Having What Matters: The Black Woman's Guide to Creating the Life You Really Want (Hardcover)

by Monique Greenwood (Author) "You and I, my sister, are the children of the dream..." (more)
Key Phrases: spending plan, New York, Strong Black Woman, Jim Crow

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Monique Greenwood runs a bed and breakfast, owns a restaurant and a coffee shop and is editor-in-chief of Essence. In Having What Matters: The Black Woman's Guide to Creating the Life You Really Want, the superwoman offers feel-good advice for "sistahs." Readers will feel compelled to listen to her; after all, she started at "ground zero" and worked her way up to the top. She tells how she did it and adapts her story to a self-help format in nine chapters, among them "A Great Career," "Financial Freedom," "A Sexy Soul Mate" and "Leaving the World a Better Place."
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Greenwood, editor in chief of Essence, expands on that magazine's mission of promoting the personal advancement of black women. Successful in her own right, Greenwood describes her job and business pursuits as part of a "life mission," more geared toward personal satisfaction than competitive pressures. She subscribes to the belief that "success is personal fulfillment and satisfaction" and encourages readers to define success for themselves. Still, in true women's-magazine style, the book offers advice on the common elements of success: love life, family, career, and financial freedom. Greenwood recounts her own personal experiences and family history, encouraging fortitude in the face of disadvantages and offering positive affirmations to help maintain the focus on success. She advises taking frank personal inventory, keeping a journal, and providing personal rewards for goals gained, among other strategies for achieving a balanced life. Although the cultural references are geared toward black women, readers of any race will enjoy and appreciate her prescription for a successful life. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow; 1st edition (December 4, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688175090
• ISBN-13: 978-0688175092
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,287,557 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What matter to you.....Get busy yawl, August 25, 2002

By	Miss "Missy" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

When I think of reading a book, I never think of a self-help book. Not because I believe I know everything but when I read, I want entertainment. I could not envision a self-help book that could do that. Having What Matters, entertaining moments were strategically placed throughout the book. The author's calm wit kept me turning pages.The nine chapter titles were simple such as, "Successfully Defining Success and "Leaving the World a Better Place," but they were filled with an abundance of information.

After reading the first paragraph of the introduction, and remembering a time my sister took me by Mrs. Greenwood's Bedford Stuyvesant mansion, I regarded her as EF Hutton and I intended to listen to her narration. If listening to her would help me achieve what she has, an eighteen room mansion, a closet filled with designer clothes and shoes, owning four prosperous businesses, two bed and breakfast inns, a restaurant, a coffeehouse as well as a stint as editor in chief of Essence magazine, my ears and eyes are wide open.

Having What Matters helps the black woman to define her success. Mrs. Greenwood proudly wears the term "bootstrapper" mentality. It means a person who has the mindset of not the victim but the winner; an individual who can rise above the trials and tribulations she is faced with. Mrs. Greenwood's burning desire is to be able to give each of us what we need to get what matters to us. What does it matter to have a high paying job, but you dread going to work everyday? This book should be amongst all the things that matter the most to you.

Missy
APOOO BookClub

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Substance and Style, January 12, 2002

By A Customer

Having What Matters is one of the best motivational books that I've read in a long, long time, because it seems written straight from the heart. Not only does Ms. Greenwood open up about her successes, which are many, but she talks openly about her modest background, struggles with her weight, and the demands of trying to be all things to all people. Many people discuss these topics in their book, but none are Monique Greenwood. She opens herself up candidly and freely, and takes us into her heart and mind. This is a book with plenty of substance, written with a lot of style.Cynical people with a chip on their shoulder should not bother with this book, but if you are ready for a positive change in your life, and open to loving yourself and others, this is the book for you!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Having What Truly Matters, January 6, 2005

By	TouJours Dodo - See all my reviews

This book should definitely be in any african-american woman's library along with her bible. Learning to step out of your on way and stop blocking your blessings. Ms. Greenwood helps the reader define what is important to them personally. This book put me on the right track.