After closing the last page of my previous book, I was keen to get stuck into another read and this very much fit the bill. January’s 2nd book review is for “Who Moved My Cheese?” by Dr Spencer Johnson. This is a short hour long parable about responding to change, whether that be in your personal or work life.
The story features 4 characters, Sniff, Scurry, Hem & Haw, who all live in a maze and hunt for cheese to sustain themselves. When the cheese is unexpectedly moved, this forces each character to confront this change and make choices about how to respond. Each character reacts differently with, Sniff who identifies changes early, Scurry who jumps straight into action, Hem who is resistant to change with a fear of change leading to something worse and Haw who in time learns to adapt when he see’s changes leading to positive outcomes.
The differences in characters shows the different reservations we can experience when adopting change and highlights practical ways we can combat this. As we experience changes in life, we may see ourselves as different characters and the book I feel provides some useful lessons and value for all readers.
Although the book was written 25 years ago, the lessons highlighted are still relevant in 2026.
The Lessons and Questions I’ve taken away from the book are:
-What would you do if you weren’t afraid?
-Don’t be afraid to fail
-“Smell the cheese often so you know when it’s getting old”
So, should it have a spot in your book backlog?
Who Moved My Cheese Is a short and easy to follow story & I feel re-reading the book at different stages in life would help with challenges around adopting change. However, whilst short and easy to follow, I did find it quite predictable and found myself drawing conclusions about the story & lessons early on which took away some of the enjoyment of continuing.
Overall with its universal message of change being inevitable and that how we adapt is key to us ‘finding our cheese’, Who Moved My Cheese is a quick and useful read.
Publisher: Vermilion
Author: Dr Spencer Johnson
Publication Date: 1999
Length: 94 pages
The ABC Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
