Make Magic: The Book of Inspiration You Didn't Know You Needed
Brad Meltzer's new book reminds us to show up as our best selves while recognizing and supporting each other's potential.
Make Magic: The Book of Inspiration You Didn't Know You Needed by Brad Meltzer, William Morrow
A few things to note about Brad Meltzer’s book, Make Magic: first, it’s a compact book, measuring about five by seven inches. You could keep this in your car’s glove compartment, carry it in a generously sized coat pocket, or leave it on a coffee table or in your bathroom for guests to page through. Second, it’s not long—about a hundred pages, all told—and the text is laid out in large, colorful letters, so it’s a quick read. Finally: it’s a lovely book, one you’ll no doubt be glad you can keep handy to return to any time you need a dose of inspiration.
Make Magic is an adaptation of Meltzer’s commencement address to the University of Michigan Class of 2024. He uses magic as an extended metaphor, noting that there are four primary categories of magic tricks: 1) making something appear, 2) making something disappear, 3) making two things switch places, and 4) transforming one thing into something else. Just as a magician never reveals their secrets, I won’t reveal the exact breakdown of that metaphor here. At its core, the book exhorts readers to choose kindness, empathy, and awe over cruelty and disillusionment. The world, Meltzer argues, is made better when we choose to show up as our best selves, fully present and comfortable in our own skin, each and every day.
Though the book primarily addresses individuals and calls upon them to live courageously, I found another, perhaps more vital question arising throughout: what are we all doing to create spaces that actually welcome people in? To approach life with kindness, vulnerability, and determination and to embody the ultimate version of oneself is only one part of the equation; as Meltzer notes, “That version only comes out with people you’re comfortable with and who appreciate the real you—and love you for it.”
Last weekend, I participated in Ladies Rock Camp, hosted by the organization Girls Rock MKE. The premise of the camp is to learn an instrument, form a band, write a song, and perform it in a final showcase, all over the course of three days. It sounds impossible, yet somehow, it always comes together. How? Because those three camp days form a space so intensely saturated in encouragement and belief in one another that everyone’s potential inevitably bursts through. When the people around you treat you as if you’ve already transformed into the future version of yourself—a drummer, an artist, or simply a more confident version of yourself—the motivation to fully embrace that identity becomes unstoppable. “When someone you trust sees your potential and says they believe you can be that person,” Meltzer writes, “it opens a path and inspires you to become that version of yourself.” It really feels like magic.
Supportive spaces shouldn’t be a luxury—they’re an absolute necessity. The tragedy is that many of us go through life without fully knowing who we could have become had someone given us the opportunity to try. The good news is that, if you’re reading this, it’s not too late to change that outcome. To this end, Make Magic is a valuable resource to keep close at hand. It reminds us that, just as we owe it to ourselves to constantly evolve and strive for better things, we also have a responsibility to unabashedly recognize the potential in one another and help each other flourish.
