This book helped me at the right time. I was on medication for a serious illness that caused me to become much angrier than usual at unfair events that had happened in the past. My anger was a result of being a timid person, who always had to deal with people taking advantage of me. However, by applying the true-to-life examples of people whom Dr. Lerner wrote about, I gained assertiveness and learned how to express my views in pleasant and effective ways. It also helped me to evaluate relationships, while changing my approach towards dealing with others. No longer did I allow myself to be put into positions of ridicule, as before, but now, I am able to help others to feel equal to me, and thus, gain a greater respect for me. Thanks to this book, I have developed new strategies to gain equal relationships, as well as gained a better understanding of others. It has been nine months since I had read this book, but I still return to it from time to time to review various sections that can particularly help to me for specific problems.