Almost One of You by Kishan Reang

What does it truly mean to belong? And at what cost do we chase it?
In Almost One of You, Kishan Reang brings together personal reflection, cultural insight, and existential thought to explore a quiet, often unspoken truth: many of us live lives shaped more by expectation than by authenticity. We follow roles we have inherited, being the ideal student, the good child, the competent professional, yet somewhere along the way, we begin to lose sight of who we really are underneath it all.
Written with honesty and emotional depth, this book traces the small but significant fractures between our inner lives and the outer performances we are expected to maintain. Through essays grounded in real experience and influenced by thinkers like Sartre, Camus, Frankl, and Brené Brown, Reang reflects on themes such as the myth of perfection, the burden of social media, the silence of mental health, and the quiet strength in vulnerability.
But this is not just one person’s story, it is a reflection many of us will recognize. Whether it is the pressure to appear successful, the need to be constantly available, or the fear of being misunderstood, Almost One of You speaks to the moments when we feel disconnected from ourselves while trying to be accepted by others.
This book does not offer solutions. Instead, it opens space for us to pause, question, and gently return to the parts of ourselves we have left behind. It is an invitation to begin again, not perfectly, but honestly.