'Passionate and urgent.' Guardian, Book of the Week 'A must-read for all.' Stylist, best new books for 2020 'Cogently argued and intensely persuasive. Groundbreaking Work.' Waterstones, best new books of April 'Impressive and much-needed.' Financial Times, Best Business Books April to June 'Admirably detailed.' Prospect Magazine 'Practical, useful, readable and essential for the times we are living in.' Nikesh Shukla 'An eye-opening book that I hope will be widely read.' Angela Saini 'If you think you don't need to read this book, you really need to read this book.' Jane Garvey 'An eye-opening book looking at unconscious bias. Meticulously researched and well written. It will make you think hard about the judgements you make. An essential read for our times.' Kavita Puri, BBC Journalist and author For the first time, behavioural and data scientist, activist and writer Dr Pragya Agarwal unravels the way our implicit or 'unintentional' biases affect the way we communicate and perceive the world, how they affect our decision-making, and how they reinforce and perpetuate systemic and structural inequalities. Sway is a thoroughly researched and comprehensive look at unconscious bias and how it impacts day-to-day life, from job interviews to romantic relationships to saving for retirement. It covers a huge number of sensitive topics - sexism, racism, ageism, homophobia, colourism - with tact, and combines statistics with stories to paint a fuller picture and enhance understanding. Throughout, Pragya clearly delineates theories with a solid grounding in science, answering questions such as: do our roots for prejudice lie in our evolutionary past? What happens in our brains when we are biased? How has bias affected technology? If we don't know about it, are we really responsible for it? At a time when partisan political ideologies are taking centre stage, and we struggle to make sense of who we are and who we want to be, it is crucial that we understand why we act the way we do. This book will enables us to open our eyes to our own biases in a scientific and non-judgmental way.

An introduction to standing up to racism for young children and their families, with flaps to lift It's never too early to teach children to be antiracist, and this lift-the-flap book is a great toolkit for young children and their families alike. It is all about recognising and celebrating the differences that make people who they are, and explains in age-appropriate language what racism is and how to help stand up to it. Find Out About: Racism helps curious preschoolers understand how other children live and the different challenges everyone faces, which is key for developing empathy. With flaps to lift, this is an excellent, interactive book for children and their parents and carers to share together. A free parent guide to talking about racism with young children is available to download separately. Also available: Feelings, Kindness, Saving Our Planet, Families, Making Friends

A WATERSTONES BEST BOOK OF 2022: POPULAR SCIENCE AN iNEWS BEST NONFICTION BOOK OF 2022 A TELEGRAPH BIG IDEAS BOOK 2022 'Read this book and feel furious, uplifted and galvanised to take its findings out into the world and fight for change' - LAURA BATES Emotions can be difficult things to define, yet we all recognise them when we feel them or see them in others. How we interpret those emotions and act on them has been heavily gendered, as far back as Ancient Greek and Roman times and - despite the improvements in societal equality - continues to be today. We've all heard the sayings that girls should be 'sugar and spice and all things nice', while 'boys don't cry'. In Hysterical, Pragya Agarwal dives deep into the history and science that has determined the gendering of emotions to ask whether there is any truth in the notion of innate differences between the male and female experience of emotions. She examines the impact this has on men and women - especially the role it has played in the subjugation of women throughout history - and how a future where emotions are ungendered might look.

A WATERSTONES BEST BOOK OF 2022: POPULAR SCIENCE AN iNEWS BEST NONFICTION BOOK OF 2022 A TELEGRAPH BIG IDEAS BOOK 2022 How we interpret emotions and act on them has been heavily gendered, as far back as Ancient Greek and Roman times, and - despite improvements in societal equality - continues to be today. In Hysterical, Dr Pragya Agarwal delves into history and science to determine the truth about our notions of innate differences between the male and female experience of emotions. She examines the impact this has on men and women - especially the role it has played in the subjugation of women throughout history - and imagines how a future where emotions are ungendered might look.

Extremely open in its honesty and meticulously researched, (M)otherhood probes themes of infertility, childbirth and reproductive justice, and makes a powerful and urgent argument for the need to tackle society's obsession with women's bodies and fertility.

'A thoughtful, prescient read for any mother or father parenting through the unique challenges of this racially polarised year, decade and beyond' Kenya Hunt 'Comprehensive, readable, and so very important. The next generation needs you to read this book' Clare Mackintosh, Sunday Times bestselling author 'A vital book that equips us to have conversations about race and racism with young people, ensuring we are all playing our part to raise the next generations as anti-racist. With excellent, clear advice from Dr Agarwal I Wish We Knew What to Say is a quick, engaging and easily digestible read' Nikesh Shukla We want our children to thrive and flourish in a diverse, multi-cultural world and we owe it to them to help them make sense of the confusing and emotionally charged messages they receive about themselves and others. These early years are the most crucial when children are curious about the world around them, but are also quick to form stereotypes and biases that can become deeply ingrained as they grow older. These are the people who are going to inherit this world, and we owe it to them to lay a strong foundation for the next phases of their lives. Wish We Knew What to Say is a timely and urgent book that gives scenarios, questions, thought starters, resources and advice in an accessible manner on how to tackle tricky conversations around race and racism with confidence and awareness. it brings in the science of how children perceive race and form racial identity, combining it with personal stories and experiences to create a handy guide that every parent would refer to again and again. Written by behavioural and data scientist, Dr Pragya Agarwal, Wish We Knew What to Say will help all parents, carers and educators give children the tools and vocabulary to talk about people's differences and similarities in an open, non-judgemental, curious way, and help them address any unfairness they might see or encounter.

'An exhilarating, genre-defying read' Observer, 'Beautiful' Elif Shafak, 'Absolutely sensational' Michael Cashman, CBE, 'Powerful and compelling' New Statesman', 'Brilliant' Caitlin Moran In a world where women have more choices than ever, society nevertheless continues to exert the stigma and pressures of less enlightened times when it comes to having children. We define women by whether they embrace or reject motherhood; whether they can give birth or not. Behavioural Scientist Pragya Agarwal uses her own varied experiences and choices as a woman of South Asian heritage to examine the broader societal, historical and scientific factors that drive how we think and talk about motherhood. She looks at how women's bodies have been monitored and controlled through history, and how this shapes the political constructs of motherhood and womanhood now. Extremely open in its honesty and meticulously researched, (M)otherhood probes themes of infertility, childbirth and reproductive justice, and makes a powerful and urgent argument for the need to tackle society's obsession with women's bodies and fertility.