Disclosure: I met Dr. Sam at a writing club meet. We traded books.

Is this book for you? The back cover text recommends it to "People who want to change and grow." I'm all for that. Growing is wonderful, now change -- that's the hard one.

In his preface, Dr. Sam tells us that the original title of the book was "Five Disciplines of People Who Actually Change." Sam proceeds to communicate these disciplines metaphorically using Dorothy's challenging journey through Oz to represent any and all real life challenges that might feel like a twister just dropped "home" in a foreign and strange land (and/or less extreme "hard times"). Hence the new title. Unfortunately, such insight into the book's contents aren't readily conveyed through this new title. Fortunately there's a subtitle: "How to Change for the Better When Life Gives you Its Worst." The subtitle is stronger and really ought to have been in larger print, though graphically speaking, the current font design works. As an illustrator, myself, I quite enjoy the cover art; but I fear, like the new title, to the casual glancer it belies the self-improvement nature of the content within.

The book begins with Dorothy, which makes sense, given its premise; however, this is not a book about Dorothy -- it's a book about you -- the reader. It really should start with you and your challenges and then relate them to Dorothy's journey. That way, the reader will be better prepared to take Dr. Sam's yellow brick road trip through the 5 quite useful practices (which have been explained via Frank Baum's Wizard of Oz tale). Eventually, Dr. Sam certainly does help us relate our challenges to Dorothy's -- just not quite at the outset.

He also reminds us that there are no wizards in pretty green cities capable of solving all of our problems. Dr. Sam makes it crystal clear that our problems are ours to endure, delve into, to conquer as best we can, and in the process grow and change into who we are. That's some good stuff. That said, I found the chapter on integrating the qualities of Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion to be rather clunky and over complicated, despite the fact that the author highlights it as the most essential of the 5 practices, and spends plenty of page time explaining it (elaborating even further with the book's only appendix). Eventually, readers will get the gist, but these points could have been stated more succinctly. Beyond that, something else of great import comes through in the writing: Dr. Sam seems like quite a caring guy, who is not only rooting for you, but has genuinely dedicated himself to the self-improvement of others. It's this gem that shepherds us through this extended metaphor and leaves us inspired to not only start to change, but practice disciplines that put us on (or return us to) the road to lasting personal betterment.

Here are some of my favorite quotes from the book:

"..That shameless (or grace-filled) awareness is the water that melts our inner witches."

"Tin Man involves feeling vulnerable: it inevitably leads to pain and hurt. If you love someone or something, you will be hurt. Count on it."

Regarding "Authentic Suffering…" "We live in a society that has mastered the art of convenient and immediate gratification … we have lost the art of suffering."

"It actually takes more psychological energy to not change than to change! … Remaining the same requires tremendous psychological energy and cost."

Read more Book Reviews by Author/Illustrator Ross Anthony.