Lori Bryant Wooolidge, whose personal website (found here) is an accomplished fiction writer and the creator of the Stiletto University. In "The Power Of WOW", her first official foray into non-fiction, she extends the concepts taught in the Stiletto U course catalogue into a handbook for self-betterment, but make no mistake...this is NOT a self help book (with all the baggage that such a descriptor brings) - it is a betterment guide or perhaps a handbook for unleashing your inner diva. Because Ms. Woolridge comes from a well established fiction background, including full length dramatic novels and short erotic stories, her style of writing is very approachable yet descriptive and engaging.

The Power of Wow is a book for a woman (or man!) who needs to tap into their inner sexy and unleash the passion within. It speaks to those who, for whatever reason, have lost their flirty ways in among the demands of everyday life, or for those who never really managed to tap into their inner confident powerhouse. It's even appropriate for an already self described diva, because it demands a degree of honesty and introspection who can uncover hidden insecurities that were not previously acknowledged.

The book is a workbook in as much as it is a guide; there are actually sections with blank lines that are intended as "put pen to paper and commit to your answers" sections. In this way, the book does come off as a correspondence course from Stiletto U, complete with assignments and expectations that are clearly outlined from the get go. Of course, this means that by definition that the book will only be helpful as long as the reader puts in the effort to actually tackle the tasks and assignments given within its pages. It's not going to 'work' if all you do is read the text contained within the pages - you need to integrate the exercises into your life in order to unlock a sensual you.

Of course, this leads to the obvious concern - if you're so busy with the demands of everyday life that you've locked your inner diva deep inside yourself in an effort to simplify things, how could you possibly have the time for a "course"? The wonderful thing about the way the book is presented is that there is constant emphasis on making the course content fit into your life - even if that means doing something once a month, and that the time you manage to take is during a walk to the grocery store. Anything will work, the most important component is deciding to fit the exercises into your routine.

These 'exercises' aren't really heavy assignments either - they are directions that guide you to sensual outlets and personal betterment. Simple tasks, like wearing a set of sexy underthings and allowing yourself to *feel* sexy throughout your day, are so easy to undertake, and, as the book suggests, work well into any day - even a sweatpants Sunday! Allowing yourself to really relish the scent of your favorite perfume is easily done in seconds and yet provides a key step to (what the author calls) personal branding and defining a signature you.

On the flip side, anyone looking to this book for serious advice may be put off by some of the wording and phrasing. The author uses cute little catch phrases, such as "Fab Five", instead of more familiar descriptors (your five senses), which I found a little too insipid for my personal tastes. Moreover, there are a few sections that all of a sudden talk about God, which is fine if you remember the 'point' of these sections ('God' is used as where personification of the natural world would also work), but it seems a little out of place otherwise, because religion isn't actually discussed directly in the book. I found myself wishing that the author had used something a bit broader than invoking the christian God; spirituality is a component of inner peace and confidence, but it takes on so many different forms that to invoke God, by necessity, will exclude some of the people who would be reading this book.

I found this book quite helpful - I read it quickly (although I took a big break in the middle) and admittedly did not put in the effort to really get full value out of this book. But I did this for a reason - my body is currently undergoing rapid change because I am pregnant, and despite the fact that I feel I should know better, I am starting to feel nagging issues of "what if I can't get my body back?" when I get hit with a heavy hormones. For the most part, however, I am so excited about what is happening to me all of my pre-pregnancy neuroses seem to have evaporated. Thus, I feel like this book will be really really helpful in my quest to love my postpartum self, no matter what happens, and so I am saving it for those times when I need to remember to adore myself and when I need to get my head back into what it means to be me. I think it's going to be extremely useful, and will be sure to report on this aspect in my follow up review.