Smile at Strangers and Other Lessons in the Art of Living Fearlessly

Schorn lived a life of anxiety and fear until age 30, when she began training at the Austin, Tex., Sun Dragon dojo in Kyokushin, a “full-contact” form of karate. While detailing her journey from white belt to double black belt, she candidly examines the fear of harassment that many women deal with on a daily basis, and she dismisses frequently proffered advice that regards women as “feeble-minded children” and blames victims for supposedly failing to exercise caution. In its place, Schorn provides a slew of strategies for managing tense situations—she encourages women to make purposeful eye contact and get comfortable with saying “no,” and she runs through de-escalation and intervention tactics (as well as actual Kyokushin combat techniques). Schorn credits the philosophy and discipline of her martial art with helping her cope with everything from her sister’s cancer diagnosis, a particularly taxing home renovation, and parenting unruly children. Considering the gravity of the topics at hand, Schorn manages a lot of levity—she describes the melee in which she earned her first black belt as “like getting married, except you have to fight all the bridesmaids.” The tale of her journey to empowerment is an engrossing and inspirational read. Agent: Brettne Bloom, Kneerim, Williams and Bloom. (May 28)