Rating: 
Summary: Practical advice for accepting your responsibility!
Review: I generally don't find psychology books very useful, too much pseudo science and impractical mush, sorry for the bias, but I am an Engineer and I am used to the "hard" sciences.Dr. Browne's no nonsense approach is refreshing. We are all dealt a hand of cards, that doesn't mean we have Aces or a full house, but we can play the hand we are dealt to the best of our abilities. If you accept this, and accept your responsibility to make the best of what you have, then you will have a happy life. This is what Dr. Browne is telling us in this book. Thanks for the common sense! Remember the plaque at Engineering corner of the Michigan Quad. It has advice of the first Dean of Engineering at University of Michigan, "Young Man, when theory and common practice diverge, use your horse sense!"
Rating: 
Summary: So real its scary
Review: I had heard snippets of her talk show for years on and off since, I was a young teen. However, it was not until I met her at the NATPE conference in New Orleans and she gave me autographed copies of her book for my mother and I that I really had a chance to read one of her titles. I've always been a reader, but this book is a grand slam home run. As a separated, minority professional who grew up in a two parent professional family as a gifted female; I have often felt that I must have been doing something wrong all along because I was playing by the rules and not reaping what I thought were the rewards: a perfect job, body, home, kids, and marriage. But this book gave me the reality check that I had long needed without dummying me down and turning me off at the same time. Great job, Dr. Joy and thanks!!!
Rating:
Summary: Only For The Courageous
Review: I thought Dr. Joy's book was great, even though it did meander at times and often had comments and stories as asides. I think this was just a stylistic choice, though, so arguably not a drawback. Empowering yourself takes courage, and involves risk. But are you willing to step up? You should be, because, frankly, the alternatives suck. Dr. Joy points out the DIS-empowering fantasies that hurt us (usually without our knowing it!). To boot, she writes about constructive actions and personal choices we can take on to help our lives, no matter what they may be. While this review may sound general, Dr. Joy doles very specific advice from real past callers and writers she has experienced. As many of the other reviews state, this book's overarching theme is that we have to take responsibility for our lives and well-being - and we have the power to do so if we choose to use it.
Rating: 
Summary: If this were a term paper, it would get a C
Review: I'm sure she meant well, but Dr. Browne's got way too many thoughts on her subjects. Her arguments are meandering and without point. She contradicts herself constantly. Sometimes she makes no sense just to make a joke. I didn't understand several of her "shrink wraps." She attacks common reason/common sense and applies her own, weird, contradictory logic. This book, with its arguments, would have been much better if she had just thought about it a little more.
Rating:
Summary: If you like her radio show, you will like this book!!
Review: If you like the way Dr Brown does her radio show you WILL like this book. Each chapter begins with her own opinions and is followed by questions and answers that deal with the subject being discussed. The only complaint I had was her own comments were too short in some chapters---only a few paragraphs--and the rest of the chapter was questions and answers. I think there is a lot the average, everyday person can learn from this book, the chapters on the myth of romantic love was especially well written IMHO. Dr Brown calls it like it is, like it or not. I like it!!
Rating:
Summary: Real-world remedies for real-world bad behaviour
Review: Less heavy-handed than her book and radio peer Doctor Laura, Joy Browne is NO less emphatic on her readers and listeners taking responsibility for themselves to change bad situations. She underlines this in her most recent book, in which she advises readers to pull themselves out of the clouds of their dreamworlds and plant their two feet firmly into the world of reality. She uses plain and easy-to-understand language to convey intelligent and insightful observations about nine specific, improbable scenarios many of us crave but from which very few benefit. She admonishes stupid behaviour resulting from perpetual fairy-tale existence and offers real-world solutions and scenarios without casting holier-than-thou judgment or Biblical moral rhetoric upon her broad audience. My one complaint is that she occasionally sinks into trite psychological bantering and seems to have a "you don't love yourself enough" answer to some difficult questions. Overall, however, she's got a grip on her stuff; after reading this book, I got a sense that she clearly understands real people and how they interact with one another. It is also clear that she understands people's setbacks enough to give us sound advice for coming to terms with the real world.
Rating: 
Summary: Some Will Like It, Some Won't
Review: Let's face it. There isn't THAT much difference between a lot of these pop psychology/self-help books. The question is often HOW it's said, rather than WHAT is said. Personally, I find Joy Browne's "wake up and smell the coffee" style entertaining and invigorating, like a splash of cold water in your face on a winter morning. If Fran Drescher was going to play a Psychologist, instead of a Nanny, maybe she would sound like this. Take Joy Browne's advice in good humor, with a grain of salt and ENJOY it!
Rating:
Summary: Some Will Like It, Some Won't
Review: Let's face it. There isn't THAT much difference between a lot of these pop psychology/self-help books. The question is often HOW it's said, rather than WHAT is said. Personally, I find Joy Browne's "wake up and smell the coffee" style entertaining and invigorating, like a splash of cold water in your face on a winter morning. If Fran Drescher was going to play a Psychologist, instead of a Nanny, maybe she would sound like this. Take Joy Browne's advice in good humor, with a grain of salt and ENJOY it!
Rating:
Summary: Incredibly Uplifting and Motivating
Review: The author has some amazing insight into the human condition, and I recommend this book highly. Even if you don't harbor any of the "nine fantasies," understanding them can be extremely helpful in your dealings with others, both professionally and personally.
Rating:
Summary: "Joy is as engaging to read as she is to hear."
Review: The Dr. Joy Browne Show is a mainstay of several successful Talk radio stations I consult. In several markets -- including NEW YORK -- where they compete head-to-head, she BEATS Dr. Laura in the ratings! I've recommended that client stations use this and her other books as marketing and promotional tools. Why: Her books are as hard to put down as her show is to turn off.
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