Whatever It Takes: from Fear to Freedom

A combination autobiography/self-help book, Whatever it Takes uses very personal diary entries, detailed recollections, and guidelines for coming to grips with the past to illustrate the pain and frustration of divorce and self-discovery. Fast-moving and powerful, the book provides a road map to personal healing, while presenting the heart-wrenching story of a husband and father in turmoil. The book begins with a series of reflections and confessions, and goes on to describe how one man came to terms with his troubled childhood and his own self-doubt. The importance of listening, sharing one's feelings, and learning to embrace emotions is a focal point of the book, things which, according to the author, men have been traditionally discouraged from doing. Unlike a typical self-help book, though, Whatever it Takes draws the reader in by recreating the author's own personal journey from fear to freedom. Instead of instructing the reader, Mr. Hess shows by example, in a brutally honest fashion, making the book appealing to a wide audience, including both men and women. Rather than being didactic, Mr. Hess uses a casual and entertaining style, one that is likely to attract memoir and fiction readers as well.