Author Pier Pagano is quick to point out that much of what holds us back is a self-established – if unconscious – pattern that has become habitual. She prompts her readers to consciously eschew this blockage and ‘repattern’ their lives, emphasizing that the most important relationship in life is the one that a person has with oneself. Readers may well perceive some truth in Pagano’s assertion that ‘inside everyone is a wounded child that needs healing’. And in a sense, NO ONE CAN TELL YOU WHO YOU ARE EXCEPT YOU is part of the antidote: the healing process. This process begins by asking oneself five key questions, such as ‘What makes me happy?’, the answers to which are the starting point on the journey to changing the blueprint of our lives.
Self-knowledge is propounded, in this book, as a prerequisite for personal and emotional growth. Pagano acknowledges that the modern world does not exactly make such introspection easy – in fact, she argues that this is a world that has ‘imploded’. Like Virginia Woolf’s lighthouse, the individual struggles to stand strong in the face of surrounding turmoil and environmental attacks. But this is why it is all the more important – as is suggested – that individuals do not lose sight of their values and identity, and use their ‘inner toolbox’ not only to survive but to develop and live a fulfilling life. This book sheds light on that toolbox and attempts to encourage readers to use its contents.
Ultimately, the book’s contents reflect basic psychology – it has nothing revelatory to impart, and more anecdotal detail would perhaps help better illustrate the points made. Like many publications on a similar theme, NO ONE CAN TELL YOU WHO YOU ARE EXCEPT YOU advocates initiating change from the inside and taking steps to alter mindset and attitude. Nevertheless, Pagano consistently guides the reader and offers information and advice that is based on sound common sense. This is comforting in itself, even if that advice is hardly original – Pagano’s constant ‘you can do it’ tone is motivating and invigorating. And many would argue that this is the whole point of a self-help book.
In a world that is increasingly characterized by chaos and uncertainty, NO ONE CAN TELL YOU WHO YOU ARE EXCEPT YOU may represent reassurance and a seductive promise of a more stable sense of self, provided the reader does not expect game-changing content. Eminently readable, it emulates the style of a supportive friend.
~Amanda Ellison for IndieReader