New Books Network Sunita Sah, "Defy: The Power of No in a World That Demands Yes" (Random House, 2025)
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Apr 24, 2026 Conversations about why people stay silent and how to practice saying no in pressured situations. Stories from medicine, Milgram, and the Challenger disaster illustrate barriers to speaking up. A five-stage framework and everyday strategies show how values guide defiant action. Management blind spots, AI’s sway, and ways to teach dissent in families and schools are explored.
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Defiance Is A Learnable Skill
- Defiance is a skill, not a fixed trait, and can be learned even by those socialized for compliance.
- Sunita Sah describes her shift from obedient physician to researcher, noticing junior doctors privately questioned orders but rarely challenged them aloud.
Insinuation Anxiety Explains Silent Bystanders
- Sah identifies 'insinuation anxiety' as the fear of signaling someone is incompetent, which keeps people from speaking up.
- She links this anxiety to healthcare and aviation where juniors avoid correcting seniors to avoid insulting them.
Rosa Parks Example Shows Practice Before Defiance
- Rosa Parks' famous refusal followed years of compliance; defiant moments are usually preceded by many compliant ones.
- Sah uses this to show practice and reflection enable future acts of defiance rather than instant heroism.
