November 2023 MBR The Self-Help Shelf

The Self-Help Shelf

Resilience: A Different Kind of Strong
Jenn Henry
Muse Literary
https://museliterary.com
9781960876157, $25.99 Hardcover, $15.99 Paper, $2.99 ebook

https://a.co/d/bc5pCTd

Resilience: A Different Kind of Strong is (as author Jenn Henry maintains in her introduction) not a comforting kind of book. It cultivates a series of discussions that can lead to uncomfortable self-examination as they consider the foundations of resilience, differentiating it from typical discussions of its strengths and possibilities. Henry's focus is on how to build a sustainable life and the habit of serving others while supporting spiritual, psychological, financial, and ethical pathways that serve as foundations for these efforts. "Take your power back," Henry admonishes from the start. The rest of this book is about realizing these elements of personal empowerment, understanding how they interact and work in the greater scheme of life purpose, and using a blend of purposeful living and scientific support to achieve these goals.

Take gardening, for one example. Some readers might think that "playing in the dirt" is nothing to write home about, but Henry points out the scientific support for the healing qualities of cultivating a mental and physical garden. Henry's ability to use encounters with others and life lessons gleaned from them covers the basics of newfound possibilities in her life. This, in turn, maps a stronger course for others also searching for greater self-empowerment, translating to a book rich and ripe in tried, tested strategies for revising life pursuits. The discomfort stems from the many candid assessments of self and others that can't help but prompt readers to consider their own life messages, influences, and good intentions gone awry: "I had learned that if you loved someone, you gave them things. You did things for them. You didn't tell them 'no.' My parents always said 'yes' and that meant they loved me, right?"

Of special note is how these early examples and lessons led to takeaways that weren't always healthy, despite their underlying best intentions. As Henry weaves a concurrent self-portrait and a close consideration of the roots and incarnation of resilience, she creates the kinds of pathways that will prove uncomfortably irresistible to readers committed to self-improvement and change. This will prove especially appealing to those unafraid of more closely examining the message and contentions that drive their motives, ideals, and lives. The result is a self-help title that embraces elements of memoir and psychological growth, creating a wider-ranging consideration of intentions and impacts; thus recreating the wheel of empowerment towards a better ride and results. "It still blows me away how the lack of trust in yourself can directly impact the choices you make and the chances you are willing to take."

Libraries and discussion groups from psychology and self-help to book clubs that seek passionate, potentially controversial, and thoroughly absorbing reading will find plenty of food for thought and discussion in Resilience: A Different Kind of Strong. It is highly recommended above most others in the self-help/growth genre.

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