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A review by carlyxdeexx
The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery by Suzanne Stabile, Ian Morgan Cron
4.0
Going into this book, I wasn’t sure if it would live up to the hype—I just knew that as someone intrigued by personality types and tests as well as self-reflection and betterment, this was something I wanted to try reading. I think it was definitely worth the read, and it was enjoyable throughout.
The writing style is very compassionate, honest, and personable—it doesn’t feel like a tome of impenetrable wisdom or a collection of clinical analyses. As I read through, I found myself connecting the dots about people in my immediate life, guessing at their types and wings, wanting to chat more with my partner about our respective types and how to grow in them!
I will say that these authors approach their interpretation and framing of the Enneagram from a completely Judeo-Christian perspective—God makes frequent appearances. So, if you aren’t particularly attached to God as a concept or if you have other religious beliefs, that may rub you the wrong way or make the book not quite as relatable. Being agnostic and pagan and having grown up in both Catholic and Protestant churches, it didn’t bother me too much, and there are plenty of insights to relate to beyond the religious. The invoking of God doesn’t come across as exclusionary, but it is certainly very much there.
Also, this book isn’t inclusive of non-binary people. I thought this is worth bringing up, because it’s something editors should be keeping in mind now about self-help titles. It’s so easy to make a self-help text inclusive, and there are probably plenty of non-binary people out there who are just as intrigued by the Enneagram as I was, but who would have to read through the book feeling completely erased. “He or she” is old hat now. Singular “they” all the way. Readers can handle it.
If anyone’s interested, I’m a 1w2. Thought I could be a 6, but as much as it’s strange to admit it, I think anger motivates me more than fear. Who knew?
The writing style is very compassionate, honest, and personable—it doesn’t feel like a tome of impenetrable wisdom or a collection of clinical analyses. As I read through, I found myself connecting the dots about people in my immediate life, guessing at their types and wings, wanting to chat more with my partner about our respective types and how to grow in them!
I will say that these authors approach their interpretation and framing of the Enneagram from a completely Judeo-Christian perspective—God makes frequent appearances. So, if you aren’t particularly attached to God as a concept or if you have other religious beliefs, that may rub you the wrong way or make the book not quite as relatable. Being agnostic and pagan and having grown up in both Catholic and Protestant churches, it didn’t bother me too much, and there are plenty of insights to relate to beyond the religious. The invoking of God doesn’t come across as exclusionary, but it is certainly very much there.
Also, this book isn’t inclusive of non-binary people. I thought this is worth bringing up, because it’s something editors should be keeping in mind now about self-help titles. It’s so easy to make a self-help text inclusive, and there are probably plenty of non-binary people out there who are just as intrigued by the Enneagram as I was, but who would have to read through the book feeling completely erased. “He or she” is old hat now. Singular “they” all the way. Readers can handle it.
If anyone’s interested, I’m a 1w2. Thought I could be a 6, but as much as it’s strange to admit it, I think anger motivates me more than fear. Who knew?