The Book
Twelve non-obvious ways to build a more inclusive world — written out of the largest conversation about diversity anyone had ever attempted, and organized around where inclusion actually breaks down in real life.
By Rohit Bhargava & Jennifer Brown
Watch
What It Is
What if we could go beyond the conversation about diversity and take real action?
In early 2021, more than two hundred widely respected experts gathered virtually for the world’s most ambitious conversation about diversity. Our aim was to do more than spotlight injustice. We challenged ourselves to imagine how to fix it.
The dialogue brought together casting directors, bookstore owners, disabled leaders, healthcare professionals, students, VCs, standup comedians, chief diversity officers, pro gamers, archaeologists, government insiders, startup founders, and even a master puppeteer.
Now for the first time, these insights and ideas are compiled into one groundbreaking volume organized into twelve powerful themes including storytelling, technology, identity, retail, education and more.
The Twelve Themes
The book is deliberately organized by life domain rather than by identity category. Each chapter looks at one place inclusion gets decided, illustrating the current conditions, what could be possible, and what needs to happen to get there.
Inside the book: each chapter opens with the current picture, then what could be possible, then what it takes to get there.
Praise
“An urgently needed, eminently practical book that every leader should read which takes on a tough topic with sharp minds and open hearts.”
Daniel H. Pink#1 New York Times bestselling author
“This book opens eyes, hearts, and minds!”
Amber HikesChief Equity and Inclusion Officer, ACLU
“A useful, forcefully written, and wide-ranging study of inequities — and how to fix them.”
Kirkus ReviewsStarred verdict: Get It
How It Was Made
Beyond Diversity came out of the Non-Obvious Beyond Diversity Summit, a four-day virtual gathering in January 2021. More than two hundred experts joined across fifty-plus sessions. Three quarters of them identified as underrepresented and two thirds identified as genders other than male. The dialogue we all shared was synthesized into the twelve chapters of this book, with six credited contributors shaping the manuscript alongside Rohit and Jennifer.
Andrius Alvarez-Backus (he/him)is a content writer, research assistant, and graphic designer at Jennifer Brown Consulting. He is currently studying fine art at The Cooper Union in New York City.
Chhavi Arya (she/her)is the co-founder of Ideapress Publishing and the producer of the Non-Obvious Beyond Diversity Summit. She spent 10 years teaching elementary school, pioneering diversity curriculum and programming that was used across Ontario, Canada.
Karen Dahms (she/her)is a writer, researcher, advocate and change agent for social justice and diversity, equity and inclusion. She is the Senior Research Director at Jennifer Brown Consulting.
Sandhya Jain-Patel (she/her)is a passionate DEI professional devoted to culturally accurate storytelling in media and entertainment. She is co-founder and managing director of SRC Partners.
Kaleena Sales (she/her)is an author, illustrator, and graphic design educator at Tennessee State University, an HBCU in Nashville, TN. Her research focuses on minority culture and aesthetics.
Monika Samtani (she/her)is the CEO of Ms. Media and co-founder of The Fem Word. As a media and entertainment professional, building a culture of authenticity is rooted in her work — producing, storytelling, publicity, coaching, and speaking.
The cover was inspired by the mosaic artwork of Zharia Shinn, a portrait collage artist whose work fit the book’s challenge to all of us: be it.
First Year Experience
Beyond Diversity works as a common read because it is built for discussion rather than lecture. Every chapter ends with conversation starters, and the twelve themes give a cohort twelve different doors into the same subject.
The free University Edition resource guide adds conversation guides for every chapter plus eight new student activities, ready to run in orientation sessions, seminars and first-year reading programs.
PDF · conversation guides for all twelve chapters · eight student activities
However You Read
Hardcover, paperback, large print, audiobook and ebook. The audiobook is narrated by Rohit and Jennifer themselves, and the book is in libraries worldwide through Libby and OverDrive.
Recognition
Wall Street JournalBestseller
USA TodayBestseller
Axiom Business Book AwardsGold Medal, 2022
Nautilus Book AwardsSilver Medal, 2022
PenCraft Book AwardsFirst Place, Nonfiction, 2022
National Indie ExcellenceAward Winner
Next Generation IndieBook Award Winner
Foreword INDIESBook Award Finalist
Hermes Creative AwardsPlatinum Winner
Inc. Magazine22 Books To Read In 2022| Full title | Beyond Diversity: 12 Non-Obvious Ways To Build A More Inclusive World |
|---|---|
| Authors | Rohit Bhargava and Jennifer Brown |
| Publisher | Ideapress Publishing, distributed by Simon & Schuster |
| Published | November 9, 2021 (paperback) · June 7, 2022 (hardcover) |
| Length | 268 pages |
| ISBN | 978-1-64687-051-6 (paperback) · 978-1-64687-109-4 (hardcover) |
| Formats | Hardcover, paperback, large print, audiobook and ebook — see all five |
Want More Non-Obvious Ideas?
The Non-Obvious Insights Newsletter brings you the five or six most fascinating and overlooked stories of the week, with a quick take on why each one matters.
One email every Thursday. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
The Non-Obvious Insights Newsletter
The most interesting stories of the week, and why they matter. Join more than 100,000 readers.
One email every Thursday. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.