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Shine - A Physical, Emotional, & Spiritual Journey to Finding Love
by Star Jones Reynolds
HarperCollins
ISBN 0-06-082418-2
Published January 2006 - Hardcover - 288 pages - $24.95

It seems as though Star Jones, at 41, was about to have a mid-life crisis but it also seems as though she woke up and smelled the roses, thankfully.  Looking at her it would appear she had it all - what we couldn't know was what was going on in her head.  She admits she wanted love in her life and set about making changes (we have to realize what we need, more than what we want, I say, and make positive changes in our lives in order to be receptive to those needs) so that she could be her best - what she was offering and what she expected and wanted from the right person.  In this book she writes about how she recognized why she had to change in order to get the best (or at least better than she was getting) out of life.  She offers a series of quizzes to establish which areas of our lives we need to work on and she also covers beauty, finances, sex, and spirituality.  She positively drools about her husband Al, but what scares me, and not to rain on her parade, is when celebrities profess their undying love for each other (you've seen it a million times), and then boom!, it all blows up in their faces.  Star says confidently, "He's the real thing - I know it like I know my name".  Most obvious to the viewing public is her dramatic weightloss.  On television interviews however, she's openly declined to give specific details of this weightloss and in the book she says it's because "I decided I wouldn't/couldn't be an advocate for any of them (weightloss plans) because I couldn't take the chance that someone who had a different body, with different problems, might follows the particular program I chose but have a tragic result".  I don't know about this - we all have different bodies and different problems - what about those who've publicly said they have had stomach stapling done?  Or the celebrities who are spokespersons for weightloss organisations/companies?  How many "tragic" results have been reported regarding their involvement?  It's not up to Star Jones Reynolds to "take a chance" on what others do - others will make up their own minds and if we didn't have people in the limelight sharing with the public, many helpful suggestions and stories would not have been heard.  Obviously not everyone is a suitable candidate for any or all weightloss programs, and therefore won't just go out and do them and succeed, and neither can most people afford to do many of them.  There's only one way - change the way (and what) you eat and get some exercise.  What husband Al has to say on finances (all the info is pertinent) is especially good advice - page 182-186.
Conclusion - A little long-winded and a little patronizing in parts (child, sister, girl, auntie Star, kids, etc.) - would have been better with some before, during, and after photographs.