Be the Star You Are Reviewed byPat McGrath Avery

Be the Star You Are!
By Cynthia Brian
ISBN: 1-58761-008-6
Celestial Arts Publishing
2001
www.star-style.com

As adults we have all kinds of knowledge floating around in our heads. We’ve heard
or read more about motivation and inspiration than we can ever hope to retain. Can
or should we read one more book?

The answer is a resounding “yes.” In Be the Star You Are!, Cynthia Brian has gath-
ered stories from her life and created a guide to help each reader find his or her own
road to joy and happiness.

Brian uses her acting and coaching skills as well as her own personal exuberance to
give us 99 vignettes filled with positive messages about life and living. From atti-
tude to hope to playfulness, she gives us real-life examples with humor and lessons learned. It’s tough to turn a wed-
ding-dress disaster into a positive memory, but the author makes us laugh while we’re realizing that her lesson is right
on.

Through a pen pal relationship that began in fourth grade, we learn the value of life-long friendship. The vision of
Brian and her children doing the ‘Snail Stomp’ made me laugh - she titled that story “Creativity.”

Brian may have been born an optimist, or somewhere along life’s path, her parents and teachers imbued her with a
positive attitude. In either case, to this add the gifts of humor and love of life and you have a person who can turn life’s
little adventures into big lessons that all of us can appreciate. She seamlessly brings together, with style and humor,
the dreamer, the achiever and the motivator.

With each story, she gives us exercises that range from the physical to the mental. Whether we’re making a list of the
miracles in our lives, praying for a friend or learning to do ‘cobra slithers,’ the reader is given an active part in the les-
sons of life.

With this book, you can take the opportunity to make her inspiration your own. Brian defines herself as a student of
life. Born and raised in northern California, she shares her childhood with us - from being raised in a large family on a
farm to raising chickens and goats, driving tractors and planting flowers. She grew up to become an actress, an acting
coach, a certified interior designer, a TV producer and hostess, an internationally known speaker and a best-selling
author.

In the foreword, Dr. Bernie Siegel credits the book with wisdom and lessons in healing, acceptance and connections.
Brian gives the reader inspiration and a good read. She successfully translates her belief into a book - teaching us that
each of us are stars and have an endless potential for love and happiness.

You’ll laugh, cry and dig into your own memories with this book. But even more importantly, you’ll tie together some
of that knowledge that’s floating around and turn it into motivation and smiles.

Visit her website for more information: www.star-style.com.