Author(s): Đỗ Minh Tâm; Trần Thị Ngọc Hiền

Young Adult | New Arrivals

The epigraph to this book quotes Virginia Wolf: “The eyes of others our prisons; their thoughts our cages.” It is common today for adolescents and young adults to feel overwhelmed by a various pressures - academic pressures; social norms; and pressures to look, feel, or think a certain way. This overwhelming pressure can often lead to what is referred to as social anxiety in young people, which can easily escalate to mental illness. At the centre of this anxiety is a fear and feeling of shame when a person thinks that they do not meet social expectations.

"The Me Inside Myself" aims to help raise reader's awareness about social anxiety, learn to recognise any signs of anxiety and depression in themselves, and explore ways to deal with it. "The Me Inside Myself" is the story of the magician Lulu, who is talented at her magic craft; yet often finds herself spiralling down a path of negative thinking, which prevents Lulu from realising her dreams. The young magician feels like everyone is watching and judging her. No matter how hard she tries, others are quick to find faults with what she does and how she does it.

Young readers may find their own social fears reflected back at them through Lulu's story. The book also helps to reflect on how to overcome these fears and other phsycological bariers for finding inner peace and happiness again.

The two authors, Do Minh Tam and Tran Thi Ngoc Hien, drew on their own experiences with social anxiety and brought their own valuable perspectives into this novel.