Be Happy Without Being Perfect

Coaching perfectionists is a difficult task, but Karen White captures the listener's ear in her delivery of the authors' recommendations. Like a good friend with the best intentions, White cajoles the perfectionist to rethink, re-evaluate, and use other strategies presented here to let go of the quest for a faultless existence. Although some of the quizzes are difficult to manage while listening and doing another task, listeners would be well served to find a notebook and pen to calculate their own "perfectionist quotient." White deftly characterizes the real-life case studies in which interviewees describe how they have battled unrealistic expectations. This worthwhile examination of self offers practical techniques to calm the inner perfectionist. D.L.M. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine


Well paced and easy to listen to, this self-help book reaches out to those who are not easy on themselves. The aim is compassion for the person who cannot stop striving for perfection. The listener feels co-author Alice Domar's warmth as she narrates. Delivered in an inviting and empathetic voice, each chapter seems like an individual session with the psychologist. Yet some of the flippant-sounding solutions to high-stress situations, expressed in Domar's casual tone, makes one wonder if she takes some of her solutions seriously. For the most part, however, both narrator and material sound genuine and leave the listener feeling supported and encouraged to mull over the suggestions for changes. M.R. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine