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The Girl Who Would Be Free: A Fable About Epictetus
FROM THE #1 New York Times bestselling author and creator of The Daily Stoic, Ryan Holiday...
...comes one of the most incredible stories in all of history.
Another ageless fable that brings the wisdom of Stoicism to all. Two thousand years ago, in Ancient Greece, a little girl is born into the harshest possible life. Through the power of philosophy, she not only liberates herself from slavery but she frees the minds of millions of people in the centuries that follow...
And now, a story for the ages is illustrated and told for all ages in The Girl Who Would Be Free.
This 148 page book is written by bestselling author Ryan Holiday and illustrated by the illustrious Victor Juhasz.
RYAN HOLIDAY is one of the world's foremost thinkers and writers on ancient philosophy and its place in everyday life. He is a sought-after speaker, strategist, and the author of many bestselling books including The Obstacle Is the Way; Ego Is the Enemy; and The Daily Stoic. His books have been translated into over 30 languages and sold over three million copies worldwide. He lives outside Austin, Texas, with his family. You can follow him @ryanholiday or subscribe to his writing at ryanholiday.net and dailystoic.com.
Victor Juhasz is an award winning illustrator and visual reporter. His work has been published in Sports Illustrated, Esquire, the Washington Post, Rolling Stone, and elsewhere. Visit juhaszillustration.com for more information.
...comes one of the most incredible stories in all of history.
Another ageless fable that brings the wisdom of Stoicism to all. Two thousand years ago, in Ancient Greece, a little girl is born into the harshest possible life. Through the power of philosophy, she not only liberates herself from slavery but she frees the minds of millions of people in the centuries that follow...
And now, a story for the ages is illustrated and told for all ages in The Girl Who Would Be Free.
This 148 page book is written by bestselling author Ryan Holiday and illustrated by the illustrious Victor Juhasz.
RYAN HOLIDAY is one of the world's foremost thinkers and writers on ancient philosophy and its place in everyday life. He is a sought-after speaker, strategist, and the author of many bestselling books including The Obstacle Is the Way; Ego Is the Enemy; and The Daily Stoic. His books have been translated into over 30 languages and sold over three million copies worldwide. He lives outside Austin, Texas, with his family. You can follow him @ryanholiday or subscribe to his writing at ryanholiday.net and dailystoic.com.
Victor Juhasz is an award winning illustrator and visual reporter. His work has been published in Sports Illustrated, Esquire, the Washington Post, Rolling Stone, and elsewhere. Visit juhaszillustration.com for more information.
148 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 2022
97 people are currently reading
796 people want to read
About the author
Ryan Holiday
98 books18.2k followersRyan Holiday is media strategist for notorious clients like Tucker Max and Dov Charney. After dropping out of college at 19 to apprentice under the strategist Robert Greene, he went on to advise many bestselling authors and multi-platinum musicians. He is the Director of Marketing at American Apparel, where his work in advertising was internationally known. His strategies are used as case studies by Twitter, YouTube, and Google, and have been written about in AdAge, the New York Times, Gawker, and Fast Company. He is the author is *Trust Me, I'm Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator*, which is due out in July. He currently lives in New Orleans, with his rebellious puppy, Hanno.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
July 16, 2022
I wish I could rate this 1000%. This book is excellent, makes you really think, and a bit emotional. Such important lessons. I would much rather read books with a stoic perspective to a child than any religious text.
May 25, 2024
Ryan Holiday’s book is an evil lie.
Ryan, Epictetus is a man. And you are a liar.
Ryan Holiday is notorious for political evil.
He consistently espouses authoritarianism and censorship over freedom and justice.
This lying book is all the more evil for being beautifully false.
It’s a honeyed wasp, that stings you with a falsehood so innocent that you think to yourself “why not? What does it matter that it’s all based on a lie?”
He does grave harm not only to Epictetus, but to the nature of the good, true, and beautiful, by creating a book to corrupt children based on a lie.
Because - a child can reason based on this book - what is one little lie? What does it matter? If the great stoic writer can lie, why not lie in other small matters?
What would Epictetus say? He would declare Holiday a disgrace.
Edit: the rot spreads.
Stoic author Donald Robertson on the Facebook Stoic group (stoicism group (stoic philosophy)) imitates Holiday’s focus on censorship and authoritarianism by suppressing and censoring any mention of Ryan’s lies and problematic politics.
