I love it when I come across a book that redefines a word for me in a fundamental and profound way. Me Power by Lanysha T. Adams did just that. Early on, a direct quote from the book struck me with the realization of how deeply language shapes our understanding of power:

“I am compelled to write about empowerment because we need a new way of thinking and acting that moves us beyond outdated power models. The old models keep us on autopilot, where we do what we were conditioned to do without question. We must stop thinking of power as something we can authorize, give away, or take from others. Instead, we need to start seeing it as energy—a flow of possibility that can be tapped into.”

This concept flipped my own thinking. How often in HR do we speak about “empowering” our staff and leaders? It sounds positive, but it actually implies a master-servant dynamic, subtly undermining our belief in individual agency.

Another powerful insight from the book reinforced this idea:

“But empowerment is not something we receive like a gift. It is something we do; it is a process in which we engage. Me Power challenges the notion that we need to be empowered by others. Me Power must be constructed from within…. In its popular use and etymology, empowerment has more to do with power over, referring to an externalizing effect of controlling, impacting, or influencing others. In fact, power over is the opposite of empowerment, yet the two terms share a similar meaning, both referring to giving someone else power or authority.”

I wish I had read this book when I first received the advance copy several months ago. The good news is that it’s available now, and I highly recommend it. Me Power redefines empowerment by shifting the language to focus on “Me Power,” which Adams describes as the “combination of self-knowledge and principled action.” The book breaks down how to harness the five guiding principles of the M.E. framework, which are cleverly designed mnemonic captions for ME:
1/ Motivated Energy
2/ My Education
3/ Myself Expressed
4/ Mastering Excellence
5/ More than Enough
This book is a must-read for leaders as a reminder that true empowerment doesn’t come from hierarchy; it’s built from within.

This is a great empowering read especially for the BIPOC community. Her resilience and persistence is something one can recall when those imposter syndrome creep up. This was a very grounding and reaffirming reading experience. #MePowerBook #NetGalley

The title and book blurb captured my attention immediately, and I've never been so excited to read and review a book.

For added context, I'm a licensed professional counselor who specializes feminist therapy and treating clients with quarter-life crises, and I'm a millennial on the cusp of 30--needless to say, I needed to read this book not only for my clients but for myself.

I had HIGH expectations for this book, and it SURPASSED my expectations! Dr. Adam's background in education helped to make this book as approachable and actionable as it was. She provided clear explanations, definitions, and call to actions to ACTUALLY apply Me Power to your life. (I've never highlighted so many quotes and passages in a Kindle version!)

Although I LOVE research as much as any other academic nerd, I greatly appreciated her thoughtful and down-to-earth writing style. I also loved the antidotes of her personal life when she applied Me Power and moments when she wished she had. She applies Me Power effectively across different industries, populations, and environments.

It's rare that I recommend a book to my clients; however, I WILL be recommending Me Power to many of my clients struggling with empowerment and finding their sense of self. Thank you, Dr. Adams!

“You can’t control what happens in life, but you do have the power to choose how you react.”

While there are many things in this book that I don’t necessarily agree with - this is something that I love. It’s absolutely true that many things are out of our control, but our personal reactions and responses are 100% ours. If we can’t control anything else, we can control our reactions and this is the most powerful statement in times of struggle for many.

Overall this book covered a path to self empowerment or Me Power. It didn’t acknowledge the existence of mental illnesses that make it difficult to place the focus needed to complete these tasks (or if it did, it was overshadowed and I honestly cannot remember it). I do wish that because emphasis on our frame of mind was placed that there would have also been emphasis on the struggles that affect the way our brains process information. There were also a bunch of stories that, while interesting, I felt took away from the story itself. If we’re learning to “tap into” this Me Power, I don’t know why we’re reading stories about the authors teachers or famous people - I just didn’t find this to be necessary or completely on topic. I’m pretty picky about that though, so grain of salt and all that.

Thanks to LoveBooksTours and NetGalley for the ebook!

I really wanted to like this book, but it was super repetitive and the examples, while incredibly interesting, didn’t necessarily actually align with her steps. It felt like a reach to say that this persons accomplishment happened as a result of one of her ME steps. Some of the people have already died so there’s no way to ask them exactly what was going on when they overcame some obstacle or another, but the rest were just interesting stories that show someone overcoming obstacles….period. Also all the different things she claims makes someone successful seems like an unfair oversimplification. Overall there were some interesting stories and some good life choices that people could use to empower themselves, but I don’t think this book is a self care book that will dramatically change anyone’s life having read it.

I was really interested when reading introduction, I don't read a lot of self-help books anymore , so I was excited about this one as it sounded really important and fresh.

Even though I agree with most of the points the author brings up, the way it was written is just not for me. Ideas and thoughts were valid critique/things we should discuss, but a lot of them were not really very relevant to the core. Some parts felt like logical fallacies or contradictions (it didn't necessarily mean they weren't valid points or I disagreed, but connections between that points didn't seem logically correct).

Overall, it is wrapped in that new theory (or concept, "Me Power"), but for me it seemed like it didn't bring anything really new.

The opening of this book. Wow. It pulled me in from the beginning. First of all, that a professor could say that to such a promising and intelligent young woman and that sadly, it happens more than we know and the consequences of cruel and heartless words (that are a reflection of the person saying them, not the person they are said to). Fortunately, this author did finally realize that and wrote an empowering book about the power in authenticity. And changes how we consider empower. A great guide on self discovery and personal development.

This was a very helpful book! I enjoyed the combination of anecdotes from both the author and the people she interviewed alongside the proven methods for self-improvement. The formula is easy to follow and well-articulated, with each chapter being comprehensive on how to change your life. This was the boost I needed on my journey of self-discovery. Thank you, Dr. Adams!

There's something that's often got on my nerves working with local communities and it wasn't well defined until I read this book.
"Empowerment" is a word that we use and throw around in reports on impact-but what does it mean to empower? This book answers two key questions: 1. what is empowerment and 2. how is it manifested? How do people manifest it?

The author proposes five guiding principles which are key to what she calls 'Me Power' and this is self knowledge and principled action coupled with the principles that provide a framework for understanding empowerment and how best to self-develop.

I learned something new in reading this book on looking into barriers that hinder my growth and also having a personal board of directors comprised of various mentors in key areas I need to develop.

This would be a great book for anyone in social and community development to ponder over the various approaches to empowerment- and what it means for the communities involved. It would also make a great personal development read.

Thank you Netgalley for the eARC.

I liked this a lot. The writing was captivating and thought provoking. I hope to pick up something similar to this sooner rather than later!