July 2023 MBR The Self-Help Shelf

The Self-Help Shelf

The Island of the Four Ps
Ed Hajim
Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.
307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018
www.skyhorsepublishing.com
9781510776173, $24.99, HC, 168pp

https://www.amazon.com/Island-Four-Ps-Modern-Preparing/dp/1510776176

Synopsis: "The Island of the Four Ps: A Modern Fable About Preparing for Your Future", a spinoff of Ed Hajim's bestselling memoir "On The Road Less Traveled", is a modern fable about a young man, Marketus, who leaves home for the first time and travels to an island on a quest to answer some of life's basic questions.

"The Island of the Four Ps", is a conversation with the hero's inner voice, and is divided into four fundamental sections (passions, principles, partners, and plans) which are the key ingredients to making a successful life.

This magical trip takes Marketus and his guide to four villages named after the four Ps. As he enters each place, Marketus places a green pea into a special device, which allows him to store his thoughts, retrieve them, and integrate them.

"The Island of the Four Ps" is an engaging tale that features full-color illustrations throughout in a parable comes to life in the most unusual way.

Critique: Engaging, thought-provoking, and ideal for anyone seeking or in need of inspiration in our ever-changing and complicated world, "The Island of the Four Ps: A Modern Fable About Preparing for Your Future" is reminiscent of such classic parable stories as "A Pilgrim's Progress" and offers a timeless message and is unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and academic library Self-Help and Personal Transformation collections. It should be noted that "The Island of the Four Ps" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $16.99).

Editorial Note: Ed Hajim (https://www.edhajim.com), the son of a Syrian immigrant, is a seasoned Wall Street executive with more than fifty years of investment experience. He has held senior management positions with the Capital Group, E. F. Hutton, and Lehman Brothers before becoming chairman and CEO of Furman Selz. Hajim has been the cochairman of ING Barings, Americas Region; chairman and CEO of ING Aeltus Group and ING Furman Selz Asset Management; and chairman and CEO of MLH Capital. In 2009, he became president of Diker Management and is now the nonexecutive chairman at HighVista Strategies. In 2008, after twenty years as a trustee of the University of Rochester, Hajim began an eight-year tenure as chairman of the university's board.

The Little Frog's Guide to Self-Care
Maybell Eeequay
Summerdale
c/o Octopus Books
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
www.octopusbooksusa.com
9781837991013, $11.95, HC, 96pp

https://www.amazon.com/Little-Frogs-Guide-Self-Care-Affirmations/dp/1837991014

Synopsis: "Don't forget about the subtle magic that is happening all around you every day."

Meet the little frog! With its mushroom hat and endless collection of fabulous footwear, this adorable amphibian is here to be your new best friend. Whether you need an emotional boost, some friendly encouragement or an honest view on the world, the little frog will be your guide.

Created by the California-based artist Maybell Eequay, "The Little Frog's Guide to Self-Care: Affirmations, Self-Love and Life Lessons According to the Internet's Beloved Mushroom Frog" is a small volume of perfectly compassionate affirmations for yourself or others.

"The Little Frog's Guide to Self-Care" features: More than 40 hand-drawn illustrations of the little frog; A series of beautiful life lessons and empowering reminders that it's okay to be gentle with yourself and to feel your feelings; and a humorous, no-nonsense approach to positivity.

These illustrations alone will fill your heart with love for yourself and others, and remind you that it's brave and wonderful of you to exist!

Critique: "The Little Frog's Guide to Self-Care: Affirmations, Self-Love and Life Lessons According to the Internet's Beloved Mushroom Frog" is an uplifting little book comprised of positive affirmations on self-love and empowerment -- all as told by the internet's most fashionable frog. Of special appeal and value to readers with an interest in motivational self-help resources, improving self-esteem, and enhancing the 'happiness' factor in their personal lives and the lives of their loved ones, "The Little Frog's Guide to Self-Care" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, and community library Self-Help/Self-Improvement collections.

Editorial Note: Maybell Eequay (https://www.facebook.com/maybell.eequay) is an Oakland-based artist who works in many different mediums. Born and raised in the breathtaking St. Croix River Valley, Maybell draws a lot of inspiration from her childhood home life as well as her love of vintage children's books and knickknacks. Growing up in a creative household and the daughter of two artists, Maybell has been making art since she was old enough to hold a pen. Today, she enjoys making art that has a vaguely nostalgic feel paired with tender messages and light humor.

Pancakes for Roger
Susan L. Combs
Lioncrest Publishing
https://lioncrest.com
9781544528397, $25.99, HC, 216pp

https://www.amazon.com/Pancakes-Roger-Mentorship-Slaying-Dragons/dp/1544528396

Synopsis: In a world that can feel shaky and uncertain at times, one fact holds true: nobody gets anywhere alone.

Susan L. Combs has learned that lesson many times over, and she's held onto the advice that has guided her on her journey-one that's taken her from a tiny town in Missouri to the hustle of New York City. She's faced immense personal grief and fostered immense growth, personally and professionally. Through it all, she leaned on guidance from mentors in her life.

One of those key mentors was her father, Roger. He was a man who wore many hats as: a judge, a veteran, a Two-Star Major General, a leader in his community, a loving husband (and, as we learn in "Pancakes for Roger: A Mentorship Guide For Slaying Dragons") one hell of a dad.

Though he passed away in 2018, his legacy lives on in "Pancakes for Roger" and beyond, as a portion of the proceeds from this book will benefit the University of Missouri School of Law Veterans Clinic in his honor.

