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  • Published: 10 October 2026
  • ISBN: 9780241830956
  • Imprint: Penguin Life
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 272
  • RRP: $55.00

The Art of Fighting

The Transformative Power of Conflict




A paradigm-shattering exploration of how we disagree and how to do it more effectively.

From the family dinner table to the boardroom, any meeting of minds is inevitably going to lead to a debate, an argument, even a fight. While these conflicts are often perceived negatively – as something to be avoided or quickly defused – they can be incredible opportunities to broaden our perspective, reach new breakthroughs and even bring us closer together.
This is a practical and thoughtful guide to mastering the art of good fighting, shows how to dodge emotional pitfalls, explore new possibilities and harness ‘healthy heat’ to sustain and enrich communities and relationships. In addition to the author’s original research and two decades of work in conflict resolution, dozens of interviews with academics, experts and facilitators offer an authoritative and expansive guide to the challenges, nuances and opportunities of conflict.

  • Published: 10 October 2026
  • ISBN: 9780241830956
  • Imprint: Penguin Life
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 272
  • RRP: $55.00

About the author

Priya Parker

PRIYA PARKER is a facilitator, strategic advisor, and acclaimed author of The Art of Gathering. Trained in the field of conflict resolution, Parker has worked on peace processes across the world and advised Zohran Mamdani for his successful New York City mayoral campaign. She studied organizational design at M.I.T., public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, and political and social thought at the University of Virginia.

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Praise for The Art of Fighting

Insightful and nuanced, The Art of Fighting is a paradigm-shifting examination of how we can get along better by understanding the role of conflict in our lives more deeply.

Jefferson Fisher, author of The Next Conversation

This book captures something many of us feel but struggle to name: avoidance is not harmony. The Art of Fighting delivers a sharp, human framework for turning tension into clarity and disagreement into belonging.

Daniel H. Pink, author of Drive and The Power of Regret

Leave it to Priya Parker to name that the missing link to growing new ways of community is not merely in connecting meaningfully, but in fighting meaningfully. This is a life-giving book, and Priya is the luminous and ingenious teacher we need.

Krista Tippett, host of On Being and author of Becoming Wise