The Second Journey: The Road Back to Yourself
The Second Journey: The Road Back to Yourself book cover

The Second Journey: The Road Back to Yourself

Hardcover – April 29, 2008

by
Price
$15.51
Format
Hardcover
Pages
224
Publisher
Voice
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-1401303396
Dimensions
5.5 x 0.5 x 7.5 inches
Weight
9.6 ounces

Description

From Publishers Weekly After the publication of her first book of self-transformation ( A Year by the Sea ) in 1999, Anderson writes of being consumed by a pressing schedule and a web of family cares that have derailed her from her original trajectory of self-truth. While her first journey consisted of separating herself from a previous life that had defined her as compliant and dependent (a wife and mother), her current journey involves taking stock of the progress and strengths gained in the previous 10 years. She attempted to get back on track by discounting counterfeit journeys (such as illusory ambition), refusing to be blackmailed by her ailing mother and resisting the urge to join her grown children's already-charged households over Christmas. Instead, she found sustenance in weekend seminars with other women; a pilgrimage to Monomoy, Cape Cod; and a magical three-week stint to the island of Iona, Scotland. Self-help platitudes abound, as Anderson quotes her mentor Joan Erikson (The most important thing is to share what you know), and her similes grow tiresome (she compares herself to a tangled, empty lobster trap). For readers eager for more, though, she does drop hints of marital discord and of leaving her journey unfinished. (May) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Joan Anderson is a journalist and the bestselling author of A Year by the Sea , An Unfinished Marriage , A Walk on the Beach , and A Weekend to Change Your Life . A graduate of Yale University School of Drama, she lives with her husband on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and conducts weekend workshops for women throughout the country. For more information, please visit joananderson.org

Features & Highlights

  • "Anderson's warm, inviting tone will appeal to women who feel, as she did, that they need time and space to reinvent themselves."--
  • Publishers Weekly
  • "Encourages us all to take the breaks that we need to regain our emotional balance . . . a fulfilling chronicle."--
  • Philadelphia Inquirer
  • From the bestselling author of
  • A Year by the Sea
  • , this memoir is a coming-of-age story for every woman who has asked herself: "Now what"
  • The Second Journey chronicles Anderson's quest to restore equilibrium to her life after the responsibilities of being a mother, wife, grandmother, caretaker, and bestselling author distract her--almost dangerously--from taking care of herself. Suffused with Anderson's characteristic humor and warmth, this book is a permission slip for any woman who seeks to step out of line and create her own destiny. As Joan shares her stories of balancing love, marriage, family, parents, and spirituality, she inspires and instructs readers to find peace and a unique purpose within their own lives. She offers reassurance that the best is yet to come, and empowers other women to come of age in the middle of life.

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
60%
(142)
★★★★
25%
(59)
★★★
15%
(36)
★★
7%
(17)
★
-7%
(-17)

Most Helpful Reviews

✓ Verified Purchase

A self -help book for people who think they hate self-help books

I'm not a huge fan of many self-help books because all too often they:

1. Say what people already know and just want affirmed
2. Are light on reflection and heavy on pop psychology or psychology "lite", easy to digest and not very challenging
3. Written by people who come across as experts but impart nothing new or special.

This book is different. As I began to read it, I really enjoyed the way the author, Joan Anderson, shared personal anecdotes about her life to gently lead readers to observe and come up with their own conclusions. Yes, the author does share her own reflections and lessons but it isn't done in a heavy-handed way.

Part of the reason I may have enjoyed this book so much is because I related to the author's life. She wrote of having an aging parent, struggles with writing and success and falling short of people's expectations. However, she does this with such vivid descriptions of her life and activities that I felt like I was right there, in the moment with her.

Basically, this is a book about a woman who has written best-selling books and still struggles to achieve balance. All too often, she overextends herself, gets stressed out and tries to take care of too many people. There are plenty of women in the same boat. I am one of them. This book allowed me to slow down, start to think about what really matters and make some important changes. It did so without being preachy or taking me by the hand and showing me THE WAY. Even if you don't change a thing about your life after reading this, you'll have had the pleasure of having experienced a good writer in top form, vividly recalling parts of her life.

Aimed at women in their midlife (40s, 50s or beyond), I think this book could be read by women of various ages. I wish I'd read it in my 20s. It would have served as a cautionary tale then. Now it was a wake-up call. The author faces a serious crisis and it takes quite a lot for her to face the reality of what is happening to her emotionally.

And that is all I'm going to reveal about this one. Hopefully, that is enough to get you to want to know more.
45 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Not as profound as I expected

I was disappointed with this book. The numerous references to Ms. Anderson's prior book made me feel like she was simply trying to advertise it. The book was disjointed and didn't really speak to me. When she suddenly wound up at her special place in Iona, I didn't feel that her writing made me want to go there.
9 people found this helpful

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