Read This or Stay Stuck - Books That Actually Change Lives

How to Fight a Hydra - The Book That Sneaks Up on You and Changes Everything.

Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash

I didn’t mean to read this book. That’s how it starts.

I was newly separated, in a new house, trying to figure out how to not burn the place down while cleaning out a wood-burning fireplace. I even bought a special kind of shop vac that could suck live embers and not torch my living room. So there I was—ash up to my elbows, covered in soot, AirPods in—meaning to put on music.

Instead, I accidentally tapped on How to Fight a Hydra by Josh Kaufman.

It was free from Audible when I first signed up. I figured, “Whatever. It’s an hour and a half. I’ve wasted more time on worse decisions.” And even though I thought I was getting a cute little fantasy story, what I got was a deeply metaphorical slap in the face—in the best way.

The rest of this review (including why this book works for both adults and kids, the hidden messages behind the metaphor, and a Coach’s Corner prompt for your own hydra-hunting journey) is for paid subscribers only. Subscribe now and get monthly soul-lifting reads curated by someone who actually reads them.