"Pancakes for Roger" is comprised of a series of quick, straightforward snapshots delivered with no fluff and a whole lot of heart. The are life lessons Susan learned from Roger and others so that you too can lean on them as you set out to slay your own personal dragons.

Critique: As thoughtful and thought-provoking as it is inspired and inspiring, "Pancakes for Roger: A Mentorship Guide For Slaying Dragons" is a life-enhancing, life-motivating, life-celebrating volume of personal transformation wit and wisdom that is highly appropriate and unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and academic library Self-Help/Self-Improvement collections. It should be noted that "Pancakes for Roger" is also available in a paperback edition (9781544528403, $9.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $3.99).

Editorial Note: Susan L. Combs (https://combsandco.com/susan-combs) is President of Combs & Company, a full-service insurance brokerage firm based in New York City. She has created a dedicated website for "Pancakes for Roger" at www.PancakesForRoger.com

Mastering Resilience
Lorry Leigh Belhumeur, Ph.D.
Muse Literary
https://museliterary.com
9781958714843, $24.99 Hardcover, $14.99 Paperback, $4.99 ebook

https://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Resilience-Transforming-into-purpose/dp/1958714844

Mastering Resilience: Transforming Into Your Purpose features an 8-step formula for tapping into the underlying strengths of adversity to unfold the growth and resilience that it offers. It is highly recommended for self-help readers interested in building new strengths against all odds. Contrary to popular belief, adversity can prove the impetus to positive change that drives individuals to recognize and utilize their resilience for best benefit - but only if it's used appropriately. That's where Mastering Resilience comes into play, defining and encouraging a recognition of intrinsic values that can create new, positive directions in life choices.

Chapters contrast the author's background and her work with others as they chart a path through this process, revealing how these mindset shifts can ultimately contribute not just to better individual life and relationships, but a better world: "When we respond with compassion, we're driven to make the world a better place. That's why so many resilient individuals who have experienced childhood adversity are often driven toward helping professions and positions: teaching, counseling, youth ministry, coaching, and mentoring. Our ability to be resilient in the face of adversity has a purpose."

Psychological studies, statistics, and revelations about challenges and choices in life come into play as Dr. Leigh Belhumeur crafts a thought-provoking series of insights based on real-world examples and hard data. Powered by discussions that encourage the reassessment of life and one's achievements, Mastering Resilience contains the kinds of admonitions and encouragement that lead to a better understanding of one's place in the world and the potential for improving it: "It's important to note that these small steps may already be well within your comfort zone. To reach your full potential, remember that it's imperative to step out of your comfort zone to reach your true purpose, and to live your life according to your intrinsic values."

Readers need only be already interested in self-realization and change in order to benefit from Mastering Resilience. Whether it's used for individual growth or in group settings to reach participants interested in life values and world improvement, Mastering Resilience represents an opportunity for transformation. This makes it highly recommended for self-help libraries, book club and psychology reading groups, and individuals who would take the next step into versatility and more effective living.

Root, Rise, Roar
Dawn King
Muse Literary
https://museliterary.com
9781958714539, $4.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Root-Rise-Roar-Transforming-Beautiful-ebook/dp/B0BXYY9FTG

Root, Rise, Roar: Transforming Trauma into Your Brave and Beautiful Life is a study that rests on Dawn King's career in behavioral psychology, offering an approach to life and recovery that promotes mindfulness, emotional healing, and resilience. Rather than promoting King's own approaches, Root, Rise, Roar represents a collaborative mix of her insights and those of her clients, documenting the varied processes by which survival becomes revival.

King's mother chose alcohol as a salve to hide her pain. She "was injured by a partner who betrayed and pulverized her emotionally and mentally," and her reaction to life created a distance from her family that led to profound emotional wounds on all sides before alcohol was finally set aside.

King acknowledges both the legacy of family patterns and the power available to everyone to break them: "Looking back on my life, I see how my parents' traumas, thoughts, beliefs, and behaviours were transferred to me on very unconscious and seductively subtle levels. While genetics are undeniably inherited, I believe the learned behaviours of our parents or caregivers and environments as children have a constructive and destructive effect on us. We can also change them."

Root, Rise, Roar does more than document this path of destruction and rebuilding. It provides a diverse set of keys to better understanding these chains and how best to break them, drawing important connections through seemingly simple approaches to revising life. These evolve on as basic a level as learning how to slow down and what to do with this added time, as well as how best to place a value on it: "Slowing down allows more intentional awareness of making decisions. Impulse control is a problem in our culture, yet slowing down expands creative thinking and provides a space and place within us of making and planning for possibilities. Doing more doesn't always equal doing our best."

As new possibilities evolve from addressing and challenging familiar patterns of behavior and responses to life, the real potential of learning to live not faster, but better, are explored in a self-help inspirational guide especially recommended for high achievers who often approach their goals too measuredly or hastily.

Libraries and readers seeking a guide that introduces the paths to better living will find the clear advice in Root, Rise, Roar an inspirational key to building alternative choices in life. "So many of us have not grown up with any emotional fluency." Here is where the envisioning lessons begin, in a lesson plan that deconstructs the inherent rigidity of family patterns and negative impulses: "As we understand the difference between constructive and destructive behaviors, avoiding leaves our roots rotting in denial. We cannot grow from there. We destructively ROOT and rigidly do not change, causing anxiety, depression, addiction, and other destructive behaviours we have the power to change."

Root, Rise, Roar's ability to illustrate the process of embracing this power makes it a top recommendation for readers and book groups interested in discussing and enacting new rules for living life in a different way.

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