It's My Pleasure: A Revolutionary Plan to Free Yourself from Guilt and Create the Life You Want

Why do women feel guilty for the typical things - romance novels, chocolate - which give them pleasure? Maria Rodale is VP of Rodale Inc, the family publishing business she effectively reorganized and expanded. In It's My Pleasure, she and co-author Maya Rodale tell women just how to get past the guilt and find the pleasure. Their personal stories come from two generations and tell how they overcame guilt impulses to embrace this pleasure in their lives, while references to history connect pleasure with strength.

I can't help but write an enthusiastic recommendation for this marvelous book. It is a gateway to the idea that a woman's life should be about freedom of choice and belief rather than a martyrdom of resentful servitude to the expectations of society and oneself. It reminds all of us who are lucky enough to live in this century of what we have to be grateful for and what we often take for granted. Even as the book details some of the darkest practices concerning women and how they have lived now and in the past, it doesn't dwell on the morbid. Rather, this book is an affirmation of life that implores all women to live fully and joyfully. It gives the reader a way to climb out of victimhood and become a woman of principle without giving up that which makes one feminine. The book is divided into chapters that consist of autobiographical anecdotes, how to "do it" for yourself lists, and brief sections detailing historical and modern women's lives through stories and interviews. It is inspiring to read and shows you how to live this way not through detailed psychological therapy, but through gentle suggestions and concrete examples and pointers. Some of the women mentioned in the book are Nora Roberts, Nancy Drew, Georgia O'Keeffe, and Madonna. This book does not present the ordinary. It regards romance novels as a doorway into the collective consciousness of women and their awareness of what love means and is capable of for our world and everyday lives. This book is going on my shelf of "books that changed my life," right between Carolyn See's novel "The Handyman," and Diane Ackerman's "A Natural History of the Senses." It is a book that no woman today should be without.

I am roughly Maya's age, finishing up college and am in love with this book. I really didn't leave my house for the 3 days it took me to read it! I have pages dog-eared and sentences underlined. This book touched me in a place that I feel like I have never been touched. Currently, I am in the place in my life where I am looking and searching for both myself and my life. This book gave me courage and strength...who wouldn't want to read/own a book like that?! I love it! Thanks Maria and Maya!

This is THE book to be in your beach bag this summer. Using their own experiences, Maria and Maya guide the reader to find her/his own path to pleasure. With their personal stories, interviews with women they consider revolutionary role models, "Do it" sections where the reader gets her/his personal thoughts involved, this book has something for everyone and every reader. The "Do it" sections are great and encourage you to make lists, research an interest, or compile your own thoughts and beliefs on paper. It helps you bring into context your own life journey and delve into some new concepts you may not have thought of before. They do refer to romance novels quite a bit, but you can see why. The references relate directly to things that happen in our everyday lives and how we deal with the same challenges. This book is about two journeys and their own road to pleasure. We can all learn from their stories. Maria and Maya guide the reader along the path that helped them create their own happy, pleasurable, guiltless lifestyles. This book is your resource to "stop wishing and start doing."