A Woman in Your Own Right: Assertiveness and You

"I had to read this book before attending an assertiveness course at work run by the author

The book and the course inspired me to change my job (not what my employers had in mind by sending me on it I imagine)
move house 200 miles, join a gym and lose 2 stone in weight
and learn to say no which is why i went on the course in 1st place

The book is not a classic introspective self help guide - it helped me to make difficult decisions by better understanding what types of people I surrounded myself with/ was surrounded by and how very differently I was able to deal with different types of people over similar issues. I achieved more consistency in my reactions to people and events and I
other people's positive reactions to this helped consolidate this

READ IT! Men as well as women. "
~ Written on 2008-01-12

"The lower number of stars given by other reviewers appears to be by way of comment on self-help books in general rather than this particular one. I think that is a great shame because it gives a misleading impression of the quality of this book.

The topic is covered thoroughly, addressing all the issues that I had encountered with the problem and alerting me to several more than I hadn't even recognised in myself but once pointed out were clearly present. It then provides an understanding and intelligent account of how and why the issues come about and most importantly, ways to deal with them.

It isn't a book that you can read and the problem is solved. It involves putting the ideas into practice and that takes effort and time. However, even after the first read I felt supported and more confident, just by understanding the problem. It made sense of issues that I had previously spent a long time piecing together and had still not understood and it is clear that the author has a deep understanding of the problem and significant experience in dealing with it.

I have sent copies to most of my close friends as it is so comprehensive as to be useful even to people who are, on the face of it, quite assertive and confident.

I also recommend it equally, despite the title, for men as well as women."
~ Written on 2005-09-09

"I was recommended this book when I was attending counselling sessions for depression a few years ago, and found it a geat help.
A few of the author's suggestions seem a little out-dated and take on a rather 80s feminist slant, but aside from that, the book really does have some great, down-to-earth advice. I have already recommended it to countless friends in need of a pick-me-up. Read this book, and take it all in, to get back the self respect that you deserve!"
~ Written on 2005-07-18

"I bought this book on a recommendation from a councellor. She said that dispite the title it was useful for men as well as women.

Having read it, I have to say that of all the Self Help/assertiveness books I've seen it's probably the best. However that's not saying much. Like many such books it's very focused on the idea that all that's needed for you to become happier and more assertive is that you change yourself. Such a view may work in many situations but it's not the universal panacea it's made out to be, sometimes the root cause of the problem is outside yourself. For example I have yet to see such a book competantly deal with a situation where there is an unequal power relationship, where no matter how asseritve you try to be if the other person is set in their ideas then you're stuck with what they say. Sometimes it's not a failure to just walk out.

If you're going to buy a Self Help book then by this one, but realize that it's not a guarenteed solution."
~ Written on 2003-04-12

"I couldn't put this book down! My life has changed dramatically since reading it - I now have the respect of peers and family and I can't thank Anne Dickson enough!
This book is written so well that even the most abused doormat of a woman will want to change - all women will see themselves amongst the pages."
~ Written on 2001-10-14