On Becoming Fearless... in Love, Work, and Life

September 4, 2006
In her entry into the overstuffed semi-autobiographic inspirational self-help genre, Huffington's main message is more or less unassailable: "Women have so much potential, yet we hold ourselves back. If my daughters, and women of all ages, are to take their rightful place in society, they must become fearless." Huffington ruminates on the cultivation of fearlessness in all aspects of a woman's life: body image, love, motherhood, work, money, illness and aging, with contributions from other fearless females like Nora Ephron and Diane Keaton. Though the author's common-sense feminism is welcome in a sea of women's books dedicated solely to snagging a man, it can at times be overly simplistic; regarding the reason women stay in physically abusive relationships, Huffington states that "if you understand women's deep fear of being alone, it's not a huge mystery." But generalizations such as this are one of the pitfalls of picking a motif-"fearlessness"-and using it as a litmus test for any given situation. Still, Huffington's strident voice and populist sympathies make this an encouraging, if not particularly inspiring, call to arms against the forces that would keep women "sacrificing our personal truth to go along, be approved of, or just plain be 'nice.'"

September 4, 2006
In her entry into the overstuffed semi-autobiographic inspirational self-help genre, Huffington's main message is more or less unassailable: "Women have so much potential, yet we hold ourselves back. If my daughters, and women of all ages, are to take their rightful place in society, they must become fearless." Huffington ruminates on the cultivation of fearlessness in all aspects of a woman's life: body image, love, motherhood, work, money, illness and aging, with contributions from other fearless females like Nora Ephron and Diane Keaton. Though the author's common-sense feminism is welcome in a sea of women's books dedicated solely to snagging a man, it can at times be overly simplistic; regarding the reason women stay in physically abusive relationships, Huffington states that "if you understand women's deep fear of being alone, it's not a huge mystery." But generalizations such as this are one of the pitfalls of picking a motif-"fearlessness"-and using it as a litmus test for any given situation. Still, Huffington's strident voice and populist sympathies make this an encouraging, if not particularly inspiring, call to arms against the forces that would keep women "sacrificing our personal truth to go along, be approved of, or just plain be 'nice.'"

Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2006
Huffington, nationally syndicated columnist and one of the hundreds of candidates for California governor in the election that brought Arnold Schwarzenegger to office, offers a surprisingly refreshing look at the journey women take to fearlessness. Huffington observes the standard fears that plague women's lives: insecurities about their beauty and youth, getting and keeping a man's love, the need for approval of others, the demands of motherhood. She intersperses her own personal recollections with essays by women, well-known and obscure, on their own efforts to overcome fear. Among the women who contribute essays or commentary are Nora Ephron, Diane Keaton, documentary producer Kathy Eldon, producer Marcy Carsey, author Agapi Stassinopoulos, a psychiatry professor, and Huffington's office manager. Huffington cites " The Rules" and stats from women's magazines as well as Shakespeare and C. S. Lewis, the Koran and the Bible, in a wide-ranging look at the challenges women face in family, faith, careers, and personal fulfillment to explore the rewards of facing up to fears and working steadily toward fearlessness.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)