Say More: Lessons from Work, the White House, and the World

Former White House press secretary Psaki combines the personal and the professional in her enjoyable debut. Opening the account on the first day of her job with the Biden administration, Psaki recalls her determination to “reset the tone in the briefing room and hopefully take some of the venom out” of the combative exchanges that had become common during Donald Trump’s presidency. From there, she addresses readers directly, drawing from her experiences working for major political figures and raising two children to help “reveal something important about being an effective communicator.” From addressing grieving families after the U.S. pulled out of Afghanistan in 2021 to imparting life lessons to her daughter, Psaki covers a lot of ground. She shares tips on active listening, boundary setting, engaging with gossip, and captivating audiences with humor. Sprinkled throughout are self-deprecating jabs that highlight her own occasional blunders, like the time at a state dinner when she asked Chance the Rapper what he does professionally (“Failing to recognize a celebrity was not a diplomatic blunder of epic proportions,” Psaki concludes, “ but it’s still embarrassing”). Such levity helps the book breeze by. Readers need not be political obsessives to appreciate the practical wisdom on offer here. Agents: Pilar Queen and Georgia Bodnar, UTA. (May)