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| Customer Reviews: | | Average Customer Review: ( 43 customer reviews )
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7 of 7 found the following review helpful:
Its time has come Jul 05, 2008
By Tina
"Tina"
I have just finished reading You Turn, Changing Direction in Midlife, written by Dr. Nancy Irwin and I am feeling encouraged and hopeful.
I loved this book. Written in a down to earth, concise and in a highly entertaining manner, the author has gathered people from all walks of life and asked them to detail the changes that they decided to make at the mid-point in their lives.
This fine collection of true stories will help you take a closer look at who you are, where you are at and where you want to go. This book could not have came at a better time. Many of us, in our mid-forties, are asking ourselves some serious and hard questions. Although our parents believed in the slow, stead and secure path, our generation appears to be the generation of change - and I, for one, have embraced this new outlook on life.
You Turn, Changing Direction in Midlife encourages and motivates you with stories of hope and infuses you with a 'can do' attitude. Yes, change is scary, but it can also feed your soul and make life worth living. I particularly enjoyed the stories in which the average person gave up their everlasting quest to make money and decided to start giving back to society. I found these stories to be the most inspirational.
I encourage anyone who is tired of their current life (and lifestyle) to pick up this book and read it from cover to cover and then to go back and re-read the stories that touched you the most - I am willing to bet you will be inspired to make some changes
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
 Few inspiring stories Dec 03, 2008
By TexanInWashington
Frankly, this book didn't impress me in the slightest. The stories read like biographical articles submitted to your local newspaper, and with few exceptions, I wouldn't say they are inspiring. It's debatable whether many of these people improved their lives or simply changed them. Of course, the subtitle is: "Changing Direction in Midlife". I think it can be assumed that most people hope to read inspiring stories of down-and-out folks who really turned it around and became ultra-successful. This isn't necessarily the case here. For instance, one of these so-called success stories can simply be summarized as:
A middle-aged woman with nearly-grown children finally got tired of her over-controlling husband and realized that she would be much happier as a lesbian.
Another story, once again submitted by an anonymous author, is about a male pedophile in his 40's, that after much prison time has finally learned to cope with and keep his desires for young boys under control, so much so that he became the head of an organization that helps these people. Once again, not exactly the sort of stuff that makes you say, "I want to be like that guy!"
This book is basically bland, and I think the majority of us could tell stories of our own turn-arounds that would be equally or more impressive.
If you really want to be inspired by success stories AND get a lot of truly helpful "here's how I did it" information, I would recommend skipping this book and instead reading "Founders at Work".
6 of 7 found the following review helpful:
Turning the Corner on the Super-Speedway of Life Jun 11, 2008
By Bicycle Day
In the directional changes of life, Dr. Nancy Irwin has a very unique perspective on the twists and turns under flashing yellow lights and unmarked forks in the road.
A Los Angeles-based psychotherapist, she had trained to be an opera singer in her native Atlanta and then pursued a career as a stand-up comedian in New York. But it was volunteer work in a shelter for sexually-abused children which brought new direction in her life, including the successful pursuit of a doctorate in psychology.
Dr. Irwin not only discusses her map on life, but chronicles the oftentimes rugged routes of more than 40 others - from all walks of life - who are over the age of 40. The book is split into two sections; change by default (injury, break-up, lay-off) and change by choice (boredom, lack of fulfillment).
There is a convicted crack-cocaine dealer who became a successful entrepreneur in real estate, a mother of nine who started a foundation for those afflicted with leprosy, a monk who uses his gift of oratory to help others as a motivational speaker and a man who became a spouse and parent after striding past the age of 40.
The stories are empowering for those who may place barriers on progress when their age seems to be an overwhelming number or simply enjoyable for readers who want to understand or appreciate the sharp angles taken by those in the high-speed lane on the super-speedway of life.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
 An incentive to quit viewing the devil you don't know as a formidable monster Sep 03, 2008
By Charles Ashbacher
In the modern world, opportunities abound, and most of the time we do see them, albeit from a self-imposed distance. The difficulty is to see the circumstances as an opportunity to be taken rather than to force yourself to be comfortable with the devil you know. A common theme that runs throughout these stories of people over 40 taking control of their destiny is their realization that their fear was the main hurdle.
That fear was what was coloring their vision so that the devil that they did not know appeared to be far more formidable that it actually was. When the person relating their story reached the point where they could control their fear and see things as they are, a sense of empowerment led them to achieve things that they earlier had not thought possible.
These stories are especially significant in the current employment situation. It is unfortunate that the current work environment at so many places is such that employers are emboldened to mistreat their employees, believing that the employees have no alternative. Therefore, the more people who discover that there are alternatives and take advantage of them, the better the work environment will be for all people.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
 Misleading Title.You can find much better books on the same subject Dec 06, 2008
By Brunello
Sorry, but Dr. Nancy Irwin's book is a total waste of time. There's absolutely nothing new that hasn't been covered in other self-help books for the last 20 years, and unfortunately, the book's 40 stories are almost always just a pitch for other self help consultants, life coaches, and marketers.
The other strange thing is that the book is supposed to be about changing direction in midlife but many of the individuals writing the stories found their paths in their 30s. This makes many of the stories irrelevant for the target audience. Yes, there are over 40 stories from people now over 40, but very few of those are truly representative of actual middle-aged people who made a huge directional change. In the current economic meltdown I suspect many actual middle-aged people simply won't have the economic capacity to redirect radically. I've been an executive career counselor and a small business entrepreneur and I haven't found that many successes of people who didn't have significant financial capability for their transition. It doesn't mean it won't happen, but it will be extremely difficult in the current environment.
Pros:
* I suppose if you've never read a self-help book and need to be encouraged this might be of interest. Also there is a significant component of shifting careers into community service, which might prompt some out of the box thinking in some people.
Cons:
* Misleading title.
* The author actually didn't write the book as far as I can tell since the stories seem to be told by others. She supposedly a "PhD", but as far as I can tell there's nothing in the book or on the web that discloses her academic background. She's a pre-licensed psychologist, whatever that means. She might be a good hypnotherapist, but there's nothing in the book relating to that expertise.
* There's large religious component in the stories that isn't disclosed on the front or back cover, and I find that a turnoff.
So I'd say steer clear of this book and find the work of someone else more qualified. I'd recommend Jack Canfield for much better work on similar topics.
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