Sholtis’ spiritual self-help book brilliantly and empathically illustrates ways to respect oneself and not let fear rule one’s life. Sholtis describes how people can sometimes get trapped in a life of excessive anger or sadness because of how their parents acted while they were children. There are examples throughout this book, such as a woman named Paula, who witnessed her father’s verbally abusive treatment towards her submissive mother. When Paula first got married, she was treated just like her mother had been, while in her second marriage, Paula became like her father and was demanding. Both of the behaviors were explained in detail on why they were unhealthy. Sholtis teaches readers that inner peace and focusing on the present won’t happen until everyone moves away from the abnormal behaviors they were taught as children.

Sholtis uses her personal family history to give weight to her arguments, including a story about her late ex-husband, Bob, who dealt with drug addiction because his mind told him that he was going to end up like his schizophrenic mother. It’s an example of how people can set themselves up to fail because of self-doubt. Sholtis also effectively uses the story of Adam and Eve to show that living in a victim mindset can lead to a downward spiral of hopelessness. The examples the author employs could prove invaluable to the reader. The author’s advice isn’t preachy and is extremely eye-opening. One of the things that might stand out to readers is the advice about how the greatest threat to a person’s well-being is not material things but “false self-hate.” The overall moral seems to be about how inner peace can’t be achieved until there is self-love and trust in God.

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