Fireside Chat with Author Aarti Shahani

In October, we invited NPR correspondent and book author Aarti Shahani to come talk to us about her memoir Here We Are. When her father was arrested, she became her family’s lawyer as a teenager and fought till age 30 to keep them together. That fight taught her about America’s broken justice system. But it also taught her about the resilience and community it takes to build power and make change.

In this chat, Miriam Warren, senior vice president of Engagement, Diversity, and Belonging at Yelp, talked with Aarti about her book and the political climate in the U.S., days before the 2020 presidential election. Here’s a snippet from the conversation with Aarti:

Miriam: I heard you say that you think it’s really important for folks to challenge themselves to interact with people who hold viewpoints that are different from their own. Can you tell us a bit more about this?

Aarti: [The] fact is: this is a country that can absorb a great deal of difference. That’s a trademark of what America is. I think the main crisis facing this country is actually the breakdown of community. The fact of not talking to each other. The fact of cutting off people from every aspect of your life knowing no one around you.

We gifted 50 attendees with signed copies of Aarti’s book. If you want to purchase your own copy, visit Aarti’s website.