Amazon won't let me post a review yet since the book is still not released, but here is the Amazon review I will be submitting:
Laura Ritchie's latest book, "Yes I Can: Learn to Use the Power of Self-efficacy," could not come at a better time. If you have been struggling in the pandemic to learn new skills or relax with a new hobby, or if you are contemplating something even more extreme such as a change in careers, Laura Ritchie's warm, honest, encouraging voice in these pages can help you take charge of your learning. Her emphasis on deliberation and self-awareness can help you channel the doubts and fears of your inner critic into a new direction: self-efficacy, a belief in yourself and in your capacity to take/make opportunities that will help you to achieve your goals. Learning is not easy or automatic like so many of the conveniences of modern life, but learning is always possible, and this book will help you embrace that sense of possibility, of challenge, of change. Change is inevitable; there is no standing still, and the pandemic has made that fact of life even more clear, sometimes scarily so. But change also creates an open space for learning, and in that open space you can take charge of your own learning. In fact, you have always been in charge of your own learning, despite the best efforts of school to try to convince you otherwise. As Ritchie says, "Only you can judge and decide what your capabilities are." If you are ready to begin to explore your untapped capabilities, this book is a great place to start!
Meanwhile, in the coming days, I'm going to use Laura's book to prompt a series of posts here to get me back in gear for Spring semester. So, I'll be back with more notes about the book here later, but I wanted to share the book information now. (And thanks again to Laura for writing this book and for letting me have a sneak peek!)