Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, January 9, 1994 TAG: 9401020189
SECTION: HORIZON PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Reviewed by LUCY LEE
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
I read in a Ms. magazine article that self-help books explain life the way Cliff Notes explain Tolstoy.
Georgette Mosbacher's book proves the truth of this analogy as she simplistically prescribes the path to her version of The Ultimate Life.
Unlike the standard five or 10 easy steps to remedy women's widely-discussed inadequacies, Mosbacher lists 72 "principles." But the underlying message is the same: we women can make our lives better if we only follow the appropriate expert's advice. Mosbacher sees herself as the appropriate expert in almost any area imaginable. Her theme - that women can and must empower themselves - is important. Her delivery, however, trivializes the subject.
The book is basically a vehicle through which Mosbacher can toot her own horn and tap into the lucrative business of offering advice to women. She denies that her rise to fame has been easy just because she's "good-looking, sexy, and has married three successful men." (Modest she's not!) We quickly learn, though, that these attributes, plus a fair amount of brain power, comprise her foundation for success.
Behind every piece of advice lurks the ever-present Feminine Force - "the intangible but indelible powers or energies that all women are born with but that many of us lose somewhere along life's way. The Feminine Force operates according to its own principles and moves uniquely through each of us." I have yet to figure out what this means or what makes it peculiar to women.
Equally annoying are such phrases as "She knew how to gather her strength and focus herself."
It's more helpful to ignore such gibberish and concentrate on the concrete advice she gives, most of which is summed up in the 72 principles. They are motivational or self-affirming maxims such as, "I achieve success by not accepting failure," or "I make mistakes - so what?" There's nothing to argue with here, but neither is there much of substance.
I was glad to see Mosbacher negate the current Woman-as-Victim mentality. She explains that the way out of victimhood depends on how one perceives the blows life delivers. One punch can be a knockout or you can get up off the floor and try again. She advocates the latter, and has no patience with the increasing number of women who make their victim status their identity. The flaw with her discussion of victimhood, however, is typical of her approach to other situations. It is Simplistic - with a capital S.
An example is her formula for handling past mistakes: "I just decided to will those scars right out of me . . . I'm here to tell you that it can be that simple."
Mosbacher's interpretation of womanhood (as in her oft-repeated "I love being a woman!") is similarly suspect. She admires her 85-year-old grandmother because she still wears lipstick and heels and colors her hair. Looking good is a critical component of Mosbacher's message. The text is interspersed with several pictures of her glamorous self, usually at the side of Kenny Rogers, George Bush, Norman Schwarztkopf or one of her many husbands. (Current spouse, Robert Mosbacher is a Texas oil magnate and was Secretary of Commerce under Bush.)
One is not surprised to find a chapter on "You Want That Man? Here's How to Get Him." Mosbacher uses the same approach to clinch relationships as she does with business deals - research, goal setting, manipulation and strategy that her buddy Schwartzkopf would envy.
As autobiography Mosbacher's book is mildly interesting. As a self-help book it could be helpful if you are satisfied with a Cliff Notes approach to self-improvement. If your expectations are otherwise, save your 22 bucks.
- Lucy Lee is a free-lance writer in Roanoke.
by CNB