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Reviewed by Romuald Dzemo for Readers' Favorite
Mike Dee constructs a powerful self-help guide in I Am My Biggest Stranger using Dante Alighieri’s Inferno as a psychological roadmap for understanding the darkest territories of the human psyche. The author invites readers to step into the woods where they are forced to confront themselves, where he is the perceptive guide, leading them through the nine symbolic circles of human struggles. The psychological journey starts with the paralysis of limbo and moves through the storms of greed and lust that consume the soul, and to the harrowing reality of betrayal. He mirrors Dante’s descent into Hell and blends autobiographical elements, including his struggles with addiction, life-altering accident, and failure in marriage, with biblical insights and classical literature to interpret his journey as not a punishment but a necessary purification. You will learn to acknowledge the “stranger within,” understand the mind, and identify the giants that should be slain.
I have read Dante Alighieri’s Inferno many times, and have read various commentaries about the classical poem, but I have never read something inspired by the book that is as close to enlightening as I Am My Biggest Stranger. It is thoughtful, inspiring, and full of wisdom. This book illustrates how to move from confusion and survival to a stage of clarity. Mike Dee creates a great intersection between modern psychology and Christian spirituality in this thoughtful, inspiring work, and shows me how to stop running from pain and to truly “abide in Christ.” The book uses cognitive behavioral concepts, neuroplasticity, and scripture to show how our inner giants (shame, fear, seeking validation) are created. This book successfully interprets personal growth as a collaboration between divine guidance and human discipline. I was left with one resounding message: the visible giants are easy to slay because they challenge and force us to react. But the inner ones are difficult to beat because they whisper, wait, and take familiar shapes: “resentment dressed as righteousness, comfort disguised as peace, anxiety masquerading as responsibility.” These are the wars that will test your discipline more than your strength, and they are the ones that matter most.
