Are we too judgmental of ourselves and others?

For Michael, a defining moment in his life comes on the Fourth of July when he is just seven years old. The event changes him forever and he will not see his parents for almost two decades.

Skip forward to when Michael is 19, and he walks into a lecture hall for his third college class, filmmaking. He glances at the middle-aged man—his professor—sitting at the table at the front of the room. Michael tries not to stare, but he soon realizes his eyes reveal a path to a new future.

At first glance, Michael is the perfect physical specimen of a young man, but he has learned to conceal what he thinks is his gross imperfection. The man at the table, with whom Michael immediately shares a bond unlike any other, guides Michael toward a new life, one absent of apologies.

What’s wrong with Michael? Or is the correct answer “Nothing!”

In Michael Without Apology, Catherine Ryan Hyde weaves a powerful story that connects us all to Michael. And maybe to the realization that will guide us to stop apologizing—to ourselves and to the world.

This book invites readers to ask themselves, “In the end, shouldn’t we be proud to be ourselves?”