So it’s interesting to see the rot of evil from Ryan Holiday spread to other stoics in the form of illiberalism, censorship, and intolerance of genuine diversity.
Why is Stoicism so rotten? 2 reasons.
1. Because it sells Robertson’s and Holiday’s books.
And 2. because Stoicism was always the cheap commercial Roman/American knockoff version of Virtue Ethics, for when your goodness absolutely needs to fall short of justice in order to pass the scrutiny of the authorities.
Ryan, Epictetus is a man. And you are a liar.
Ryan Holiday is notorious for political evil.
He consistently espouses authoritarianism and censorship over freedom and justice.
This lying book is all the more evil for being beautifully false.
It’s a honeyed wasp, that stings you with a falsehood so innocent that you think to yourself “why not? What does it matter that it’s all based on a lie?”
He does grave harm not only to Epictetus, but to the nature of the good, true, and beautiful, by creating a book to corrupt children based on a lie.
Because - a child can reason based on this book - what is one little lie? What does it matter? If the great stoic writer can lie, why not lie in other small matters?
What would Epictetus say? He would declare Holiday a disgrace.
Edit: the rot spreads.
Stoic author Donald Robertson on the Facebook Stoic group (stoicism group (stoic philosophy)) imitates Holiday’s focus on censorship and authoritarianism by suppressing and censoring any mention of Ryan’s lies and problematic politics.
So it’s interesting to see the rot of evil from Ryan Holiday spread to other stoics in the form of illiberalism, censorship, and intolerance of genuine diversity.
Why is Stoicism so rotten? 2 reasons.
1. Because it sells Robertson’s and Holiday’s books.
And 2. because Stoicism was always the cheap commercial Roman/American knockoff version of Virtue Ethics, for when your goodness absolutely needs to fall short of justice in order to pass the scrutiny of the authorities.
August 20, 2022
Holiday and Juhasz knock it out of the park, again. Yet another amazing fable, making Stoicism more relatable to a younger crowd.
This time, liberties were taken with the gender of the main character, Epictetus. Instead of being a boy in the fable, Epictetus' story is told from the eyes of a slave girl. For the record, I have zero issue with this. It allows this book to reach and impact a much broader audience, and allowed a message of equality to eminate from the story. As Holiday mentioned in the book's afterword:
"If any part of this artistic choice is upsetting to you, well, let us remind you of one of Epictetus's greatest quotes: 'If someone succeeds in provoking you, realize that your mind is complicit in the provocation. Which is why it is essential that we not respond impulsively to impressions; take a moment before reacting, and you will find it easier to remain in control.'"
Well-played.
The art, once again done by Victor Juhasz, was incredibly well done, and a vital part of effectively communucating the story of Epictetus to the reader. My favorite illustration in the book is the teaching moment, where Epictetus's father imparts wisdom on his death bed. An amazingly illustrated moment, and the sentiment of "Amor Fati," sums up the scene and the theme of the book to perfection.
Thanks to the author and the illustrator, for an incredible book that I get to share with my children.
This time, liberties were taken with the gender of the main character, Epictetus. Instead of being a boy in the fable, Epictetus' story is told from the eyes of a slave girl. For the record, I have zero issue with this. It allows this book to reach and impact a much broader audience, and allowed a message of equality to eminate from the story. As Holiday mentioned in the book's afterword:
"If any part of this artistic choice is upsetting to you, well, let us remind you of one of Epictetus's greatest quotes: 'If someone succeeds in provoking you, realize that your mind is complicit in the provocation. Which is why it is essential that we not respond impulsively to impressions; take a moment before reacting, and you will find it easier to remain in control.'"
Well-played.
The art, once again done by Victor Juhasz, was incredibly well done, and a vital part of effectively communucating the story of Epictetus to the reader. My favorite illustration in the book is the teaching moment, where Epictetus's father imparts wisdom on his death bed. An amazingly illustrated moment, and the sentiment of "Amor Fati," sums up the scene and the theme of the book to perfection.
Thanks to the author and the illustrator, for an incredible book that I get to share with my children.
