By Kaylie Seed
In December of 2019, Hailey Rodgers published her debut nonfiction novel, See Me, a guide to living and being your authentic self. Rodgers created thirty insightful, raw, and real principles that are meant to teach the reader how to live their life authentically. At the end of each principle Rodgers breaks down the most important points that the reader should take away and provides points to ponder to get the reader thinking. This book is split into three different sections: Authenticity, Happiness, and Success. Each of the principles and sections dance with one another to show how to embrace your authentic self.
Incredibly perceptive herself, Rodgers not only uses her own experiences to shape out the story but she also has included peer reviewed articles and uses interviews that she has conducted (with a diverse array of young adults) to back up each and every one of her points. See Me is exceptionally well-researched and the structure of the novel is clean and crisp. In the beginning of See Me, Rodgers explains how this book is meant to be used as a guide and how readers can jump to-and-from different sections depending on what it is that they may need more guidance with. While See Me is mainly targeted towards young adults, Rodgers shows the reader that there are always ways that we can improve on our self-worth, self-esteem, and self-acceptance and how accepting your authentic self brings out a happiness like no other. Touching on topics such as emotional intelligence, mental health, and how failure leads to more success, Rodgers has cultivated a guide to living your authentic life while appreciating and accepting the differences that you have with others. Rodgers is wise beyond her years and See Me shows just how insightful she truly is. With this being her first book, I cannot wait to see what she does next. We need to stop being social chameleons that blend in and start becoming and living our most authentic lives unapologetically.
Thank you to Hailey Rodgers for this gifted copy of See Me.