FROM THE PUBLISHER

You Can Do It! is the vision of Lauren Catuzzi Grandcolas, a heroine of United Flight 93 and a woman who was an inspiration to all who knew her. Lauren's dream was to create the ultimate self-empowering resource, a book to help women of all ages realize their dreams. Inspired by her beloved Girl Scout badges, nurtured to publication by her family and friends—led by Lauren's two sisters, Vaughn and Dara—You Can Do It! is the merit badge handbook for every grown-up girl who's said, "I wish I could..." Jam-packed with practical advice, here is step-by-step instruction and kick-in-the-pants encouragement for achieving 60 exciting badge activities. Start your own business, go back to school, speak in public, play a musical instrument, fix the car—whatever the ambition, each activity features a female expert to mentor the reader and guide her to success with clear how-to, practical resources, and the wisdom of experience. Learn a new language with Susan Carvalho of Middlebury College, take a great photograph with Lauren Greenfield, climb a mountain with Annapurna expedition leader Arlene Blum. These 512 can-do pages are about dusting off fantasies, overcoming fears, and achieving long-held desires. And to top it all off, the book includes 60 colorful badge stickers—a fun reward for goals accomplished. With its warm and encouraging message, You Can Do It! will help women everywhere discover that, yes, they can!A portion of the proceeds from You Can Do It! will go to the Lauren Catuzzi Grandcolas Foundation, which supports charitable causes and scholarships for women.

Author Biography: Lauren Catuzzi Grandcolas (1963¿¿¿2001) began You Can Do It! more than a year before her death on September 11 on her way home to the San Francisco Bay Area. Her older sister, Dara, and her younger sister, Vaughn, spokespeople for the book and both you-can-do-it mothers of three, live in Short Hills, New Jersey, and Frisco, Texas, respectively.

FROM THE CRITICS

Children's Literature - Heather Robertson

Remember the Girl Scouts? In order to expand their world, girls were required to perform tasks and were rewarded with merit badges they could proudly wear on their sashes. As adults we tend to settle into our small worlds and rarely challenge ourselves. This new book is a merit badge handbook for grown up girls. Sixty different challenges from the creative to the daring are presented. Tasks include learning how to ski, negotiate, and paint. Each challenge has a mentor to help guide you, as well as directions for getting started. For example, challenge fifteen is to take a good picture. The mentor for that challenge is Lauren Greenfield, a photographer who has appeared in many magazines and has been named by "American Photo" as one of the top twenty-five most influential photographers. She gives advice to readers about how to take a good shot and what to do with the finished product. This book is both entertaining and liberating. It is not, however, a book for young girls. The tasks are not cheap and often for adults only (skydiving is one). It would make an excellent graduation gift for a high school senior or college student. It is also a great book for those of us trying to stay young at heart. 2005, Chronicle Books, Ages 16 up.

Library Journal

Grandcolas was an experienced sales and marketing professional embarking on a writing career when she died on United Flight 93 on 9/11; her husband, family, and publisher rallied together to complete her outstanding debut, which encourages middle-aged women to do the things they have always dreamed of doing. The text-patterned after a Girl Scout manual-is made up of seven "badge" categories (e.g., "Dare," "Create," and "Learn") that are further organized into activities such as learning to skydive and care for one's car and building family rituals or breaking bad habits. Each badge takes readers through the task from start to finish and includes excerpts from professionals in that field. A bibliography of books, magazines, and web sites for further information is included. A pure pleasure to browse, this is the perfect gift for those celebrating 40th birthdays and beyond and will enjoy a high circulation among public library patrons. Highly recommended. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.