cover image GROW—THE MODERN WOMAN'S HANDBOOK: How to Connect with Self, Lovers, and Others

GROW—THE MODERN WOMAN'S HANDBOOK: How to Connect with Self, Lovers, and Others

Lynne Franks, . . Hay House, $17.95 (256pp) ISBN 978-1-4019-0226-1

Franks, a London-based public relations whiz and visionary, offers this guidebook to help women get in touch with their inner feminine power. Over the years she's met numerous women who are burnt-out, having long ago disconnected from their femininity in order to survive in a masculine workplace, or simply disconnected from their inner selves in order to manage the demands of work, family and marriage. She, too, reached a collapse in her high-powered, overly busy life. In the same week, she left the successful PR firm that she led for 20 years, and her husband left her for an old family friend. Even readers who haven't experienced such dramatic transitions can relate to this thoroughly modern woman's crises. Franks clearly understands the hunger women feel for greater connection with their inner selves in order to experience more fulfillment in life. However, her delivery is not unlike the lifestyle she is trying to overcome—frenetic and busy. The text is broken into numerous subcategories, along with randomly inserted activities and fill-in-the-blank writing exercises. Her chapter on sexuality has inspiring messages, but her insights are weakened by some superficial coverage of some topics. For instance, she offers only a two-paragraph mention of same-sex love—the same amount of attention given to a perky lesson on strengthening pelvic girdle muscles. Despite its occasional lapses, though, there are many original and useful suggestions in this guidebook. (Mar.)