Synopsis
The very word 'frontier' is a uniquely American concept. In every other Indo-European language, the word 'frontier' means a boundary or a limit. In America, the word 'frontier' came to mean the very opposite -- a boundless realm of exciting possibilities. The drive to the frontier is part of the American character, of what it means to be an American." -- from the Preface
GO FOR IT! reveals the "frontier strategy" -- habits of the mind that contribute to our strength and success, both as individuals and as a nation.
GO FOR IT! shows how to find your own frontier. It could be a geographic place, in a hometown or a new town. But a frontier also is a state of mind found at work or at home. It could be homebodies at their computers "homesteading the electronic frontier." We see science as the "endless frontier" and call retirement the "next frontier."
Ultimately, the frontier is a choice, not just a place. It could be anywhere that unique qualities enable someone to make a contribution not made before.
Author Judith Kleinfeld, Ed.D., professor of psychology at the University of Alaska, liberally laces her book with inspiring stories of those who found their frontier, explaining why they developed greater personal confidence, more independence, and a stronger sense of self. On frontiers, people
We Americans rejoice when individuals overcome obstacles and succeed against formidable odds. That is the frontier spirit. This self-help book, the quintessential American genre, serves as a guide to finding authentic happiness while leading satisfying and successful lives.
Library Journal
These two books address dreamers looking to make a stake in reality. Kleinfeld (psychology, Univ. of Alaska, Fairbanks) uses anecdotes drawn from interviews to illustrate how many successful Alaskans, ranging from potters to politicians, have entered a zone of peak experience reminiscent of the "flow" found in Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's works (e.g., Finding Flow). These anecdotes are intended to epitomize various essentially American traits (e.g., heroism and satisfaction), but the trouble is that they all start to sound alike. And though often poignant, they do not provide much in the way of self-help. Instead, Kleinfeld spends a good deal of time musing on the romance, risk, guts, glory, and American-ness of the "frontier" and arguing that Alaskans exemplify those stimulated by challenge. In this fictional work (less a short story than a self-help fable), Rowan, formerly a contributor to Time, Life, and Fortune magazines, writes about a "one-in-a-million striper" nicknamed Solo who takes an exhilarating little journey to the self. Encouraged by unlikely mentors (an octopus and a dolphin), Solo leaves "school" and matures from a self-loathing adolescent into an berfish capable of jumping and speed swimming. The inventive, energetic writing will hold readers' attention, but the story feels derivative of Richard Bach's Jonathan Livingston Seagull and Jules Pfeiffer's parable A Barrel of Laughs, A Vale of Tears. That similarity in itself isn't problematic, but Rowan doesn't explain what inspires Solo's transformation in the first place, which would have distinguished his book from the other titles. Rowan's knowledge of fishing (Surfcaster's Quest) helps the narrative. Order only on request. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.