I started this book a week and a half before leaving for a two-week vacation, and as I was reading this library ebook in my computer's browser the book did not come on vacation with me. When I came back home I wasn't in the same head-space, and decided to let this book go. I had completed the tasks/answered the questions set out in the first 2 (or was it 3?) chapters, and these few activities themselves were helpful, no matter that I didn't finish the book. The part where one investigates their own values was particularly eye-opening, and I think very helpful in removing some of the negative judgements I'd been holding onto about my own life. It was also therapeutic to write out clearly (and without over thinking it) answers to some of the questions about WHY I'm feeling the need for this book and what changes I hope to see. I suspect that the book would offer me even more useful guidance if I were to continue reading it, but I'm feeling content to ruminate on what I've got from it so far; I can always check it out again from the library if I need more help. ( )

Therapist Emily V. Gordon talks about identity and self-esteem using the framework of building a superhero, all in order to help others on their road to self-improvement.

When the COVID-induced stay-at-home order started, Emily V. Gordon and her husband had a podcast to help others through that time. I really enjoyed listening to it and found some comfort in hearing them work through the many difficult emotions brought up by the virus and responses to it (e.g., frustration, fear, sadness, etc.). When it ended abruptly, I looked into what books by Emily V. Gordon were available through my library's digital avenues and found this one.

So that is a long roundabout way of saying this book was not really for me at the place I am currently. I'm not arguing that I am the paragon of mental health and need no improvement; rather self-esteem and self-identity are not big issues for adult me. On the other hand, teen-aged me probably would have benefited greatly from this book. Indeed, Gordon says in the introduction that the book is intended for those in their teens through their 40s. She also gears the language towards women, as she notes that is her own lived experience so she can speak to it best.

Speaking of lived experience, Gordon uses a mix of made-up examples as well as tidbits from her own life. In some ways, this book almost feels like a mini-memoir in parts, although the focus always comes back around to therapeutic tools to help readers with their struggles.

And, while I felt the book's focus as a whole did not necessarily speak to me, there were certainly still parts of it that were good reminders for maintaining solid mental health and keeping stress levels down, such as self-care skills. So, I do think the book could potentially benefit all readers on some level, although it definitely is aimed more at the specific problems of identity and esteem building.

The audiobook version is read by the author herself, which I appreciated as I was used to hearing her voice from the podcast. ( )