In People Change, Vivek Shraya discusses what it means to reinvent yourself and grow. This essay covers a lot of situations in which growth can occur— in friendships, romantic relationships, aging, coming out, within careers, with art, and even with learning to be more socially conscious. Throughout these situations she focuses on why growth is a good thing and considers why society perceives it as a negative thing. 

 

I thought this was a really interesting meditation on change and reinvention. It was a welcome way to think about the world, and aligned with how I think about my own growth. There are a lot of points I love in this book, but I especially love how Shraya emphasizes fully embracing all of our identities. Many of us may have a picture of our ideal self in our head, something we strive for and we think it will make us happy once we are that version of ourselves. But Shraya argues that there is no ideal self, because everything we experience and all of our desires for our future are a part of who we are. All of the versions of ourselves are valid. If you achieve your ideal self, then what? What comes next? It’s not possible to stay the same, we are always going to change. And Shraya’s main message is that we should appreciate and embrace it. 

 

This is a thought provoking and interesting book. If you enjoyed Shraya’s other essay “I’m Afraid of Men,” I think you’ll enjoy this one too! Make sure you check the content warnings before you read it.