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This Way to Change: A Gentle Guide to Personal Transformation and Collective Liberation―Poems, Prose, Practices
An inspirational roadmap to changing yourself—and the world—through self-healing, transformation, and decolonization from artist, poet, and changemaker Jezz Chung.
Artist, poet, and activist Jezz Chung (they/them) focuses on cultural change through personal transformation. In This Way to Change , Jezz shares contemporary poetry, accessible prose, and healing practices from different therapeutic modalities to explore subjects like healing your inner child, nourishing friendships, decolonizing your thinking, deconstructing binaries, and intentional community-making. The interactive healing practices in this book include writing and reflection prompts, somatic exercises, guided meditations, and more to help readers tap into their powers of self-healing on their journey through change.
Perfect
Artist, poet, and activist Jezz Chung (they/them) focuses on cultural change through personal transformation. In This Way to Change , Jezz shares contemporary poetry, accessible prose, and healing practices from different therapeutic modalities to explore subjects like healing your inner child, nourishing friendships, decolonizing your thinking, deconstructing binaries, and intentional community-making. The interactive healing practices in this book include writing and reflection prompts, somatic exercises, guided meditations, and more to help readers tap into their powers of self-healing on their journey through change.
Perfect
224 pages, Hardcover
First published March 19, 2024
20 people are currently reading
562 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
June 16, 2024
Loved this so much!!
March 16, 2024
This is a good book to graze through, gleaning what speaks to you and leaving the rest. For me, the care compass is helpful. I like any ideas about pleasure, intuition, and curiosity.
It is also very… Brooklyn, though. Sometimes I play a game where I don’t look up the location or credentials of an author and try to guess based on the words; 9 out of 10 times I’m right when it’s Brooklyn. And by that I mean, it’s a particular flavor of the social justice world (and identitarianism) that will either be empowering or alienating, if not downright hypocritical, depending on your context for it.
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
It is also very… Brooklyn, though. Sometimes I play a game where I don’t look up the location or credentials of an author and try to guess based on the words; 9 out of 10 times I’m right when it’s Brooklyn. And by that I mean, it’s a particular flavor of the social justice world (and identitarianism) that will either be empowering or alienating, if not downright hypocritical, depending on your context for it.
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
January 15, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book!
In many ways, I felt like this book was written specifically for me. I spend my time thinking about disability, gender, sexuality, white supremacy, abolition, and creating cultures of care… and while those are all very clearly connected, it’s rare to see anyone pull them all together like this.
I also appreciated that the book was a mix of poetry, essays, exercises, and questions to sit with. They provide a good mix of ways to take information in, as well as a mix of ways of accessing reactions within yourself.
Something I love about this book is the seemingly random order of pieces leads to sparks of inspiration. For example, there is an essay about the origin of the term “Asian American” and the evolution of that as an identity category, and it is followed by a poem about how the HIV/AIDS crisis has left us without many queer elders. Those two pieces together left me thinking not just about the lack of queer elders, but specifically the lack of Asian American queer elders because of the compounding impact of having multiple marginalized identities.
I’m looking forward to the release of this book, and I can see myself gifting it to friends!
In many ways, I felt like this book was written specifically for me. I spend my time thinking about disability, gender, sexuality, white supremacy, abolition, and creating cultures of care… and while those are all very clearly connected, it’s rare to see anyone pull them all together like this.
I also appreciated that the book was a mix of poetry, essays, exercises, and questions to sit with. They provide a good mix of ways to take information in, as well as a mix of ways of accessing reactions within yourself.
Something I love about this book is the seemingly random order of pieces leads to sparks of inspiration. For example, there is an essay about the origin of the term “Asian American” and the evolution of that as an identity category, and it is followed by a poem about how the HIV/AIDS crisis has left us without many queer elders. Those two pieces together left me thinking not just about the lack of queer elders, but specifically the lack of Asian American queer elders because of the compounding impact of having multiple marginalized identities.
I’m looking forward to the release of this book, and I can see myself gifting it to friends!
