Necessary Journeys: Letting Ourselves Learn From Life

by Nancy L. Snyderman

For years, Nancy Snyderman has been a familiar and trusted presence in the lives of women all over the country, both as a medical correspondent and an author. Now she turns her attention to those continuing journeys of self-discovery and fulfillment that are part of every woman's life. Filled with her own heartfelt and revealing stories, Necessary Journeys , now available in paperback, illuminates the joys and challenges of women's everyday lives, and shows us how every experience can be an opportunity for emotional and spiritual growth. At the heart of this book are the real issues women ages 35-60 confront, no matter which path they have issues of confidence and self-esteem, of love and relationships, health and aging, parenting and self-fulfillment. Nancy Snyderman has written that rare book of insight, encouragement, and support, one which reminds all women that we already possess what we need to give voice to our inner selves at each stage of our lives. With more than 100,000 copies in print, Necessary Journeys has moved the hearts of fans everywhere -- landing on bestseller lists nationwide, USA Today , Publishers Weekly , San Francisco Chronicle and featured across the nation in Good Housekeeping and the Chicago Tribune .

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help

Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Autumn · Rating 5 out of 5]

AMAZING book. Nancy tells the story of her life and how she got to where she was despite the numerous hardships she endured. A great way to pur your life in perspective and help you achieve your goals. Once again, another book I bought from the continuous coverage I watched at Burrelle's.

[Annburnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book that every woman should read and can learn and be inspired by. It shows that hard times are much likely to be where you learn more than the easy times. It should help women to know that they can do anything that they set their minds to do and are willing to work for. I can't say enough about how good this book is. A good book for every woman.

[Mazola1 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Necessary Journeys is a series of stories in which Nancy Synderman recounts her path of self discovery, from being a young woman lacking in self awareness to becoming what she terms a "woman of substance." She writes of childhood traumas, failed marriages, the joy of motherhood, and the trials and tribulations of trying to combine a career, marriage and child rearing. Although Syderman's journey is unique and her own, in telling it, she provides insight for all women.

In some ways, Snyderman's stories are ordinary, and therefore universal. Snyderman includes stories of mistakes and painful experiences, as well as stories of events that enriched her and helped her to grow. Perhaps it is the painful stories, which reveal Snyderman's bad choices, false starts and blind alleys, the events which shaped but did not enrich, which caused Synderman to say her life has been "messy." But in that, she is like us all, struggling with our imperfections, and endeavoring to cope with the difficulties which bedevil us, while at the same time savoring our triumphs and taking pleasure in our good choices.

Snyderman says that every experience changes us, and her book tells the story of some of her most significant experiences, good and bad. As she says, the journey is not linear. Especially important are beginnings, growth, transitions and endings. Synderman says that she hopes that telling the story of her journey will help other women to reflect on their own journeys through life, and to share their stories with others. In that, I think she has been successful.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked Nancy Snyderman's perspective on her life and her belief that each path we take in life has something to teach us, whether or not that path was planned or unplanned, good or bad. She urges all women to examine their choices and value themselves. The book got slightly repetitive but was a quick read. My favorite quote: "What other people think of me is none of my business."

[Vicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

I went to junior high school with Nancy for 3 years. She was a cheerleader, very popular and involved in many activities. I was surprised she did not have a similar life in high school. Probably more interesting to me because of having had personal relationship with her as a young girl.

[Karen Okamoto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nancy had a wonderful childhood, but life seemed to get harder as she went along. She has much to teach us about her journey in life and a loving and forgiving spirit. A good book to read.

[Laura]

very nicely written non-fiction somewhat autobiographical about women and our journeys. Appropriate for this time in my life. Glad I read it.

[Jainnie]

Learned a lot from her..you will too so read this.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Empowering but wish she would of talked more about her experiences rather than offering "self help" parts

[Lib 5030 Group 5]

305.4 SNY

[Ashley]

Self help