August 8, 2022
In his previous book for kids, The Boy Who Would Be King: A Fable About Marcus Aurelius , Ryan Holliday addresses Stoic principles through the life story of Marcus Aurelius, who was raised from a young age to become the future emperor of Rome. In this book, the story is of an enslaved girl named Epictetus, based loosely on the life and Stoic teachings of the historical man Epictetus. It is a great introduction to Stoic thought for kids.
April 1, 2024
Knowing Ryan Holiday has a daily dad email makes me want to have kids so I can get it and apply his teachings. That probably discounts me from being a father right there.
But if I had kids, I'd read this book and its sister title, The Boy Who Would Be King: A Fable About Marcus Aurelius, with them.
Holiday distils the Stoicism to its essentials and Victor Juhasz's artwork is beautiful and creates the perfect mood.
But if I had kids, I'd read this book and its sister title, The Boy Who Would Be King: A Fable About Marcus Aurelius, with them.
Holiday distils the Stoicism to its essentials and Victor Juhasz's artwork is beautiful and creates the perfect mood.
January 13, 2024
Wonderful introduction to Stoicism. The book is a modern retailing of Epictetus with a female prospective. Ryan holiday had a knack for explaining deep philosophical concepts not only to adults, but kids. I think this book would be beautiful for families to read together. This was a perfect book to begin 2024 and i will be looking back to multiple pages during this year.
June 19, 2024
So I love the message about having the power within you to be in control of your own emotions and you being in control of your happiness regardless of your circumstances. However, I abhor the notion of the happy slave…. The circumstances of the main character make the positive message harder to digest.
December 26, 2022
This book much like its predecessor is a great way to introduce children to philosophy! The pictures of fun, the story inspires and the wisdom of Epictetus is broken down into easy to understand pieces. The fact that Epictetus is a girl in this story in no way changes the impact that the book can make, rather it broadens the appeal. You could argue that since he was a man this isn’t historically accurate, and to that I say you’re right to an extent. However, the truth is we know very little about the ancient philosophers so how do we truly know that much of what we teach is totally accurate? This is a story and the story is what matters not the gender of the protagonist. If you want to have a fun educational bed time story for your children or you simply want a quick read packed with wisdom then this is a great read!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 19, 2023
A great read, it only took 10-15 minutes to go through as it is a kids' book. Yet I found myself lingering on pages and enjoying the art and timeless quotes written here.
"How you do anything is how you do everything. Her father would say. And if you do it well it can be beautiful, no matter what it is."
"Every situation has two handles, Musonius explained, we can grab the one that empowers us or the one that doesn't. We can see the obstacle or the opportunity."
These books on stoicism get me to reexamine what I do and work to improve inner landscape and in doing so the outer world improves as well.
"How you do anything is how you do everything. Her father would say. And if you do it well it can be beautiful, no matter what it is."
"Every situation has two handles, Musonius explained, we can grab the one that empowers us or the one that doesn't. We can see the obstacle or the opportunity."
These books on stoicism get me to reexamine what I do and work to improve inner landscape and in doing so the outer world improves as well.
May 19, 2024
Enjoyable sequel to a brilliant predecessor
While “the boy who would be king” focused on Marcus Aurelius, this one focuses on Epictetus, turning him into a girl.
I liked this choice. Made it much easier to read to my kids, a boy and a girl, having a different gender main character in each book.
Frankly I was much more bothered by having Marcus Aurelius be the one who frees Epictetus. I had already told my kids about Marcus’ two predecessors, Hadrian and Antoninus! Then we get Nero here as a bad emperor, and suddenly Marcus Aurelius appears while Epictetus is still a girl… It was quite difficult to untangle the timeline!
While “the boy who would be king” focused on Marcus Aurelius, this one focuses on Epictetus, turning him into a girl.
I liked this choice. Made it much easier to read to my kids, a boy and a girl, having a different gender main character in each book.
Frankly I was much more bothered by having Marcus Aurelius be the one who frees Epictetus. I had already told my kids about Marcus’ two predecessors, Hadrian and Antoninus! Then we get Nero here as a bad emperor, and suddenly Marcus Aurelius appears while Epictetus is still a girl… It was quite difficult to untangle the timeline!
July 26, 2022
This was very approachable for my 3rd and 5th graders with the afterword explaining the true Epictetus (wish they'd given a pronunciation at the start of the book! or did I miss it?) and the thought that went into their creative choices for the fable. The story was a great start to philosophic discussions I hope to get into more in the next school year. As an added bonus, the pictures were inspiring for my artist daughter.
