cover image NEVER SAY NEVER: Ten Lessons to Turn You Can't into Yes I Can

NEVER SAY NEVER: Ten Lessons to Turn You Can't into Yes I Can

Phyllis George, . . McGraw-Hill, $19.95 (175pp) ISBN 978-0-07-140878-3

If there's anyone who's an expert on reinventing herself, it's Phyllis George. She may be best known for her stints as Miss America 1971 and a CBS sportscaster, but she's also been the First Lady of Kentucky, Hollywood royalty (during her eight-month-long marriage to Robert Evans), the author of two books on crafts and the mastermind behind Chicken by George, a venture that brought marinated, boneless, skinless chicken breasts to supermarkets nationwide. Her motivational lessons may not be as innovative as her reinvention skills, but they just might be the swift kick in the rear some apathetic readers need. Her mantras, among them, "Say yes to yourself," "Trust your instincts" and "Learn to laugh at yourself," are simplistic yet undeniably useful, and George fleshes them out with anecdotes about her famous friends, which, though sometimes irrelevant, are uplifting and amusing. A successful interview George conducted with Jets star quarterback Joe Namath illustrates the "trust your instincts" lesson, while a silly performance she gave at a birthday party that wound up leading to a bit part in Meet the Parents serves as the backdrop for acknowledging, "timing is everything." She writes: "Sometimes opportunity arrives when you're taking the dirty laundry home and the phone rings. Answer it. Starting to believe 'I can' instead of 'I can't' can truly change the course of your life." Even if this book doesn't inspire readers to drop their laundry baskets and start a company, it does provide a memorable glimpse into the myriad adventures of its tirelessly plucky author. (Oct.)

Forecast:In person, George is a charmer. Her six-city tour and a confirmed Today Show appearance will give her the chance to shine, and advertising in the NYT Book Review and USA Today will help the book sell like hotcakes.