Self-doubt, self-acceptance, self-esteem, self-loathing—it is essential to have a good relationship with oneself in order to function well in life and to establish healthy relationships with others. But how does one develop self-esteem without going overboard and becoming an egoist? This is the question that is exhaustively explored in Michel Esparza’s book Self-Esteem without Selfishness, published in Spain in 2010, and recently made available in an excellent English translation by Devra Torres (Scepter Press, 2013).

This topic will be familiar to devotees of self-help books, but Esparaza’s solution is no quick fix.