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Book Review: The Art of Gathering

Isaiah Castillo
Dec 7, 2020
2 min read

Updated: Nov 24

Need to better understand how I review books? You can review my book review criteria here.

Overview

Title: The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters

Author: Priya Parker

Genre: Self-Help

Themes: Behavioral Psychology, Habit Building, Team Building

Publish Year: 2018

ISBN-10: 1594634925

Amazon: Buy Here

Utility: 3/5

Readability: 5/5

Storytelling: 4/5

Literary Quality:4/5

Pace: 4/5

Impact: 3/5

Favorite Excerpt/Quote

"A venue can and should do one further thing: displace people. Displacement is simply about breaking people out of their habits. It is about waking people up from the slumber of their own routines. " (Parker, 62)

Review

The Art of Gathering challenges one of the most routine activities in our lives: gathering with others. Author Priya Parker dives into the why and how of gathering and challenges the reader to approach conventional habits of gathering from new perspectives. An excerpt from her website reads, "Parker has spent 15 years helping leaders and communities have complicated conversations about community and identity and vision at moments of transition." That experience is exemplified throughout her novel through the use of compelling stories of her personal and professional experiences.

Parker structures her book beginning with why we gather then spends the ensuing chapters zeroing on the how. From who we invite, to the venue, to how we prepare guests, the author often starts with big ideas and works her way into breaking them down into smaller, more digestible pieces. However, as concise and clear as Parker's writing is, the book feels like it lacks depth and explanation.

However, at times it feels that Parker fails to break down sweeping ideas into specific strategies that the reader can take and apply to their own gatherings. Many of her examples come from professional settings that don't necessarily apply to the everyday reader, leaving readers to their own devices to try to adopt specific strategies. The foundation for such work exists, however, doing such work may not appeal to readers who need a more specific direction. Nonetheless, the book's goal is to challenge and adjust the reader's perception of why and how we gather, and it does just that.

Overall, The Art of Gathering is a wonderful book that challenges readers to approach one of the most conventional and habitual daily activities through a new lens. This book is good for those looking to maximize their gatherings with others, looking to switch things up, or looking for a better way to facilitate gatherings amongst their groups of friends.