Published By: Melville House
Pages: 128
Released On: 04/07/2024
Look in the mirror – what do you see?
We all feel, instinctively, that self exists. That somewhere inside us, under the clothes, the make-up, and self-tan, lurks a hard ‘pearl’, a kernel of truth called ‘me’. And it’s big business uncovering that ‘authentic’ kernel. It’s also a fool’s errand, because that ‘true self’? It doesn’t exist.
Self is no more than a story we tell ourselves. It’s mutable, pliable as Plasticine. Worse, it’s not even strictly autobiographical, but co-authored with those around us. And as such, there is no one version, but myriad, and the number is growing as we are exposed to ever more connections.
We are already seeing the effects travel, television, and celebrity culture can have on the formation of self, but as digital and social media exposure grows, and in the advent of AI, what will happen to our sense of self? Can we become ever more multiple and adapt better to our globalised world? Or will we dissolve into narcissistic, detached ‘nobodies’?
*****
Thanks to Melville House for the gifted proof of this title in return for an honest review and a spot on the book tour.
I had not heard of Joanna Nadin prior to reading this book, but having read it I can see she’s a very knowledgeable and interesting author.
To be honest, I have never given it much thought, this idea of self. Because it’s MY self. So I don’t think about it. So this was eye-opening.
It is a quick book, just over 100 pages, and so it is ideal to fit within a busy schedule. I think it’s a good length, any longer and I think it might have become a bit dry, but there’s enough information in there not to feel short changed.
There are no chapters as such, it’s instead split into a few parts, with specific sections within, dependent on the topic in hand. But it’s mainly split between this idea of past self, and the future self.
It felt very narrative, almost like a story, rather than a piece of non-fiction, which was interesting. I was expecting it to be very heavy with research and facts and big words and whatnot. And yes there are elements of that, but it is more approachable than I thought it would be for a layman reader.
I admit, there were times it felt a bit vague. And by this I mean Joanna asks a lot of questions and then provides theories or things other people have said, or reflections of her own life. There’s nothing concrete as such. Which, if I’m honest, I was expecting considering this idea of self is so ambiguous and not tangible. And I was concerned I would get a bit sock of it, all these questions with no real answers. But I realised it wasn’t going to be as big a problem as I thought. Instead it asked me to the questions and opened up a lot of thoughts and memories of my own self.
On a side note, I found the word ‘plethora’ on the first page and that made me very happy as it’s a word I try to get in at least once a day!
I mean, if I’m being really honest, it’s not completely gripping or thrilling. It may be a little dry for some tastes. But what it does give you is interesting, thought-provoking, honest, difficult, self-evaluating, factual, well-research, and well-written information, and whilst you may not get the same thrill as a novel, if you’re like me, you will still come out of feeling better for having read it.
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