Back on Track: How to Straighten Out Your Life When It Throws You a Curve

Norville began working in local TV news while still in college, and quickly rose to network ranks. Nothing new is revealed here about her infamously rocky tenure after replacing Jane Pauley on NBC's Today Show, although Norville hints that professional jealousy played a key role in her leaving that show. She also suggests that if she were not such a nice person, she would name names and disclose secrets. More interesting and helpful to readers are her descriptions of her subsequent depression and gradual recovery, which allowed her to return to TV journalism as anchor for Inside Edition. Better still, Norville shares other women's stories of trauma and recovery--divorce, a spouse's suicide, a child's illness, a failed business--that are much more engrossing and understandable than her own murkily detailed professional experience. Some readers may have difficulty considering Norville a serious journalist when she peppers her prose with words like ""gal"" and ""zillions,"" addresses her audience directly as ""honey,"" emphasizes points with ""wow!"" and ""heavens!"" and describes her children as ""so yummy you could eat them."" She also makes some questionable generalizations about traits she calls ""inherently female,"" and she minimizes the potential value of professional treatment for depression. Nonetheless, Norville offers some good, basic self-help advice, encouragement and step-by-step exercises for moving forward in life when just getting dressed in the morning is difficult. First serial to Redbook. (Oct.)