Don't Label Me

An Incredible Conversation for Divided Times

By: Irshad Manji

Narrated by: Irshad Manji, Fatima Boorman

“Charming and disarming, a story like this heals the divides that threaten to destroy America. Don’t Label Me speaks for all of us who are more than the boxes that others put us into.” (Marianne Williamson, New York Times best-selling author)

A unique conversation about diversity, bigotry, and our common humanity, by the New York Times best-selling author, Oprah “Chutzpah” award-winner, and founder of the Moral Courage Project

In these United States, discord has hit emergency levels. Civility isn't the reason to repair our caustic chasms. Diversity is.

Don't Label Me shows that America's founding genius is diversity of thought. Which is why social justice activists won't win by labeling those who disagree with them. At a time when minorities are fast becoming the majority, a truly new America requires a new way to tribe out.

Enter Irshad Manji and her dog, Lily. Raised to believe that dogs are evil, Manji overcame her fear of the "other" to adopt Lily. She got more than she bargained for. Defying her labels as an old, blind dog, Lily engages Manji in a taboo-busting conversation about identity, power, and politics. They're feisty. They're funny. And in working through their challenges to one another, they reveal how to open the hearts of opponents for the sake of enduring progress. Listeners who crave concrete tips will be delighted.

Studded with insights from epigenetics and epistemology, layered with the lessons of Bruce Lee, Ben Franklin, and Audre Lorde, punctuated with stories about Manji's own experiences as a refugee from Africa, a Muslim immigrant to the US, and a professor of moral courage, Don't Label Me makes diversity great again.

©2019 Irshad Manji (P)2019 Macmillan Audio

Great ideas

Irshad makes some great points in her book. The perspectives are needed in today’s divided country. While I love animals, I did not fully like the conversations with her dog. I felt they cheapened the content and made it appear more juvenile. There were times when a conversation with the dog would have added something, but in a metered doses. Otherwise, her explanation about how labels dehumanize us was spot on.

Challenging our status quo

I began following Irshad about 10 years ago when she was leading the Moral Courage Project at NYU. Given her knowledge and experience challenging the status quo in her religion, she comes to the topic of division in the United States with credibility and clarity of thought. This book really caused me to analyze how I have been using labels to simplify complex people, and how by asking questions--rather than focusing on 'fixing' the person--I can create meaningful relationships, and maybe even heal the wounds in our society. I also appreciated Irshad's creativity in writing this book in the format of a conversation with her rescue dog, Lily. Irshad describes that over time Lily let down her guard and eventually trusted Irshad, her new human mom, despite the abusive trauma Lily experienced in her earlier years. I began to see why Irshad wrote the book this way. Lily offers a lesson that we all need to learn in order to heal our divided world. If you want to do your part to be a bridge in a divided world, I highly recommend you add Don't Label Me to your library.

What a wonderful book

I really appreciate her insight and the thought about active listening, owning our emotions, and the role us progressives have in our current society. I’ve seen many of us progressives as victims but the concept of competitive victimhood shed more light on why we compete to be seen as bigger victims. A must read for anyone who is serious about change in culture and diversity and how we need to examine ourselves and our actions if we want to spur that change.

mind and life changing, affirming

as someone who finds themselves struggling with the topic of diversity, I find the author's views and suggestions both refreshing and reasonable. I will take many of the suggestions and try and apply them to my own life.

Rational, Intelligent, Compassionate

Just what I needed in this strange time where hyperbole and "othering" dominate political rhetoric (from both sides!). Someone who has the outcome in mind and reminds us of the rational approach: what do we want for our world and for the people in it, and what would actually work to get there... not knee-jerk responses that might actually backfire and have the opposite effect.

As someone who does not fit neatly into a political group (it isn't team sports, after all!), this book had me choked up many times with the feeling that, "finally, somebody actually cares enough about PEOPLE- all people!- to disagree with her "team" when the evidence suggests they are getting some things wrong- that takes guts and TRUE compassion!".

Manji is able to recognize that most people have basically good intentions. This book helps the reader to truly see that, and to figure out ways to build connections with others, to see completely different perspectives that probably weren't even considered. When you can do that, you can let go of some fear and anger. I appreciate living with less fear and anger!

At first, the fact that it was a conversation with a dog was distracting. However, I soon realized that there was a very good reason: it allowed her to "offend" her dog, and reveal how both sides (the offended and the offender) were both right in ways, both wrong in ways, and show how to get beyond it, without actually offending any humans. In doing so, it allows the reader to remain open-minded about considering all sides.

I recommend this book across the board- regardless of your political affiliations. She is up front with her political leanings, but is clear that she might be wrong in some cases and is willing to admit when evidence suggests that is the case. She doesn't think it's a team sport- she knows it's about people. This is someone whom I would love to talk to, because I know I could be open about my often different opinions and questions, without worrying about being shamed. If only more people were able to do this!

