BE YOURSELF AND OTHER BAD ADVICE

Friendly, down-to-earth coaching that addresses teen girls.

Actor Amy Poehler, Walker’s colleague from her days running the talent department at Saturday Night Live, acknowledges in a foreword that developing self-knowledge “is a lifelong process.” In her introduction, Walker emphasizes the importance, in our fast-paced, content-filled world, of remembering the “one thing nobody’s talking about enough: how to think for yourself.” She addresses social, commercial, and media pressures, like “fitting in vs being real.” Prompts ask readers to think about their interests, personal qualities, and achievements that are worth celebrating. The second chapter covers feelings: their range and intensity, expressing and dealing with them, cultivating emotional awareness, and taking mindful action. Other chapters explore purpose, failure, the definition of success, smarter social media use, and engaging in activism. Throughout, the book contains practical, step-by-step advice and helpful tips, like self-affirmation phrases, while direct questions elicit reader engagement. Values like equity, compassion, fairness, and integrity underpin Walker’s approach. Her supportive, uncondescending tone includes mild touches of humor but avoids flippancy, helping the advice land without veering into lecturing or minimizing readers’ feelings. The clean, colorful layout and generously sized typeface support browsing. Occasional soft-edged, color-washed illustrations primarily center a light-skinned girl with dark curly hair; other girls are varied in skin tone and include a wheelchair user and one who wears glasses. The advice may not be novel, but it’s effective and delivered in a conversational first-person voice accompanied by personal anecdotes.

A reader-friendly guide to knowing yourself.