Reviewed by Wendy Lipke
The author of The Courage to Be Yourself is Japanese award-winning professional writer, Fumitake Koga. He has released numerous bestselling works of business-related and general non-fiction. His encounter with Adlerian psychology in his late twenties has influenced his writing, whether it be as sole author or in collaboration with others. The Courage to Be Disliked co-written with Ichiro Kishimi, is a transformative and practical guide to personal happiness and self-fulfilment.
The Courage to Be Yourself is an enchanting guide to calm anxiety, discover your purpose, and express your truth. It has been translated by Cat Anderson and is beautifully illustrated by Narano whose art style involves use of a fisheye lens perspective and multiple colours, but predominantly soft blues swirled by line work.
Although categorised as Children’s Fiction/Self Help, The Courage to Be Yourself uses vivid storytelling to help all readers apply ancient Japanese wisdom and practical philosophy in our daily lives.
This story is told in the first person from the point of view of a young octopus, Ockley, who is being bullied and laughed at in the school situation. He finds it hard to express himself and this makes him very embarrassed. A chance encounter with the old hermit crab sees him experiencing a journey into an undersea world where he learns why he might have so much difficulty expressing himself.
The story that unfolds is a unique way to explain in simple and relatable terms the differences between feelings and thinking, and how sharing these with others is like giving your mind ‘a good spring clean’. It is suggested that writing your thoughts and feelings down also helps organise what you really believe, because when writing, you are having a conversation with yourself (44). We can talk without thinking but writing involves thinking.
Ockley learns that conversations with others are mostly made up of 90% answers or replies to questions from others. Like a game of ping pong or tennis. Our replies are a reaction to someone else and so we are not developing our own thinking. This is why keeping a diary or journal of our feelings in different situations is so important.
This story contains inspiring tools to help young readers build their self-confidence and embrace their own individuality as well as appreciating it in others.
Ockley had been volunteered by others to provide a sport’s day speech, and he was terrified that once again he would become embarrassed and ridiculed. He knew that this had been planned.
Through his interaction with the wise hermit crab, Ockley learned to see things differently, so that his life became less traumatic for him. His perception of himself improved and that was something that he hadn’t been able to achieve by himself before.
This story has many suggestions to help people of all ages in their everyday life. It is not a book that you read once and file away on the shelf. It is a self-help story that needs to be re-read as it just keeps on giving. With each reading, new gems will be revealed and remembered, helping the reader to have the courage to be themselves.
The Courage to Be Yourself
(2026)
Author: Fumitake Koga
Illustrator: Narano
Translator: Cat Anderson
Allen & Unwin
ISBN: 978-1-7611-8243-3
$ 24.99; 300pp