The 52 Weeks: Two Women and Their Quest to Get Unstuck, with Stories and Ideas to Jumpstart Your Year of Discovery

by Karen Amster-Young, Barbara Hannah Grufferman (Foreword), Pam Godwin

Edging into forty-something, Karen and Pam found themselves in a state of stuck. They had checked off many of their major life goals--career, husband, children, friends--but they'd lost momentum. After griping over drinks one night, they came up with a plan to face their fears, rediscover their interests, try new things, and renew their relationships. They challenged themselves to try one new thing every week for a year--from test-driving a Maserati to target practice at a shooting range to ballroom dance lessons--and to blog about their journeys. They quickly realized it was harder than they ever imagined but came through it with a sense of clarity and purpose that has them itching to share the possibilities with the millions of middle-aged women out there who feel the same way about one or many areas of their lives.
Getting "unstuck" doesn't have to mean running a marathon, traveling the world, or ending a relationship with your partner. Through their experiences and a good dose of no-nonsense advice, Karen and Pam show readers how achieving small goals can give you a renewed sense of accomplishment and how you can keep growing, learning, and moving forward at any age. Interspersed with personal stories is expert advice from doctors, psychiatrists, artists, and even a poker diva (who also happens to be a Fortune 500 executive).

Genres: Self Help, Personal Development, Nonfiction

296 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 2013

Reviews

[Audrey · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book could have been half its length, better yet, it could have been a magazine article. I appreciate the concept and "got it" in the first two chapters.

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two middle aged women decided to get unstuck from their daily routines and overcome their resistance and fear by pledging to do something new every week for a year.

The Good
This book made me feel less alone. I didn't know anyone else was getting more fearful as they got older! Just learning made it worth reading. I enjoyed reading their insights and discoveries as they tried new things. I got ideas for trying new things (like going to a shooting range?!) and I was motivated to have some small and large adventures. I would love to whole heartedly recommend this book, and if this speaks to you, please do read it, but I do have some criticisms.

The Bad
I wanted to edit this book so badly. There was a lot of repetition partly because they organized it by type of adventure rather than chronologically. I could see the value in having a theme to each chapter, but I think chronological would have let us experience their growing courage or insights in a more coherent way. They wrote it as a "how to" rather than a narrative and I thought more narrative would have been better. Whenever there was narrative, it was in italics. That really bugged me. There was a lot of unnecessary wording, such as writing, "We really love this quote" before a quote. I know you love that quote; that's why you put it in the book.

The Ugly
I don't like the paper this book was printed on and I couldn't open it all the way because of the binding. It irritated me. This is probably something that would bug very few people, but it bothered me enough that I only read the book because I won it through Goodreads first reads giveaway.

Despite the things I didn't like, I am glad I did open the book and read it.

[Trish · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible. Simplistic, full of anecdotes instead of actual helpful information. Just fluff. I don't understand the glowing reviews - maybe they're from intellectual lightweights. Returned for refund.

[Crystal Dudley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually really enjoyed this book. There was so much useful information in it on how to get "unstuck"! I love the idea of doing something new every week for 52 weeks. And it doesn't have to cost anything if you are attempting to achieve personal goals. I can't wait to make up my own 52 list.

[E · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 38%, which was when I reached the part about a "romantic" evening out entailing animal abuse. (Horses pulling carriages in Central Park suffer a great deal, and there is nothing romantic about it.) It's just as well...the entire book all I heard was whining from some incredibly privileged white women who don't seem to be at all aware of how privileged they are. It felt like I couldn't so much as get through a paragraph without "GET A PROBLEM!" surfacing somewhere in my brain in response to what I was reading.
Also? The book's just effing dull. Three strikes, and I've got better things to do with my time.

