Book Review: Now What? by Laura Berman Fortgang

It's been a while since I read a "self-help book".
It's not that I have anything against them-in fact I find them useful-(Raise your hand if you read Dr. Wayne W. Dyer's Your Erroneous Zones back in the seventies)

And tell the truth. Even if you didn't read it, weren't you just a little bit curious about The Secret by Rhonda Byrne?
Now that book just made me feel bad to learn that I had brought all my troubles upon myself, just because I thought about them, therefore I attracted them-(hey, I'm not making this shit up-it really says this in the book...)

I personally loved Dr. Dyer's book. I caught him on PBS the other night promoting a new book and he's really "Zen-like" now, but darn-it-I still like him and will probably buy his new book as well. Much of what he says now is oddly similar to what I read in The Secret but I guess I just like the way he says it better.

Which brings me to the book I want to talk about today,
titled Now What? 90 Days to a New Life Direction by Laura Berman Fortgang.
First a bit about the author.

From FSB Associates.

Laura Berman Fortgang is a nationally renowned speaker and life coach, helping individuals, small businesses, and corporations forge new directions and weather change. Recently ordained as an interfaith minister, she lives in Montclair, New Jersey.

and from laurabermanfortgang.com

...Laura appearances on Oprah, The CBS Early Show, NBC's Today, Good Morning American, various nationally syndicated and cable outlets and many others, combined with major print media such as USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, MONEY and many international newspapers have paved the way for most of the successful coaches in the industry today.

Through her coaching company, InterCoach, Inc./Now What?™ Coaching, Laura has provided coaching to diverse clients ranging from homemakers, celebrities and Fortune 500 companies to NASA and the Army Corps of Engineers. Her company was voted one of the top 100 companies to watch in NJ...

First off, this isn't a book you sit down and read in one or two sittings and suddenly you are this brand-new person.
It's really a guide with good, sound, practical, and doable advice, and you find yourself flipping forward and backward to research the individual chapters as they pertain to you.

Or if you prefer, you may follow each chapter through the weekly program laid out in the two parts of the book.I particularly liked the small self-reflective exercises that appeared throughout each chapter.
There's also a resource guide in the appendix with valuable leads and tips for your quest toward self-growth and change.

I think it's a great book to keep on your desk or in your bag for easy reference, because the author writes with contagious energy-she walks the talk-and you can feel it, and as I read through, I couldn't help but wish that I could hear her speak in person.
I guess I like the way she says things too. :-)

My thanks to Caitlin at fsbassociates.com for this review copy.