Thank you Irshad Manji!

brilliant and insightful

I am in love with this book and Irshad.
I grew up in the so called "Christian World" parents and family church and hypocrisy on a level that truly failed to employ reason or altruism nor the principles of the very teacher that Christianity was supposed to represent and embody...
As a global photographer for decades I was invited by the king of Malaysia in 1985 and stayed for a month in a country that I fell in love with,...the people, the culture, and the flora and fruit trees and forests...We took 3 days and 10 royal jets from the Malaysian Air force and the top 6 military leaders (all gardeners and horticulturists with NO war experience or interest in it) and we visited the Sultan of Brunei , who at the time was the wealthiest man in the world. I photographed a windsurfing event. (the King was a windsurfer that had all of his boards shaped in Hawaii and delivered in person from someone in Hawaii .. When I arrived in Singapore on a special flight the King of Malaysia (The Sultan of Johore) had a limo pick me up and escort me to Kuala Lumpur and the royal castle... where I was a guest for many royal dinners and some revealing conversations with the King and the Royal prince.
As a photographer I was in a heavenly realm of architecture and kind and open people, souls who understood the meaning of
universal brotherhood and kindness, much more so than the prejudiced society I grew up with ....And as a raw foods vegan I was in another level of joy, consisting of forests and orchards and gardens of some of the world's most diverse and rare fruits and flowers. I have read many many biographies of the world's horticulturists that brought us thousands of fruits and plants including Luther Burbank and David Fairchild....and a book entitled "The Fruit Hunters" about the people, mostly enthusiasts and fruit connoisseurs and fruit tree experts from the around the world that search for fruit species to bring back to their country as David Fairchild did in the late 1800's, about 20,000 plant/food varieties to be exact..and the history of what Luther Burbank did in the same period in southern California. So when I was face to face with the incredible plant diversity and the people of Malaysia that grew fruit trees and the market sellers of rare fruits like durians and cherimoyas and mangosteens and rare mangos and cherries I was in my version of heavenly happiness.
During the entire time I was in Malaysia, over a month I walked the streets and markets and visited galleries and museums and was hosted by citizens who were some of the nicest people I have ever met in the world and I have traveled the world globally many times as a photographer and writer.
I had a vision at the time that I would eventually come back one day and speak to the King and the Sultan about developing the incredible potential for eco tourism that the plants and fruits offered to the then emerging eco sensitive pioneers and also to the gustatory demands of the vegan raw foods enthusiasts known as fruitarians whose diet consisted of primarily fruit and raw foods...That movement has to date become the fastest growing in the world as heart specialists and Doctors promote and demand a vegan diet for heart health and disease reversal.. being in Malaysia and Borneo.Brunei was a dream come true and all paid for by the Royal family. Never once did I ever think "I am in a Muslim country" in fact when the king said it may not be wise to be walking around the streets to markets especially at night I told him I adored the people I had been meeting and sharing with...in my adventure and explorations.
So , from personal experience I found that no matter what muslim country I found myself in when traveling, the people were not only congenial, but went out of their way to be hospitable and nourishing... for years I had wanted to be one of those who brought a new synthesis of global fellowship between different cultures and varying beliefs....Because we all have more in common than we don't have in common, being on the same planet with the same issues . I had also experienced through my life that regardless of any one religion, there are those who think theirs is the only way and no one else mattered.

We are at a point in our growth now as planetary humans that we MUST absolutely and together face our mutual needs and desires and support each other rather than being antagonistic to each other because some silly dogma said we must.
it is precisely because we are now at a time when as global citizens we must face the fact that we have to cooperate and assist each other regardless of culture or faith and assist in making earth OUR home, meaning all of us,..not one religion.

So I have immensely enjoyed the books by Irshad Manji and the message they convey of an intelligent wold citizen who happened to be labeled as "Muslim" but was rather a free spirit and intelligent critical thinker….

This book and the other book book she wrote about islam and its need for new values are among my favorite of thousands of audiobooks I own... The principles they embody are essential in understanding our mutual need to cooperate and truly live the love and kindness the founders of certain faiths taught. listen to this book and enjoy the opening of the heart of a sustainable global shift from the roots up.

I loved the book

Thank you for this book, it took me a long time to finish because some things were not so easy for me to comprehend and really got me thinking a lot. I believe I will have to listen to it again in the future to be able to fully absorb all the messages and to be able to practice the moral courage.

Such an important. book and so refreshing.

this is my favorite subject these days and this book is so informative, important, and refreshingly valuable

A Must Read for Any Person

Irshad Manji is one of the greatest scholars of our times. If every American (or any person at all) would have read her book, our situation would have been a lot better.

Enlightened ideas

I really enjoyed this book. Her well thought out insights are refreshing. Her humor and sentiment adds a special touch. Unfortunately I think her ideas are too graceful, fair and intelligent for Americans to grasp. We have regressed back to caveman thinking. The reptilian brain rules these days. Still I got a lot out of it. I was drawn to this book because in the social media world, there are nothing but labels for people,and they are inaccurate.