Ordinary Women, Extraordinaryolives: 2how to Overcome Adversity and Achieve Positive Change in Your Life

In these accounts of how eight women triumphed over accidents, addictions (including the author's alcoholism), physical and mental abuse, poverty, etc., Chellis ( Living with the Kennedys ) probes the women's spiritual depths from which they draw strength. Included are stories of a 46-year-old survivor of a near-fatal skiing accident now preparing for the 1992 Olympic triathlon races and a former heroin-addicted prostitute studying to become a women's advocacy lawyer. Chief among the survival dynamics that such women share, claims Chellis, are ``self-value'' and stamina to go through the stages of a ``self-empowerment'' process. Facing the problem and seeking support (networking) leads to implementing a new life pattern which includes serving as a role model for others--essential, the author stresses, to sustaining one's own healing. Although the book is inspirational, the advice is hardly original; groups like AA have been practicing these techniques for years. (Feb.)