An upbeat and sincere primer on living one’s best life.
A sunny self-help guide that aims to reveal the secret to an active and exuberant lifestyle.
This lively and passionate motivational book’s title is a nod to an Icelandic saying, “Áfram með smjörið,” which means “keep moving” or “forge ahead.” It’s this spirit of continual growth and momentum that Icelandic-American author Herman focuses on as she encourages readers to have an open mind when it comes to life’s varied experiences. Happiness can mean something different for everybody, she says, which is why it’s important to figure out what one’s personal definition of happiness is. But in order to do this, she asserts, one must willingly surrender to the unknown in order to embrace the life’s ups and downs; this, in turn, brings one closer to realizing a specific vision of happiness and fulfillment. Even this book’s chapter titles are optimistic and inviting, such as “Just Say Yes,” “Walk on the Wild Side,” and “Enjoy the Simple Things.” Likewise, Herman’s literary voice is warm and trusting as she shares her own challenges and heartaches. At one point, for example, she discusses her initial excitement after signing up for a race called Warrior Dash, which was followed by overwhelming fear and self-doubt. To her surprise, she completed the challenging marathon course faster than she expected, and the result was a renewed confidence in her own abilities: “With that achievement under my belt, I felt like there was nothing I couldn’t accomplish if I wanted it.” More mature readers will appreciate Herman’s perspective on aging; rather than see it as something to delay or avoid, she emboldens readers to greet it with open arms—because it provides a wealth of opportunities for new experiences. The book includes a “Challenge Checklist” at the end of each chapter to help readers start brainstorming about new goals and future milestones. There’s also a handy resource section with a list of volunteer and travel organizations.
An upbeat and sincere primer on living one’s best life.Pub Date: Aug. 14, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-947233-03-4
Page Count: 246
Publisher: Hekla Publishing LLC
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Some of Avant’s mantras are overstated, but her book is magnanimous, inspiring, and relentlessly optimistic.
Memories and life lessons inspired by the author’s mother, who was murdered in 2021.
“Neither my mother nor I knew that her last text to me would be the words ‘Think you’ll be happy,’ ” Avant writes, "but it is fitting that she left me with a mantra for resiliency.” The author, a filmmaker and former U.S. Ambassador to the Bahamas, begins her first book on the night she learned her mother, Jacqueline Avant, had been fatally shot during a home invasion. “One of my first thoughts,” she writes, “was, ‘Oh God, please don’t let me hate this man. Give me the strength not to hate him.’ ” Daughter of Clarence Avant, known as the “Black Godfather” due to his work as a pioneering music executive, the author describes growing up “in a house that had a revolving door of famous people,” from Ella Fitzgerald to Muhammad Ali. “I don’t take for granted anything I have achieved in my life as a Black American woman,” writes Avant. “And I recognize my unique upbringing…..I was taught to honor our past and pay forward our fruits.” The book, which is occasionally repetitive, includes tributes to her mother from figures like Oprah Winfrey and Bill Clinton, but the narrative core is the author’s direct, faith-based, unwaveringly positive messages to readers—e.g., “I don’t want to carry the sadness and anger I have toward the man who did this to my mother…so I’m worshiping God amid the worst storm imaginable”; "Success and feeling good are contagious. I’m all about positive contagious vibrations!” Avant frequently quotes Bible verses, and the bulk of the text reflects the spirit of her daily prayer “that everything is in divine order.” Imploring readers to practice proactive behavior, she writes, “We have to always find the blessing, to be the blessing.”
Some of Avant’s mantras are overstated, but her book is magnanimous, inspiring, and relentlessly optimistic.Pub Date: Oct. 17, 2023
ISBN: 9780063304413
Page Count: 288
Publisher: HarperOne
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
A sweet final word from an actor who leaves a legacy of compassion and kindness.
The late actor offers a gentle guide for living with more purpose, love, and joy.
Mixing poetry, prescriptive challenges, and elements of memoir, Heche (1969-2022) delivers a narrative that is more encouraging workbook than life story. The author wants to share what she has discovered over the course of a life filled with abuse, advocacy, and uncanny turning points. Her greatest discovery? Love. “Open yourself up to love and transform kindness from a feeling you extend to those around you to actions that you perform for them,” she writes. “Only by caring can we open ourselves up to the universe, and only by opening up to the universe can we fully experience all the wonders that it holds, the greatest of which is love.” Throughout the occasionally overwrought text, Heche is heavy on the concept of care. She wants us to experience joy as she does, and she provides a road map for how to get there. Instead of slinking away from Hollywood and the ridicule that she endured there, Heche found the good and hung on, with Alec Baldwin and Harrison Ford starring as particularly shining knights in her story. Some readers may dismiss this material as vapid Hollywood stuff, but Heche’s perspective is an empathetic blend of Buddhism (minimize suffering), dialectical behavioral therapy (tolerating distress), Christianity (do unto others), and pre-Socratic philosophy (sufficient reason). “You’re not out to change the whole world, but to increase the levels of love and kindness in the world, drop by drop,” she writes. “Over time, these actions wear away the coldness, hate, and indifference around us as surely as water slowly wearing away stone.” Readers grieving her loss will take solace knowing that she lived her love-filled life on her own terms. Heche’s business and podcast partner, Heather Duffy, writes the epilogue, closing the book on a life well lived.
A sweet final word from an actor who leaves a legacy of compassion and kindness.Pub Date: Jan. 24, 2023
ISBN: 9781627783316
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Viva Editions
Review Posted Online: Feb. 6, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2023
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