Sonia M. Rompoti, MSc, Bsc

There’s a special kind of book you don’t read because you’re curious.
You read it because something has already gone wrong.

The Mindset of Crisis Management is that kind of book. It doesn’t assume you’re calm, organized, or operating at full emotional capacity. It assumes your world has tilted suddenly and you’re trying to keep it together without falling apart in public. A reasonable assumption, frankly.

The central question it asks is painfully simple: When change hits hard and fast, how do you cope without burning yourself to the ground? Job loss. Illness. Global crises. Personal disasters that don’t politely schedule themselves for when you’re “ready.” This book doesn’t dramatize those moments, and I appreciated that. It treats crisis as something humans inevitably face, not as a personal failure or a mindset flaw you need to hustle your way out of.

What stood out to me is how grounded the advice is. There’s no toxic positivity here, no “just reframe it and smile harder.” Instead, it focuses on small, meaningful actions that actually help regulate stress, anxiety, and emotional overload. The kind of guidance that feels doable even when your brain is tired and your nervous system is fried.

I also liked that it doesn’t stop at self-care in the Instagram sense. It talks about caring for others during crisis too, without pretending that makes things easy or noble. Just real. Messy. Human. The kind of balance we’re all trying to strike when we’re holding ourselves together while someone else is leaning on us.

If I had one quiet critique, it’s this: at times I wanted the book to linger a bit longer in the emotional mess before moving into solution mode. Not because the tools aren’t useful, but because sometimes readers need permission to sit in the “this is awful” phase just a little longer before fixing anything.

That said, this is a solid, steady read. The kind you come back to. Not flashy. Not dramatic. Just reliable. Like a calm voice in the room when everything else feels loud and unstable.

If you’re going through a period of sudden change, or supporting someone who is, this book offers structure without pressure and guidance without judgment. And honestly, that alone makes it worth your time.

*This review is part of an indie author book exchange I joined at the start of the year, built around a simple idea: writers supporting writers without algorithms breathing down our necks. The goal isn’t inflated praise or forced positivity. It’s genuine engagement with stories we might not have picked up otherwise, and honest reflections shared with readers who appreciate nuance. I picked The Mindset of Crisis Management because its themes sit right at the uncomfortable intersection of day to day life, desire, and identity. Those are the stories that tend to linger, and they’re the ones indie fiction often handles best.