The first book I completed this year was the New York Times bestseller, Simply More: A Book for Anyone Who Has Been Told They’re Too Much (Flatiron Books/Macmillan Books, November 18, 2025). It’s an easy read with significant topics. Easy in the sense that it could be finished in one sitting. Again, while she covers important matters, there was something about it that made for a relaxing reading experience. I could have finished in one sitting, but I did not desire to rush through it. I wanted to take my time and let it give me daily or weekly boosts.
Through the pages, Erivo gets deeply personal about how her father’s abandonment impacted her, the unfair treatment she endured while studying at a drama academy, and her values for self-expression. In sharing her truths, she prompts the reader to look within–not just for self, but for others: Do you have anyone in your life who is encouraging you to nourish your talents/gifts? Are you doing the same for someone else? Author and literary critic Bernadette Murphy collaborated with Erivo, guiding her through the process and helping her craft what she wanted to say.
Fun fact, More is Erivo’s second book, after the inspirational picture book, Remember to Dream, Ebere.
My greatest takeaway was how Erivo moved through life knowing what she wanted, whether she was loved or not. Her loving family has been comprised of her mother and sister, and even supportive neighbors from her childhood. She also had teachers early on who made a difference. Her love for singing started young and was nurtured. These aforementioned people encouraged her to nourish her passion for singing. From a young age, she identified her calling, and pursued it unapologetically. She dared to dream.
At that drama academy, in which she is now a board member, she recalls often being mistreated and overlooked, despite getting accepted into the school. Spoiler alert, in one instance, after the leads in a play fell ill, she was instructed to sing from the background while they lip-synched to her vocals. Yes, you read that right.
It was also at this institution that she connected with a rare kind soul, a guy who invited her to sing as he played piano. One of those songs was from Wicked.
This book is not the first of its kind to encourage people to embrace who they are. However, my belief is that we can never have too many of these types of books. We need these reminders, and there are people like me who enjoy and appreciate this genre. Also, the messenger matters. There are probably people reading their first memoir-inspiration (a term I learned from past guest Christine Pride) or even their first self-help book simply because Cynthia Erivo wrote it—because her name and face are on the cover. And kudos to Norma Jean Roy, Laywan Kwan, and Kelly Gatesman, who all helped make that cover so striking, by the way.
To echo More‘s sentiments, if you ever shrank or marginalized yourself, know that you can come out of that.