There’s something about a to-be-read (TBR) list.

Books seem to simply show up there.

Sometimes it’s a recommendation. Sometimes it’s a podcast. Sometimes it’s a passing mention or a moment of curiosity. And sometimes, it’s a book you discover while reading another book.

And then they sit on the TBR until, one day, you pick one up without really knowing why. And by pick it up, I mean the reservation becomes available in my library app (HUGE plug for Libby and Hoopla).

That’s exactly what happened with Doppelganger.

I don’t remember how it landed on my list. But I’m glad it did.

It was a great investment of my time, and a great companion while I spent a lot of time in the car in April.

But that’s a story for another day.

Doppelganger: A Trip Into the Mirror World by Naomi Klein

“The idea that each one of us has a look-alike walking around somewhere means that no one is quite as special or unique as we might have imagined ourselves to be.”

That line stopped time for me.

Naomi Klein has experienced this in real life. She is often confused with another public figure with a similar name, and people do not take the time to look closely at who they are quoting or referencing.

They see a name, a headline, or a surface-level similarity, and they make an assumption.

They flatten identity into something easy to process.

And if that can happen to someone with a global platform, it can happen to you in your career, especially when you rely on a title or a résumé to tell your story.

Most of us spend a lot of time trying to prove how unique we truly are.

Unique experience. Unique background. Unique skill set.

And yet, there are people out there with similar roles, similar industries, and similar accomplishments.

So what does that mean for you?

Are we not as unique as we think we are?

Or are we defining our value in the wrong way?

Because here is what I see every day in my work.

I can have multiple clients with nearly identical credentials on paper.

Same titles. Same industries. Similar years of experience.

And they are completely different people. They are not even doppelgangers.

They think differently.
They make decisions differently.
They communicate differently.
They lead differently.

No one can actually be you.

That is the part most people are not articulating.

Instead, they reduce themselves to a job title, a company name, or a list of responsibilities. When you do that, you make it easy for someone to misunderstand you or assume you are interchangeable.

You are not one line on your résumé.
You are not your job title.
You are not one aspect of your identity.

If you present yourself that way, people will fill in the gaps for you.

You have to believe that you bring a unique value before anyone else will.

And that is the core idea that stayed with me as I moved through the rest of my professional development reading.

Books I Read in April 2026

The Secret Language of Work: Hyper-helpful Scripts for Every Situation by Erin McGoff

“But networking isn’t about taking, it’s about connecting.”

It’s Not a Glass Ceiling, It’s a Sticky Floor by Rebecca Shambaugh

“Social intelligence is the ability to get people to like, respect, and cooperate with you.”

Just Do Nothing: A Paradoxical Guide to Getting Out of Your Way by Joanna Hardis

“Clients often tell me they didn’t realize that thinking or worrying is a behavior. Not to mention one in their control…Thinking is a choice.”

Sonny Boy: A Memoir by Al Pacino

This is not a book built on single quotes. He weaves stories together so artfully that each moment connects to something earlier or later in the book.
Listening to him tell the stories of his childhood, his family life, his financial challenges, and the making of *The Godfather* movies is an experience.
I recommend it.
It shows what resilience looks like when someone knows who they are at their core and cannot be influenced by others telling them otherwise.

This month’s reading reminded me of something I see play out every day in my work.

It is easy to be misunderstood when you allow yourself to be defined by one thing.

A title.
A company.
A single line on a résumé.

That is how people get flattened into something easy to process.

That’s not where your unique value lives.

Your value lives in how you think, how you make decisions, how you show up, and how you connect your experiences into something meaningful.

That is not interchangeable.

And it is not something someone else can replicate.

If this is an area you are working to strengthen, I invite you to go deeper with it.

If you are looking for a practical way to define and communicate your professional value, I invite you to explore it further using my book as your guide.

It is built around the idea that growth is not accidental. It is intentional, practiced, and reinforced over time.

If you enjoy this kind of reflection and want more ideas for your own personal development, you can revisit the past few months

Each month I share what I read, my thoughts, and the theme that seemed to appear with the collection of books I enjoyed.

Comment below and share what you are reading to grow.

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April 2026 Reading Round-Up: Identity, Perception, and Defining Your Value