We've already read The Boy Who Would be King. I can't wait for more from the series.
We've already read The Boy Who Would be King. I can't wait for more from the series.
July 8, 2023
my son didn’t hate it! kindle format was awful
My son normally will start shrieking when he doesn’t like a book. He (12!) allowed me to read him this as a bedtime story! Makes me so happy for him to learn about struggles of ancient people. It’s not just him. He could learn a lot from them.
Kindle format on iPhone was awful, had to zoom in and out every page. How does a publisher allow that?
My son normally will start shrieking when he doesn’t like a book. He (12!) allowed me to read him this as a bedtime story! Makes me so happy for him to learn about struggles of ancient people. It’s not just him. He could learn a lot from them.
Kindle format on iPhone was awful, had to zoom in and out every page. How does a publisher allow that?
September 20, 2022
The Girl Who Would Be Free is a fable I purchased to give to my 12 year old granddaughter. I read it and love it.
Said granddaughter is a budding artist. The illustrations throughout tell a great deal of the story.
My fervent hope is that she will read and re-read this lovely book long after I'm gone and find much wisdom and comfort in it.
Said granddaughter is a budding artist. The illustrations throughout tell a great deal of the story.
My fervent hope is that she will read and re-read this lovely book long after I'm gone and find much wisdom and comfort in it.
July 11, 2022
While there were sections in the kindle version where the letters were overtop of one another making it slightly more challenging to read it was a really great story with amazing illustrations and full of wonderful lessons. 100% recommend to everyone to read it
April 30, 2023
I didn't realize how short this book was. It is aimed at young children. However, the message (probably not 100% correct, somethings were likely changed to simplify the philosophy/story) is very clear and easy to understand. I really enjoyed the book.
5/5 if I was a kid or got this for a kid.
5/5 if I was a kid or got this for a kid.
Read
January 28, 2024This is a book about Epititus. It is his life story but summarized in a point of a view of a girl who is a slave (as he was).
This is a book for kids, and I think it would be very nice for people to read this to their kids. Stoicism is very strong. I wish more people were into it.
This is a book for kids, and I think it would be very nice for people to read this to their kids. Stoicism is very strong. I wish more people were into it.
July 10, 2022
Unable to read on Kindle
The Kindle unlimited edition was unreadable. The letters were typed over each other. I will order the physical book instead.
The Kindle unlimited edition was unreadable. The letters were typed over each other. I will order the physical book instead.
July 13, 2022
It was okay. I didn't much care for how the character's sex was changed, or how the story was changed. It might be an okay children's book.
July 14, 2022
Short and sweet.
July 22, 2022
I literally feel like a child when I was reading this, amazed by the learn of these pages. Loved it
August 6, 2022
My 12 year old read this to me. A “simple” children’s story with themes and messages that kept us talking for a while. Excellent book for her.
August 10, 2022
Ebook problems
Unfortunately the ebook version has unseparated words with overlapping letters in every page turning reading difficult. Otherwise the story is worthwhile.
Unfortunately the ebook version has unseparated words with overlapping letters in every page turning reading difficult. Otherwise the story is worthwhile.
December 16, 2022
new insight old wisdom
Ryan has created a book for children and adults alike that teaches wisdom which has lasted the test of time.
Ryan has created a book for children and adults alike that teaches wisdom which has lasted the test of time.
December 31, 2022
Many good life lessons
most important is accepting things we cannot change and focusing on what we can control.
most important is accepting things we cannot change and focusing on what we can control.
February 1, 2023
I love the story, it's simple and guiding.
February 25, 2023
I wish I had children’s book as moving as the ones Ryan and Viktor are putting out. Stoicism is becoming accessible to a larger audience with this series.
May 29, 2023
Brilliant
Brilliant book for everyone 👏 👍 👌 A must read for you if you want your life to me something meaningful
Thanks
Brilliant book for everyone 👏 👍 👌 A must read for you if you want your life to me something meaningful
Thanks
December 28, 2023
Extremely wonderful book. Pretty much highlighted the entire book.
September 18, 2024
Awesome read!
January 26, 2025
Great parable on stoicism.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews