Absolutely, I’ve been in your shoes before when working with Little Journeys. One thing that really helped me was focusing on the way Hubbard presents each figure not just as a biography, but as a lesson in personal evolution. What I did was pick out a few individuals who clearly went through some form of transformation—like how Emerson evolved in his thinking or how Michelangelo’s passion shaped his life’s direction—and I looked for patterns in how they each faced internal or societal challenges. That’s where the theme of self-discovery really clicked for me.
One quote that stood out was when Hubbard described a subject’s journey as “not a path worn by the feet of others, but one carved by the conviction of his soul.” That line alone tied into the broader theme of forging your own identity. I’d suggest picking two or three figures and comparing how their growth is portrayed—look at what pushed them to change and what that says about the human experience. That gave my essay a strong, cohesive theme, and made it easier to connect the dots between personal growth and the overarching message of the book.