How to Be Your Own Best Friend [Mass Market Paperback]

Mildred Newman (Author), Bernard Berkowitz (Author), Jean Owen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 12, 1986

"Sensible advice on how to give up childhood, accept yourself and your own maturity and deal with life on your own two feet."
DALLAS TIMES HERALD
In this unique, bestselling question-and- answer guide to self-love and acceptance, two practicing psychologists (who are also married to one another) reveal the secret of pursuing happiness, by revealing to ourselves what we think we are striving for, and what it is that keeps us from achieving our goals.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

"Sensible advice on how to give up childhood, accept yourself and your own maturity and deal with life on your own two feet."
DALLAS TIMES HERALD
In this unique, bestselling question-and- answer guide to self-love and acceptance, two practicing psychologists (who are also married to one another) reveal the secret of pursuing happiness, by revealing to ourselves what we think we are striving for, and what it is that keeps us from achieving our goals.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (December 12, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345342399
• ISBN-13: 978-0345342393
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 0.3 x 6.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #108,891 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #22 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Health, Mind & Body > Self-Help > Happiness
  • #32 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Health, Mind & Body > Self-Help > Self-Esteem
  • #51 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Health, Mind & Body > Psychology & Counseling > General

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Changed My Life, January 12, 2007

By 

P. D. Lama "cat mom" (Mt Sinai, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How to Be Your Own Best Friend (Mass Market Paperback)

I first bought this book after my divorce in 1975. It changed my life. It gave me permission to be good to ME. It convinced me that I deserved to be treated with respect by my friends and especially myself. I was able to say no to things I didn't want to do, and it showed me how to do it without being rude or obnoxcious. I could finally say "I picked up the pizza last time. How about someone else doing it this time?" and not feel guilty. I highly recommend it to anyone who said "Yes" when they really meant "No". I bought it for my step-daughter when she got divorced this year and she also said she got a lot out of it too.

45 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book has a great deal of simple wisdom, September 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: How to Be Your Own Best Friend (Mass Market Paperback)

How to Be Your Own Best Friend by Mildred Newman, Bernard Berkowitz is a book that helped me to not only believe that I might be worth more respect and love than I was giving myself but to also see that deep, deep down within my soul I actually believed that I was capable of being more than I gave myself credit for. Reading this book was one of my first "baby steps" towards recovery from having grown up in a dysfunctional home. I believe what it has to say is just as revelant today as when I first read it 20-some years ago.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Low Key Self Help, September 21, 2002

By 

Mcgivern Owen L (NY, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: How to Be Your Own Best Friend (Mass Market Paperback)

Reading "How to Be Your Own Best Friend" should be a rewarding self -help exercise. Like all such works, one cannot read it like a novel, to be quickly put aside and hope to gain any benefit. Instead, it should be perused slowly with notes taken of "high points" encountered along the way. The reader must then periodically glance back at the notes. "How to Be" is big on letting go of the past, especially memories of "troublesome" parents. Two of the more helpful aphorisms are "There is no way now to even the score" and "Go forward for happiness-not back". The title may be misleading since "How to" actually calls for some self-discipline as opposed to patting oneself on the back or licking one's wounds: WE are responsible for own good times in life and to "watch and work". WE must remove the roadblocks that others (i.e.": PARENTS) have placed in our paths. This is a solid piece of psycho writing, with no downside risk. At paperback prices, one good idea will pay for itself many times over. This may also be the fastest reading paperback I've ever encountered. Those scrolling through the self-help selections should seriously consider "How to". For those of us with "parent problems" (we know who we are!), this one is strongly recommended.