cover image Heart of the Matter: How to Find Love, How to Make It Work

Heart of the Matter: How to Find Love, How to Make It Work

Linda S. Austin. Atria Books, $24 (288pp) ISBN 978-0-7434-3771-4

Convinced each of us can improve our ability to find and inspire love by adopting specific behaviors, nationally syndicated radio host and lecturer Austin (What's Holding You Back?) offers readers, whether single or attached, a""concrete plan of action."" Well-constructed lessons on expanding one's safety zone, becoming emotionally independent, evaluating who you choose, evolving and becoming more socially engaged are backed with real-life anecdotes, metaphors and more than 25 years of Austin's clinical experience as a psychiatrist. An emphasis on the need to take personal responsibility is seen in each chapter of this nicely paced, flowing format, loaded with constructive strategies such as suggestions for finding a mate, tips to""see through"" the walls people build, ways to better engage with others and questions to ask to find one's deepest desires. Claiming that love is a basic human need for connection no one should cheat themselves out of, Austin relays the painful divorce she endured and the decision to try marriage again at the""sprightly age"" of 48, bringing both credibility and compassion to her latest.