[Kim · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don’t bother

[Anne Lawrence · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great concept. Good contributors in addition to the two main writers. Several editing errors. Not as impressed with the single girl guest writer. Seemed to want to crack jokes and not really coming from an "I am content in my current singleness" standpoint and used the book to say how she used Match.com's daily 5 to pick one and date for a while to see how it goes and asks him to go steady in the book. More appreciative of the "expert" who spoke of how a majority of women will be single for a time or season due to divorce or widowhood or other reasons. She reminded people to be a better you so that if you wish to find someone it will be someone who is also trying to be a better them. I think this book is good for someone who is looking to take baby steps (per the authors' words) to shake up their day, week or life.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think the idea for this book is terrific. I actually skimmed about half of this and read the other half. I had been feeling a bit in a rut, and this book inspired me to volunteer at our local hospital, signed up for crew lessons, bought tickets for some live comedy shows and concerts that my husband I normally wouldn't go to, took up regular hiking at a local state park...all of which have definitely gotten me out of my "rut!" I think the book and my mindset came together at exactly the right time. Also I had listened to Shonda Rhymes' book "Yes" right before I picked this up so I was ready to try some new things. Sometimes we all need a little push! Definitely recommend picking it up if you're feeling like you need some new adventures in your life and are searching for how to start.

[Shanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Won in a goodreads giveaway contest. So awesome and exciting

I absolutely adore this book and the idea behind it. Two woman going on a journey together, trying new things, relearning to love life, and growing and changing as individuals all in 52 weeks. Inspiring and heart warming. I think everybody should read this book and try a shot at starting their own 52 weeks list. I know after reading this I have decided to create my own 52 and see where it takes me. A lot of fun and learning experience in this book. Great book and idea.

[Dora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting concepts

Karen and Pam, two stay at home mothers in their forties, we're feeling stuck and together decided to try something different every week for a year. Out of this concept grew a blog and then this book. For the book, in addition to their own experiences, they added the input of experts.

I'm not sure how compelling their arguments for this way of getting unstuck are, however, if you are sufficiently stuck it might be worth a try. I enjoyed the quotes that they sprinkled throughout.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

So lost interest after a short amount of time. I am sure it might help some, but I am already doing a lot of these ideas/suggestions. The telling of their stories I thought lacked some depth on how it really made them feel. It seemed to me to be a "general" overall sense of how it felt. Perhaps that's the way they meant to write it. For me, I was disappointed as I bought the book, but I am sure it will still help some out there.

[Alexis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm just not sure I would recommend this to my friends. I feel like this is a feminist-no brainier-quit whining kind of book. I can't fathom writing a book wherein I applaud the authors but there was a lot of redundancy and friction in this book. I think the blog would've been the ideal place to stop.

[Kelly · Rating 1 out of 5]

I started this book 3 times. I finally had to bribe myself to finish it. While it contains a decent amount of information, it gets lost in an infomercial type format.

I decided, I am not stuck after reading this book, best outcome of reading. I may be assessing what I want to do in the future, but at least I am not stuck.

[Lindsey Lewandowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of essays by women inspired to rejuvenate their lives and relationships. They take art and dance classes, check out new books and films, and take time for the people in their lives so to gain a new perspective at middle age. Worth the read for people needing a nudge to also do so.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a book I skimmed and didn't read. I guess I wasn't in the mood to read about someone else's experiences, but I wanted ideas. So I skimmed the book, especially the end of the books with the list of ideas to try.

[Sunny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! If you are stuck in the same old rut, this is a must read. I am a life coach and I found this book inspiring. Additionally, I walked away with some good coaching lessons. I will probably buy this book many times over for my friends.

[Rene · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a blog turned into a book, a collection of entries and ideas for trying new things loosely organized by topic.

[Liz marx · Rating 2 out of 5]

Felt like I have read too much on this topic. Nothing new.

[F · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I liked this book because it made me realize that I am not alone in feeling "stuck". Enjoyed the stories.

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inspiring. I enjoyed the ideas, but I was a little older and didn't quite relate to the women.
That said, I picked it up repeatedly to get quick inspiration! I would recommend it.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great idea! I think I'm going to make up my own 52 week list!