Fighting midlife inertia, Sherry Stanfa-Stanley chose to stare down fear through The 52/52 Project: a year of weekly new experiences designed to push her far outside her comfort zone. These ranged from visiting a nude beach with her seventy-five-year-old mother in tow to taking a road trip with her ex-husband—and then another one with his girlfriend. She also went on a raid with a vice squad and SWAT team, exfoliated a rhinoceros (inadvertently giving him an erection), and crashed a wedding (where she accidentally caught the bouquet). While finding her courage in the most unlikely of circumstances, Sherry ultimately found herself.
For midlifers, fatigued parents, and anyone who may be discontent with their life and looking to shake things up, try new things, or just escape, Finding My Badass Self is proof it's never too late to reinvent yourself—and that the best bucket list of all may be an unbucket list.
Industry Reviews
2018 International Book Awards Winner in Health: Aging/50+
2018 IPPY Silver Medal Winner in Humor
2018 Next Generation Indie Book Awards Finalist in Self Help (Non-Fiction)
"Finding my Badass Self is like a cozy catch-up chat with a zany friend. Stanfa-Stanley's writing is conversational, peppered with juicy encounters, honest insights, and lots of laughs. Most would be hard-pressed to duplicate her energetic and courageous Badass Year, but it is encouraging to have her reminder about how rewarding it can be to push one's self-imposed limitations."
—Foreword Reviews
"An uplifting, fun, quirky, and most of all, thought-provokingly powerful memoir highly recommended for any woman who would gain new perspective about her life and its direction and choices."
—Midwest Book Review
"Stanfa-Stanley has a cheeky writing style and is happy to turn that sarcasm on herself, all the while gently admonishing the reader to come out of their own shells. Highly recommended for the memoir-lovers out there, and for any seeking to learn how to push their own boundaries."
—San Francisco Book Review
"In this debut memoir, a woman devises a plan to yank herself out of a midlife malaise. A delightfully breezy read about experimentation, often humorous and companionable."
—Kirkus Reviews
"Sherry Stanfa-Stanley's book is a riot! At fifty-two, she spent the year re-creating herself and reimagining the possibilities of life, to the delight and enlightenment of those who cheered from the sidelines. Forget the bucket list: This book is a barrel of laughs. Honest, revealing, and warm-hearted, Stanfa-Stanley gives her readers a whole new way to put 'life' into midlife crisis."
—Gina Barreca, syndicated columnist and author of Not That I'm Bitter and If You Lean In, Will Men Just Look Down Your Blouse?
"Kiss your comfort zone good-bye! Sherry Stanfa-Stanley challenges herself on the eve of her fifty-second birthday to shake up the status quo of a middle-age life. In fifty-two chapters, you can live vicariously or, better yet, get motivated to get out there. Stanfa-Stanley is funny, real, maybe a little crazy, and totally wonderful."
—Betsy Lerner, author of The Bridge Ladies and The Forest for the Trees
"Sherry Stanfa-Stanley is funny, and smart, and brave. If you love funny, smart, brave writing, you will love this book. She does things I would never dream of doing, and tells the stories of her unusual adventures in a very entertaining, and always honest style. Enjoy!"
—Cathryn Michon, screenwriter of A Dog's Purpose
"Stanfa-Stanley faces the terrifying reality of midlife inertia with courage and spontaneity, humor and humility, proving that life is either a bucket list full of someday or a reality full of right f*cking now. Her story is bold, touching, and relatable. You will laugh and cringe as she takes fifty-two first steps toward embracing no less than the life she always knew she was capable of living."
—Nicole Knepper, MA, LCPC, clinical therapist/gerontologist and author of Moms Who Drink and Swear
"Most people crave a settled life of comfort and safety. Not Sherry Stanfa-Stanley. Finding My Badass Self is a compulsively readable, hilarious account of Stanfa-Stanley's adventures in middle age, her story of becoming a woman of bravery, style, and substance."
—Jessica Lahey, author of The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed
