Getting to Center

September 14, 2020
In this inviting guide, professional dancer Grace (How to Not Always Be Working) shares her lifelong struggle with finding happiness and contentment. Grace lists dozens of causes or triggers that can knock a person off center—grief, vulnerability, guilt, distractions, the pressure to be productive—and opens up about her own struggles with sobriety, impostor syndrome, and a contentious divorce. To deal with the vicissitudes of life, Grace encourages, among other things, praying, journaling, and making lists, as with her “To-Do List for When You’re Feeling Unlikable” which recommends as a remedy putting on a colorful outfit, going for a walk, or calling a friend who “knows you are the best.” And when one feels overwhelmed by responsibilities, she recommends “alone retreats.” Among the personal anecdotes, she writes of overcoming self-critical thoughts by posting online videos of herself dancing every day for a year. Any self-help reader will appreciate these novel ways to thrive in difficult moments.

October 1, 2020
Dancer, writer, and social media personality Grace shares her hard-earned wisdom in this inspiring book. The road to center, according to the author, is a spiral that moves through many layers. Loving and accepting yourself is central to Grace's message, and she generously shares her own life path, which included recognizing her sexual nature in her twenties. She uses lists, mantras, and prayers to work through her successes and failures. Grace talks of practicing actions and making, keeping, and breaking commitments to give life structure. Now sober, Grace uses such AA tenets as one day at a time, being comfortable with the uncomfortable, and letting go to keep focused. She writes at a frantic pace and pulls in everything from horoscopes and witchcraft to prayer and spirituality. But her gift is a willingness to expose her insecurities and question her beliefs, and the core advice buried beneath her calls to drink water, get rest, be grateful, forgive yourself, and have faith is surprisingly universal. This will especially resonate with readers in their late teens through their thirties.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)