I have studied B and C for more than 25 years and this book is hands down the best on the subject. Engagingly written, well-researched, and chock full of surprises for anyone who thinks they know the real story of these two Texas misfits.
I grew up in California agriculture and the houses selected for this book bare little resemblence to Western farmhouses.All the houses are from east of the Mississippi, mostly East Coast and very old.There is one Texas farmhouse from the Civil War era.
An excellent and very detailed history of drugs and its impact on our society.The book is thoroughly researched.It's entertaining and very readable. It's not only a review of the history of drugs in American society but also covers a number of individuals and the effect narcotics had on them.I found it fascinating and scary.Having lived through those turbulent times it brought back many memories.
No Ordinary Time is a wonderfully well written biography which tells the story of "Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt -- The Home Front in World War II." Doris Kearns Goodwin has made a number of choices to tell herbiographical story with deceptive simplicity. I personally don't think thebook quite manages to completely encompass "The Home Front in WorldWar II" along the way, and I probably didn't want it to; instead ittells the story of the war through the Roosevelts' fascinating circle ofWhite House "family" members, with broader historical themestouching on that story.The personal story works. I've never read quitethis sort of parallel biography before. In a lot of ways the relationshipbetween FDR and his astonishingly complex, compassionate wife makes aperfect lens through which to view the times. Goodwin has plenty of chancesto let Eleanor's various interests touch on different aspects of Americanlife; hardly anything escapes the first lady's list of interests andcauses, so there's no strain to include anything, that's for sure.
Isometimes found myself, though, wishing the emphasis was more squarely onbiography proper. Four or five times in reading the book, I becamemomentarily bogged down in passages involving, say, big picture statistics,and wanted to concentrate on the motives and feelings of Eleanor andFranklin again. In particular, Eleanor's various interests often serve tointroduce some new social issue, and I wanted to really understand *her*appreciation of things rather than reading a set of statistics she wouldn'thave had access to anyway.
Honestly, though, No Ordinary Time breatheslife into these people. You come away from the book understanding that theycould be huge, monumental figures and yet be complex and flawed and veryhuman at the same time. There's no taking away from the heart of the book.It's told well, and it makes a wonderful, rich, rewarding read.
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Think of this book as emergency room training for marriages that are about to collapse.Unlike other books on relationships, this one focuses on what to do after you spouse has moved out, taken up with someone else, or has said that she or he wants a divorce.What do you do now?Michele Weiner Davis appears to have written this book to correct some misimpressions she left in her book, Divorce Busting (which I have not read).Here, she makes it clear that you can be your own marriage counselor, and you can succeed even if your spouse won't agree to work on the marriage.Based on her experiences as a marriage counselor, Ms. Davis feels that almost any marriage has the potential to be saved.She also points out that divorce is no bed of roses.The statistics back her up.Most people are happier, healthier, and wealthier in marriages than divorced.Children obviously do better.
Unfortunately, many friends, family, counselors, and the media encourage divorceas a way to reduce the near-term pain . . . while creating more long-term pain.Did you know that 60 percent of second marriages end in divorce?Some people don't learn is the lesson.
Only you know whether you want to save your marriage or not.This book will help you make that decision.
Ms. Davis encourages you to save your marriage unless your spouse is a chronic source of physical abuse, substance abuse, or unfaithfulness and your spouse refuses to change in any one of these areas.The end of the book has several chapters for dealing with very severe problems like infidelity ("most marriages do survive infidelity"), a depressed spouse, the classic male mid-life crisis, and having sexual passion cool to the disappearing point.
The center piece of the book is a process for going from where you are miserable, defeated, and don't know what to do to the point where you are taking action and have created a chance to mend the problem.Did you know that most people have felt miserable enough to get divorced for 6 years before they announce their intention to solve the problem or leave the marriage?
Obviously, not every marriage can be saved . . . even if one of the partners wants to do so.But these methods will help improve the odds.
Many of the concepts in the book are similar to those in Dr. Phil McGraw's excellent book, Relationship Rescue.Perhaps this book could have been called Retrieving Your Marriage after It Seems Gone.
You are encouraged to look at your marriage and relationship from a new perspective.What's going on?What do you really want?Have you told your spouse?Stop doing things that don't work or make the situation worse!Do more of what does work.Experiment.Build on positive success.
Each section is filled with case histories, including Ms. Davis's own life and experiences.Some of them are really hilarious.One couple agreed that they would change the rules about fighting.They could only do so with their clothes off.This kept them from fighting in public and in front of the children.When the husband starting taking his clothes off, the wife started laughing and soon the fight was over.Whenever another fight would begin, the memory of that episode would bring them both to laughter rather than more anger.
The key point of the book is that you have to work on yourself.Changing you will elicit an improved response from your spouse.The book is full of examples of spouses who came back to the marriage when the behavior that was driving them crazy abated or stopped.
Having been divorced, I found the book to be honest and realistic.I certainly did not know what to do to solve the problems in that marriage.Having remarried, I certainly intend to apply the lessons of The Divorce Remedy to make my marriage a better one!
I recommend this book to couples who are getting ready to marry.The section on the marriage map will be very valuable for describing what one can expect from a successful marriage.I also recommend Relationship Rescue for those whose marriages need mending, but have not yet broken down.If you are looking for a divorce lawyer, pick up, read, and apply this book!
May your marriage meet all of your goals . . . and those of your spouse!Remember to recognize what you cannot change, and be accepting where it isn't really important!
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