Recognizing Richard Rabbit: A Fable about Being True to Yourself

Resources for Humans managing editor Celeste Blackburn reviews the book Recognizing Richard Rabbit: A Fable about Being True to Yourself by Peter Weddle. Review finds that while book may be useful in therapy setting, it doesn’t offer much for the HR professional.

In Recognizing Richard Rabbit: A Fable About Being True to Yourself, Peter Weddle separates each page turn: on the right side is the fable of Richard Rabbit and on the left is what he calls “a corresponding interview with yourself.” The fable follows Willie Wabbit’s transformation into his “true self” Richard Rabbit. Along the way, his friends offer support and try to help him find a good luck charm that will help him change his life. In the end, he realizes that he is his own good luck charm (he does, after all, come with an attached rabbit’s foot). This fairly clever fable does a good job of illustrating that we make our own luck and that we can’t just wish for things and hope that they will happen.

The questions that appear on the left side of the page, Weddle asks readers to ask themselves as they read the fable. A reader who is willing to do some personal probing would most likely find some inspiration or insight in this activity. However, I don’t really think that the work being done here is appropriate for HR or the workplace. It is much more suited to be a companion or homework for a therapy session with someone who is trained to examine a clients life, motivations, and demons. In fact, I would worry that any HR person who used this book at the office would be walking that dangerous line of getting too personal with employees.

So, if you are thinking about making changes in your personal life or want a pep talk about being true to yourself, check out this book. But I’d say you should definitely leave it at home.

Celeste Blackburn is managing editor of HR Insight (www.HRHero.com/insight) and Diversity Insight (www.HRHeroblogs.com/diversity). She has taught composition at the collegiate level and worked as a journalist.