17/07/2025
Book review: 'The Courage to be Disliked' by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga 📚
Fumitake Koga, came across a book on Adler’s Psychology written by Ichiro Kishimi when he was in his twenties. This sparked an almost obsessive interest in not just Adlerian Psychology but in Ichiro Kishimi’s books relating to this subject. Then, over 10 years later, Koga manages to arrange a meeting with Kishimi and successfully pitch his idea for them to write a book together.
This book is not just about having the courage to be disliked but about how to be happy with who you are and where you are in life at this current point in time. To focus on what is in our control and leave alone anything that is not. This book is structured in a conversational style between a philosopher and a youth. Therefore, you also get the youth questioning or arguing with points that the philosopher makes, which helps to make the book not just philosophical but practical as well.
I would recommend this book to everyone, and it is probably a book you need to read repeatedly. If you have read the book, let me know your thoughts.