I've been following Hannah on Twitter for years now, and I remember when the #Millenneagram hashtag first emerged. If I'm totally honest (Hannah, if you happen to read this, just know that I'm a 1 and much harsher with myself), I was put off by how "on-brand" and buzzword-y a lot of it was, but I also couldn't miss that underneath that was some really poignant articulations of the Enneagram. And not just poignant, but in some ways truly fresh and new, even to someone who's done a somewhat embarrassingly deep dive into it all. Soon enough, I was eagerly awaiting new posts under the hashtag, but shortly after that gave up Twitter for a while and was surprised to see when I returned that a book deal was in the works! I happened to check Amazon a week or two after it was published, found a surprisingly good deal, and ordered it on a whim –– and I'm really glad for that!
As I mentioned, I've spent a good bit of time reading about the Enneagram both online and in books, and what I really appreciate most about Paasch's book is that it genuinely feels like it adds something vibrantly unique and worthwhile to the conversation. While it's marketed as a sort of lay expression of the Enneagram so simple and straightforward that even a millennial can understand it, I don't think that's where the need is (the fact that it's exploded in popularity among millennials in the past 3 years speaks to its longstanding resonance) or the impact. But don't get me wrong, I think it's got a really powerful impact! Sure, the language is certainly less academic (and much more colorful) and she makes a point to include personal anecdotes and pop culture references, but I would say rather than that making it feel simpler or more accessible, it makes it feel more relatable and intimate and human. An interesting phenomenon when reading other Enneagram writers is that their level of formality makes for a weird contrast; you feel exposed but kept at a distance. I would argue that the power of Paasch's hyper-personal writing style (down to the frequent second-person narrative) is that it shifts the aforementioned reading experience to help you feel seen and understood (rather than just exposed) because someone is holding your hand/pep-talking/slapping you in the face. And I found some real power in that! In fact, because of it, I feel like this book on its own has the potential to be a bit more catalyzing than a lot of the other more reflective, impersonal material. And honestly, I also appreciated that the approach was so distinct in its irreverence; some Enneagram writing takes itself awfully serious...
Now that I've heralded the merits of the writing style, I will confess that it also inspired frequent eye rolls and there were points where her writer's voice felt grating and seemed to get in the way of the content. I just wanted to say, "We get it, you're edgy and hip, chill out.". But I guess you could say that's what makes it feel like a real person, which is hopefully high praise for a 4. And I suppose the book works best as a starting point (I'd argue a pretty good one for many) in that it follows a pretty standard format and structure, going type by type and breaking them up into triads. She does touch on the Instinctual Variants which is a bit more rare, and I definitely think this has some of the most nuanced, empathetic, and human descriptions of 5s that I've ever seen, and some really great details for 6s as well.
I think my biggest unmet hope or desire from the book was a lack of exploration around the Enneagram's potential power for justice work and social transformation, which only emerged because she placed a unique emphasis on that in the intro and conclusion. It offers a framing that bookends the endeavor, in some ways justifying what can feel like naval-gazing with the merit of cultivating deep self-understanding and compassion that bears growth and creates opportunities for collective connection. That's a great start and I suppose a justice-oriented outcome in its own right from that perspective, but I would have really loved if she'd included a section for each type that explicitly explored ways their strengths and weaknesses play into the pursuit of social justice; that would have felt both really fresh and exciting and cohesive to her stated intentions. As a whole, though, this is a wonderful addition to the canon of Enneagram material and adds something really valuable to the conversation. It's also genuinely fun to read, which is a plus!