For Harriett, the day starts out like most. As a 42-year-old, stay-at-home wife and mother, she spends the day getting her family off to work and school, taking a walk, visiting with friends, and volunteering at the local food bank. Afterwards, she runs errands and plans the perfect dinner. So, how does a day that begins like most, end with Harriett lunging at her husband with a kitchen knife?

Harriett’s search for answers leads her to an unorthodox psychotherapist who uses daily life experiences to exemplify the difference between acting emotionally and behaving wisely. Dr. Aye explains that, while worry over a potential affair may be a reason to lunge; there are wiser ways to behave. She shows Harriett how to control her emotions long enough to make better choices—choices that answer Harriett’s questions in ways that improve her quality of life. With Dr. Aye by her side, Harriett ultimately walks into the future she wants—not the future she fears.

Harriett’s Walk is a self-help book that reads like a novel and anyone (man/woman, young/old) can identify with the main character whose issues are shared by so many. There is a piece of Harriett in each of us and that’s what makes her story relevant and applicable to so many different walks of life. The book teaches nine skills and walks readers through the strategies that enable them to practice and apply the skills. A valuable aspect of this approach is that each skill stands alone as usable and independent of the others. Even after learning just one of the skills, it’s possible to begin moving toward a better life.

Walking with Harriett along her journey reminds us that we are not alone in the very human issues we all face. The story offers hope that we can make changes to attain more of what we want—the best possible life. Harriett’s voice embodies how the contrariness of life can leave people feeling helpless and uncertain, but her story is a valuable asset for anyone interested in making better choices.