"It was absolutely wonderful to read a 'self-help' book that was based on rational principles. I've made the mistake of buying some of the most popular self-help books on the shelf and was totally disappointed to find them, at best, full of mundane and obvious advice. At their worst, they offer up suggestions that the universe will provide for you if you believe it will, that you can do anything, regardless of the facts of reality and that just telling yourself how great you are will cause self-esteem.

We all know deep down that none of this is the right advice - it's just the easy advice. Dr. Hurd gives the right advice. He teaches us things like what really causes self-esteem, how to examine emotions and put them in their proper perspective, how to love, how to be moral, and much, much more. This is a book for the rational thinkers who want to deal with the world in a realistic manner, be responsible for their own lives and achieve their own happiness.

There is also some excellent information on how to help your child grow up, for the parents out there.

This is a book that will challenge you to think rationally and come up with your own solutions, not just hope for a solution from the cosmic universe."

"'Grow Up America!' belongs in every home in America. It's candid, direct, concise and to the point. Be responsible for your actions, your feelings and your thoughts! For others? Absolutely not. For you? Absolutely. Dr. Hurd gives a whole different meaning to "selfish" and how putting yourself first dramatically improves the quality of your life. His book is clear, easy to understand, and practical.

It's refreshing how he speaks about the issues (that I've only been willing to complain about) with fortitude, backbone and honesty. His chapter on "Personal Responsibility" really surprised me! I consider myself a very responsible adult (who can't stand it when people portray themselves as 'victims,' 'helpless,' etc.), ...Bottom line: 'Grow Up America!' hits the nail on the head: being responsible = being happy. Check it out for yourself. You'll be glad you did."

"A most insightful and provocative writing, sir. Thanks for indeed finding the silver lining on the cloud of horror that we all experienced yesterday.

I was always under the impression that the reason for consulting psychotherapists was to have them help organize one's thoughts. Instead, with the help of my psychotherapist, I learned to stand alone and to, if you will, 'enter' the thoughts in an organized fashion at the very beginning. Your opinion, though, places thoughts and feelings in a different perspective that challenges us to reconsider exactly who we are and what we stand for.

Myself, I now stand for sobriety. I'm coming up on one year now, and feel fabulous.

I now have a solution. Not just an excuse. I hope America can come up with that same statement.

Fast.

Like tonight.

Thanks for everything."

"I printed this and copied it for my fellow office workers. All who read it thoroughly agreed with you. I hope all of your friends/family are safe."

"I just finished reading your article, '911: The Day America Grew Up.' I am (nearly) speechless with admiration at your brilliant eloquence and heartsick that it took these tragedies to wake us all up and help us understand how close we are to losing what is left of our freedom.

With growing admiration, ..."

"I listened to the show online this morning: It was excellent. (And even though I hate the sound of my voice, I listened to that part, too.)  A really interesting thing was that at the beginning of the show, when you were talking about the [New York City] skyline changing to want it was decades ago, I thought, 'Too bad the country isn't morally what it was decades ago.' And then [Solutions--Not Excuses radio producer] Bob echoed that, almost verbatim, almost 20 minutes later, again in the context of the skyline being returned to what it was in the past. He's obviously a right-thinking person

I printed out your essay, too, because it's so outstanding.

I'm just sorry it had to be written."

"I listened to the radio talk show...I found the show to be very interesting and helpful. I work in law enforcement and I am responsible for supervising 7 supervisors and 33 line officers. I thought you were talking about the people in my work since I recognized many of my co-workers in your descriptions! Thanks for the insight on new ways to approach these people. I receive your Newsletter and really find [it] helpful and enjoyable.

Thanks...Keep up the good work!

"I ordered this book pre-publication off of the author's web site. The book is divided into 24 concise chapters that deal with subjects such as 'Getting a Grip on Reality,' 'Self-Confidence,' 'How to Grow Up Romantically,' and many others. The subject matter should be of universal interest to any human being who is seeking to increase their effectiveness as an individual and consequently lead a happier life.

I found that four aspects of this book made it an outstanding read. First, the author's approach emphasizes the power of reason not only in overcoming life's difficulties, but also in living a happy, fulfilling life.

Second, the author does an excellent job of explaining how emotions can be an excellent tool from which to gain self-understanding IF you analyze them (and act on them) rationally rather than to follow them blindly.

Third, I liked the fact that the author is action-oriented. He does not believe that a person only needs to sit on a couch and 'vent' their feelings in order to achieve personal growth. It takes not only understanding, but actually acting on that understanding. The author makes this very clear.

Lastly, I liked the fact that the book is not just a random hodge-podge of invalidated ideas and approaches to self-help. It does not present the Ideas in a myopic vacuum. The book presents an integrated approach to the subject matter which brings together many areas of life that (for many) would be seemingly unrelated, and connects them with fundamental principles. I found this to be of great value. In summary, I found this book to be an excellent mental tune up."