the guide to drawing unity from the politics of identity? It has arrived. Don't Label Me will equip us to engage the "other" in a way that's at once effective and ethical.

Irshad Manji holds a scrappy yet tender conversation with her Other: a senior dog named Lily. Raised in a culture that deemed dogs evil, Manji learns from her fur elder the transformative power of moving beyond labels, be they racial, sexual, religious, partisan, or species-supremacist. Together, she and Lily show that diversity, when practiced honestly, encourages conflicting points of view while revealing that we're all so much more than the assumptions we make about each other. Infused with scholarly insights and punctuated with stories about Manji's experiences as a refugee from Africa, a Muslim immigrant to the U.S., and a professor of moral courage, Don't Label Me offers a gift to every global citizen: concrete tips on how to start and sustain the toughest, most taboo conversations.

Irshad Manji is founder of the award-winning Moral Courage Project at the University of Southern California and The New York Times bestselling author of The Trouble With Islam Today, translated into more than thirty languages and later adapted into the Emmy-nominated PBS film Faith Without Fear. Oprah Winfrey selected her as the first winner of the "Chutzpah" prize for boldness. Manji has lived and taught in Toronto, Vancouver, New York, and Los Angeles. She and her wife now reside in Hawaii with their four rescue dogs.