Why Your Life Sucks

November 15, 2005
These three books follow the popular -point - formula for life change but are written from different vantage points and geared toward different audiences. Cohen, a speaker and author of 20 inspirational books, offers ten common reasons for why maladaptive thinking saps people's energy and undermines the quality of their lives. With evangelical zeal, he takes readers to task for such behaviors as trying to fix other people, getting fooled by appearances, and forgetting to enjoy the ride. If you don't tire of Cohen's overconfident tone and overuse of the word suck, there's good advice to be found here.

Pinkins, a Tony Award -winning actress and acting instructor, has taken the principles that helped her succeed despite tremendous obstacles and organized them into self-knowledge exercises and daily disciplines. The book is full of questionnaires and charts to help readers -discern - what they need to learn, -discover - what they really want, and -de-install - hot buttons. Chapters on disciplines include instructions for magnetizing one's good and making success inevitable. Pinkins's tough-love style will have a mixed reception, and not helping matters is her reliance on acronyms and diagrams. Teens, more so than adults, may find the book helpful.

Urban (Life's Greatest Lessons) takes a different tack and highlights 15 areas of focus that can help anyone realize a more satisfying life. In the chapter about forgiveness, for example, the author explains how that act can be learned, providing life stories of people who have changed their lives by forgiving. Rather than act like an overzealous cheerleader, Urban uses a soft sell to make his points; his easy-to-read book is a refreshing change from the pack. Recommended for all libraries.

Copyright 2005 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.