My co-author Susan McCarthy (aka Sumac) and I are just starting to see reviews for Sorry, Sorry, Sorry: The Case for Good Apologies, which comes out in January.  

Here’s the money quote from Publishers Weekly: “In this helpful guide…Ingall and McCarthy incisively discuss how gender, race, and class affect apologies, and weave in lucid explanations of psychological research and business and legal matters.” Which doesn’t sound like a lot of fun…but the book is fun! (The reviewer wasn’t actually nuts about the fun. “Jokey asides mostly help the advice to go down smoothly, though some readers may find the tonal shifts jarring. Still, this is an accessible and well-informed resource for navigating difficult conversations.” Hey, we’ll take it!)

The write-up of Sorry, Sorry, Sorry in The Horn Book (a venerable journal of children’s literature, for which I have written) is more of a vibe. You have to register to read it, but registration’s free. Here’s what the magazine’s “Family Reading” blog says: 

In eleven highly entertaining and enlightening chapters, the book explores the whos, whats, whens, whys, and — most importantly — hows of good apologies. Chapter 2 spells out “Six Simple Steps to Getting It Right,” and subsequent chapters include many real-life, case-study examples of celebrities, governments, politicians, corporations, and more, along with possible exceptions to the rules. 

Chapter 5, “‘I’m Sorry I Chased You with a Booger’: Teaching Children to Apologize,” might be of special interest to readers of this blog. Although it’s characteristically funny, it’s also accessible and even (sometimes, maybe, on some days) actionable. 

We aim for funny, accessible, and actionable!