Go Back to Go Forth: Wisdom from Your Seven-Year-Old Self

From the bestselling author Annie Barrows comes a wise and encouraging reminder to rediscover the way you moved through the world at seven years old: curious, imaginative, and fully alive to possibility. The perfect gift for graduation and milestone moments at any age.

Adapted from Annie Barrows’s heartfelt commencement address to the English graduates of the University of California, Berkeley, this slim but resonant volume invites readers to move forward by reconnecting with their imaginative and wide-open seven-year-old selves.

With warmth, humor, and hard-earned wisdom, Annie urges graduates to draw on the power of that inner self to resist the forces that flatten curiosity and stifle joy. She does so by defending the study of literature—the way reading invites us to imagine other worlds, experience other perspectives, and reconnect with the curiosity and creativity that came naturally when we were children. By championing the transformative power of reading, she offers an inspiring reminder to stay openhearted, observant, empathetic, and fully engaged with the world around us.

Short enough to read in one sitting yet meaningful enough to revisit for years, Go Back to Go Forth is an ideal gift for graduates, readers, writers, educators, and anyone stepping into a new phase of life.

• BOOKISH WISDOM FOR A NEW CHAPTER: A warm, thoughtful meditation on reading, curiosity, imagination, and reconnecting with the openhearted way we saw the world as children.
• THOUGHTFUL GIFT FOR GRADUATES & READERS: This small volume makes a meaningful graduation, milestone, or encouragement gift for book lovers, students, educators, writers, and anyone navigating change, transition, or fresh beginnings.
• FROM BESTSELLING AUTHOR ANNIE BARROWS: From the beloved writer of the Ivy + Bean series and coauthor of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, this is a moving reflection on literature, individuality, and growing up without losing yourself.
• LITERARY GUIDANCE: In the vein of This Is Water by David Foster Wallace and Congratulations, by the Way by George Saunders, this keepsake volume offers timeless encouragement and literary wisdom drawn from a celebrated commencement address.