Feminine Force: Release the Power Within to Create the Life You Deserve

Mosbacher, CEO of her own cosmetics company, learned self-reliance at an early age. When she was seven, her father died, leaving her mother with four children and no income. In a few years Mosbacher was working to help support the family while her mother encouraged her to pursue her dream of a glamorous lifestyle. After two failed marriages (one to an abusive man), she married Robert Mosbacher, who became U.S. Secretary of Commerce. Throughout the book, the author urges women to stand on their own, not depending on a man to support them, but this advice is offered with what seems like cynicism and a general distrust of men. The book is so filled with personal anecdotes, Mosbacher never really gets around to showing women how to achieve their goals. Much attention is given to such topics as personal appearance, cosmetic surgery and networking, but these things often require financial and social resources beyond the reach of many women. Mosbacher seems to forget that it is the exception rather than the rule for a woman to get a hefty divorce settlement. There are a few gold nuggets here, but the overall message may be summed up by the third of her ``Feminine Force Principles'': ``Life isn't fair--so what?'' She also says, however: ``I start by accepting my reality, then I change it.'' Photos not seen by PW. First serial to Cosmopolitan and New Woman. (Sept.)