December 16, 2023
This Way to Change by Jezz Chung is a very helpful and meaningful collection that serves as a guide to transformation and liberation. It combines poetry, prose, to-do lists, and practices to guide readers towards a life filled with acceptance, freedom, joy, and growth.
There's such a huge variety of important topics in this book, which is why I think it's best read over a bigger space of time rather than in one sitting or anything close to that. It gives you a lot to process (in a good way). Some of the main themes are deconstructing the gender binaries, decolonisation, building a community, friendships, healing your inner child, and more.
When I first went into the book, I thought it was a poetry collection, but it's more of a non-fiction guide to building a better life. There are some poems but not the majority of the book. So if you want an interactive book with a lot of helpful advice and prompts, this is perfect for that. I definitely learned a lot from the pages, and I will go back and read through the different prompts so I can actually do them.
There's such a huge variety of important topics in this book, which is why I think it's best read over a bigger space of time rather than in one sitting or anything close to that. It gives you a lot to process (in a good way). Some of the main themes are deconstructing the gender binaries, decolonisation, building a community, friendships, healing your inner child, and more.
When I first went into the book, I thought it was a poetry collection, but it's more of a non-fiction guide to building a better life. There are some poems but not the majority of the book. So if you want an interactive book with a lot of helpful advice and prompts, this is perfect for that. I definitely learned a lot from the pages, and I will go back and read through the different prompts so I can actually do them.
November 9, 2024
overall amazing so 4.5 - i just wish there were clearer sections for different themes, i know this is a collection but it felt a bit incohesive at times
i loved the essays and poems and visuals in this book though, got me thinking about a lot of things! i especially liked the different approaches to what community care can look like and appreciated the various intersectional lenses that were used
i loved the essays and poems and visuals in this book though, got me thinking about a lot of things! i especially liked the different approaches to what community care can look like and appreciated the various intersectional lenses that were used
December 21, 2025
4 stars - I enjoyed reading this book. Jezz Chung offers a gentle and visually vibrant approach to personal transformation. The book feels like a warm invitation to look inward, focusing heavily on the intersection of neurodiversity, equity, and self-care. It is a wonderful resource for anyone looking to align their personal habits with their values. It is a book I will return to whenever I need a moment of clarity and guidance.
December 12, 2023
Thank you NetGalley and Publishers for the opportunity to read and review! I did find parts of the book interesting and it held my attention while other parts I ended up skimming or straight up skipping. I think this book would be better to read overtime rather than in all one sitting, and I think that could make my reading experience with this book better.
August 28, 2024
"the future is calling for our help
and most of us are too afraid to
listen"
Interesting and easy to read collection of advice, poems, and snippets of life experiences.
(Any apprehension is entirely on my part, as I'm not used to reading poetry, but even still I found the contents relatable in some points and insightful in others!)
and most of us are too afraid to
listen"
Interesting and easy to read collection of advice, poems, and snippets of life experiences.
(Any apprehension is entirely on my part, as I'm not used to reading poetry, but even still I found the contents relatable in some points and insightful in others!)
April 18, 2024
I truly love this book! I love that Jezz utilizes a variety of disciplines in the book to help people find their way toward healing, transformation, and liberation. So good!!! Do yourself (and someone else) a favor and buy it. You're welcome!
August 22, 2024
What an incredibly innovative collection of poems, prose, and practices. I really enjoyed working my way through this book and took took my time. Definitely recommending to all my reader friends looking for a reflection of their neurodivergent challenges.
April 26, 2024
A balm for autistic folks feeling misunderstood <3
June 15, 2024
This is definitely a book I'll be coming back to multiple times, whether for reminders or for reworking the practices as I evolve as a human being.
June 28, 2024
genuinely one of the best books i’ve ever ever read 😭 like a warm sip of tea after a long cold walk and everything i needed.. what a very talented human!
August 25, 2024
a treasure trove of resources!! a warm hug of a book
January 25, 2025
Loved this book so much I felt very understood and seen
January 23, 2026
Wow, this was fantastic! This had got so much soul and honesty. I loved the poetry with healing practices rooted in social justice frameworks. My kind of book!
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews