"A level-headed, laugh-out-loud tour of the loopy world of self-help. If you're somehow not perfect, sit down and read Jennifer Niesslein-she will make you feel better already."

-Ann Crittenden, author of THE PRICE OF MOTHERHOOD and IF YOU'VE RAISED KIDS, YOU CAN MANAGE ANYTHING

"In this delightfully witty and sometimes startlingly poignant memoir, Jennifer Niesslein takes the reader on a tour of her multiple exertions in the land of self-help. There are laughs in this book-lots of them-balanced by thoughtful observations about the possibilities and the limitations of the ordinary human."

-Kristin Ohlson, author of STALKING THE DIVINE

Reviews

“It is a feeling many of us will recognise: a vague sense that we are failing to make the most of our existence, that if we could just strive to be slimmer, more giving, have nicer curtains, be more disciplined and perhaps live a bit more like the people we see in the airbrushed pages of OK! magazine, life would somehow be better. Perhaps it is a malaise of those who have their basic needs more than adequately met – those for whom, as Niesslein says, ‘happiness is the final frontier.’”
—Carol Midgley, The Times of London

“In an effort to perfect herself, Jennifer Niesslein decides to follow the advice of several professional advice-givers, and the results are alternatingly hilarious and head-scratching.”
—Karen Grigsby Bates, NPR

“Her self-effacing, genuine tone adds to the warmth and fun of Practically Perfect in Every Way.”
—Anastasia Masurat, Bitch magazine

"The book's tone is conversational and funny ... but also, at times,
serious and contemplative. ... In the end, Niesslein says, self-help
made her life both a little more perfect, and a little less so."
--Katy Read, Salon.com

"Any woman who admits that she imagines Oprah just might be talking to her through the television is my kind of nut job...
[F]unny, sweet and snarky."
--Jennifer V. Hughes, Babble.com

An interview with Deborah Harper, president of PsychJourney
--Deborah Harper, PsychJourney Podcasts

"What makes this book so revelatory is Jennifer's carefully balanced combo of open-mindedness and critical thinking."
--Katherine Don, The Feminist Review

"Niesslein is an entertaining writer and I'm glad she invited us along for her journey."
--Life Two

"Very funny and intelligent."
--Amy Anderson, Mamazine

"To expand her perimeters, Niesslein (founding coeditor, Brain, Child: The Magazine for Thinking Mothers) embarked on a two-year experiment in self-improvement, delving into every realm of her life in search of happiness and fulfillment. She followed the advice of our culture's many so-called self-help experts-e.g., television personality Dr. Phil, pediatrician William Sears, holistic health authority Dr. Andrew Weil. The areas on which she chose to focus were her house, her finances, her health, motherhood, marriage, community, and spirituality. Here, she summarizes and evaluates the experiment, imparting informative self-help schemes while exposing their realistic outcomes. For covering such a broad range of topics, the book is amazingly in-depth yet entertaining with its fresh humor. A worthy read, for there is always room for improvement in our daily lives; recommended for public libraries."
—Library Journal, Dorris Douglass, Williamson Cty. P.L., Franklin, TN

Named one of "the season's most promising books"
—Washington Post Book World, April 1, 2007

"Interspersed with the advice she's following are her own personal struggles over the course of the year--the death of her beloved dog, a friend's catastrophic accident, her own panic attacks. While some topics are weighty, Niesslein tempers the gravitas with self-deprecation and lays bare her predilections for beer, cigarettes, and rich food, as well as her aversion to exercise and cleaning."
—The Hook, Courteney Stuart, "Pursuing Perfection," May 10, 2007

"Niesslein… writes with a no-nonsense tone and fiery wit that pulled me in."
—C-Ville Weekly, Katherine Cox, review, May 8, 2007