Book Review: Make Magic Book: The Book of Inspiration You Didn't know You Needed by Brad Meltzer Brad Meltzer/ A Book That Won't Teach You Anything New (And Why That Might Be the Point)

Brad Meltzer is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of thirteen thrillers, six nonfiction books, and the host of History Channel’s Lost History. His work often blends storytelling with themes of character, leadership, and moral courage. 

Candidly, when I finished Brad Meltzer’s Make Magic, my first reaction was, this didn’t change how I think about kindness, empathy, or compassion.

And that’s true.

Adapted from Meltzer’s 2024 commencement speech at the University of Michigan—delivered at his son’s graduation—this is a fast, one-sitting read (30-45 minutes) built on familiar truths. If you’ve spent years reading philosophy, Stoicism, leadership, or personal development, there’s nothing here that feels groundbreaking.

But after sitting with it, I realized that critique might actually miss the book’s purpose.

Make Magic isn’t trying to advance wisdom. It’s trying to protect it.

The Stoics reminded us long ago that we don’t suffer from a lack of principles—we suffer from forgetting to practice the ones we already know.

In a culture that rewards cynicism, outrage, and performative virtue, Meltzer does something quietly radical: he speaks plainly about decency without irony. No hot takes. No intellectual gymnastics. Just a steady reminder that small acts of kindness, showing up for others, and choosing empathy still matter—especially for young adults stepping into a world that often discourages those choices.

For someone like me, this book serves as reinforcement, not revelation. But for graduates and emerging professionals, it may arrive at exactly the right moment.

So here’s the real question the book raises—not whether it’s “deep” enough, but whether we’ve become so conditioned to chasing new frameworks that we undervalue simple truths when they’re stated clearly and sincerely.

I’m curious how others see it:
 Do we actually need new ideas—or do we need better reminders of the ones we already know?


Recommended rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

C. Francis, 01/10/2026