Who Better Than You?: The Art of Healthy Arrogance & Dreaming Big

Who Better Than You?: The Art of Healthy Arrogance & Dreaming Big by Will Packer, Harmony 

This week has felt odd, for reasons I can’t quite explain. Maybe it was tied to the full moon, or the fact that we got our first real snowstorm of the season here in Milwaukee, or just the overall dizzying state of the world that has had me wanting to hide under a pile of every blanket I own and just wait for the literal and figurative storms to pass by. The idea of engaging in any kind of creative endeavor, even writing this book review, has felt daunting. My unexpected source of comfort this week? Will Packer’s new book, Who Better Than You? 

Imagine Aesop’s Fables, if Aesop were a modern-day Hollywood film producer recounting his real stories about rubbing elbows with celebrities like Idris Elba and Regina Hall. Packer shares key memories stretching from his childhood through to his storied career as a producer, drawing a meaningful life lesson to share with each one.  

Though Packer has lived through experiences most of us can only dream about—most of us, for example, will never find ourselves pitching Beyoncé to star in a movie—the lessons he distills from each experience are deeply relatable. Pulling from his early days as an intern on his first movie set, Packer analyzes the importance of praise and recognition as a motivator in the workplace. From a wild ride of a story involving shuttling Kevin Hart between a movie set and a sold-out comedy special at Madison Square Garden (and then prying him away from afterparties featuring Jay-Z and the Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony), Packer teaches readers to always expect the unexpected when it comes to the best-laid plans. Throughout the book, Packer encourages readers to work hard, be fearless, and stay true to themselves, often reminding us that the road to success won’t always be straightforward, but it can certainly be interesting. 

I don’t normally purport to tell readers how they should approach their reading experiences but hear me out just this once: when this title drops on February 18, pick up both the audio version and a physical copy. True to his vocation as a producer, Packer not only narrates his own book but has turned it into an entire production, replete with music and sound effects and a star-studded supporting cast. Packer’s voice already shines marvelously on the written page, so it’s an added treat to get to hear Packer’s actual voice delivering lines with warmth and humor. Once you’ve finished listening, go back and re-read the book on paper with your favorite annotation tools in hand. The book is filled with lines worth highlighting and writing down, from sentences that cause you to bust out laughing to ideas that invite you to pause and reflect more deeply on what you want out of life.  

Who Better Than You? is as comforting as it is inspiring, a much-needed ray of warm sunshine arriving in the depths of this February winter gloom. After reading Packer’s book, I feel reinvigorated to chase after my creative endeavors with renewed hope and energy and to find new ways, even when the going gets rough, to live each day to the fullest.