Book Review: The Courage to Be Yourself by Fumitake Koga, translated by Cat Anderson

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The mix of storytelling techniques and clearly defined concepts makes this book stand out.

Feature image credit: Allen & Unwin

The Courage to Be Yourself follows the story of Ockley and his unlikely friend, a wise old hermit crab whom he meets when he can’t bear facing another day at school. Ockley starts to meet regularly with the wise old hermit crab, and he becomes both a soothing and guiding voice for Ockley. As he starts to take on the hermit crab’s advice, Ockley starts to understand himself better and gradually changes over time, becoming more confident. The way the story unfolds doesn’t make it feel like you are reading a book founded deeply in philosophy.

I quite enjoyed the first part of this book, where award-winning author Fumitake Koga drills down and explicitly explains the meanings of words such as feelings and thoughts. As a follower of Adlerian psychology, Koga explores these ideas and more through conversations between Ockley and the hermit crab. The explicit explanations make you stop and think about how we understand and interpret these words ourselves, and what the differences actually are.

However, I found the second and larger section of the book was a little bit repetitive, and it didn’t feel like anything new was being added. Fortunately, the different techniques of writing — switching from dialogue to narrative scenes to diary entries — broke up some of what felt monotonous, whereby Ockley worked through his difficulties by taking on the hermit crab’s advice in real time.

As the book is aimed at 10 to 14-year-olds, the language used and its overall structure are simple, yet the messages are profound. It is a mixture of fiction, self-help, and philosophy, as opposed to being a straightforward ‘self-help’ book, with the primary goal being self-acceptance. However, there are no doubt many adults who could take something from the book, as the ideas about understanding your feelings, accepting yourself, and having the courage to be yourself are not limited to any particular age. As a parent or teacher, it is the type of book you could enjoy, read, and then discuss together.

Reviewed by Rebecca Wu

The views expressed in this review belong to the author and not Glam Adelaide, its affiliates, or employees.