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Karen Salmansohn is a hugely prolific author of self-help books. But her books are different. They’re beautifully illustrated and extremely entertaining. And she’s sold over a million of them. You may know her bestselling Be Happy, Dammit (or the Sirius radio show of the same name), but her latest book is The Bounce Back Book.

The Bounce Back Book is subtitled “How to thrive in the face of adversity, setbacks and losses.” In other words, it’s got something for everyone (everyone has suffered adversity, setbacks and losses, right?), but I imagine it will be particularly helpful in light of the current economic downturn. Of course, it’s natural to be devastated following a change to your working situation, but it’s also an opportunity… and one that Salmansohn’s book can help you make the most of.

At first glance, the book may seem on the fluffy side – the cover is squishy and rubbery and features a smiley-faced bouncing ball – but the advice contained within is anything but. Salmansohn writes about what she calls the Vortex: “Everyone has one in their life (at least one) – a time when you are tested in seemingly insurmountable ways and things continue to go wrong, and you spiral uncontrollably downward.” (Salmansohn’s own Vortex took place following a sexual assualt, an incident she references throughout the book.)

But Salmansohn doesn’t just offer practical methods for recovering from the Vortex, she also offers advice on how to take care of yourself, both emotionally and physically. The book contains 75 “tips,” each one expanded on to various degrees. Some are simple (#70: View change as chance); others more specific (#9: It’s not only the event itself, but the way we explain the event to ourselves that causes depression); and some are just plain inspiring (#50: What goes down often bounces back even higher).

I appreciate that the tips may sound like the kind of “self-help sound bites” you’ve read before, but it’s Salmansohn’s enthusiasm, honestly and plain optimism that makes The Bounce Back Book different. It will be joining Martha Beck’s The Joy Diet as one of the few self-help books I return to again and again.

Photo by *easyyy.