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Books: Text Books: Families and Marriage
While They're at War: The True Story of American Families on the Homefrontby Kristin Henderson List Price: $23.00 Available from Amazon $14.95 On 7-21-2006 
See Item's Page From Publishers Weekly Starred Review. By the time Beth Pratt's husband returned from Iraq, they had been apart longer than they had known each other. Not long after Charlie Bootes's first deployment, his wife, Marissa Bootes, became a leader in one of the army's Family Readiness Groups, heading up phone trees and organizing girls' nights out while also managing a job and motherhood. When three uniformed soldiers came to Michelle Hellerman's door, she thought that they were picking her up for a comfort team; she didn't imagine that the terrible news was for her. "This is the war story you never hear," writes Henderson about what is actually a series of engrossing and often heartbreaking stories built from more than 100 interviews. The Quaker wife of a military chaplain, Henderson is a compassionate expert witness. For military families, her explanations of the official and unofficial support systems that serve (and sometimes fail) Fort Bragg's soldiers amount to a useful handbook. For civilians, the stories provide a revealing look into what it really means when a country goes to war. Though many of the soldiers Henderson writes about are serving in Iraq, she takes neither side in the war debate, and keeps to a style that is both intimate and professional. This is an emotional book that effectively plies the complexities of military life. (Feb) Copyright © Reed business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From Booklist An all-volunteer military now means that most Americans don't personally know someone serving in Iraq or Afghanistan or elsewhere, which means we also don't know much about the toll on their families. Henderson, whose husband is a navy chaplain, profiles military families, focusing on two wives coping with life at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Beth Pratt and Marissa Bootes face the challenges of their husbands' first deployment as junior enlisted men, and they are full of anxieties while struggling to maintain emotional and financial stability. Henderson details the support groups developed by military wives to bolster themselves against depression, substance abuse, infidelity, the pressures of single parenthood, suicidal impulses, and husbands who return with emotional problems. One group stays in such compulsive contact that a husband jokingly calls them a cult. This powerful, revealing, and sometimes painful book offers a look behind the scenes of military families most often seen during tearful good-byes, joyful homecomings, and "the occasional yellow-ribbon moment." Vanessa Bush Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved |
Chicken Soup for the Golden Soul: Heartwarming Stories for People 60 and Overby Jack Canfield, Mark Victo Hansen, Paul Meyer, and Barbara Chesser List Price: $16.95 Available from Amazon $11.02 On 7-21-2006 
See Item's Page From AudioFile The stories collected for this series get better and better -- they're marvelously crafted pieces of writing with heartwarming themes and many entertaining twists and turns in the way they unfold. In this volume, the stories are about preserving dignity during the travails of reaching one's later years, and especially about finding meaning and purpose in being generous with others. As always, the readings are auditory pleasures that are perfectly paced and nuanced. The generous and sincere readings by the author/readers are a heartfelt gift to aging people of all stages. T.W. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. Book Description Barbara Russell Chesser Ph.D., Amy Seeger and Paul J. Meyer join Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen in compiling Chicken Soup for the Golden Soul. This collection offers readers loving insights and wisdom--all centering on the prime of life. Contributors to this volume include Erma Bombeck, Ruth Stafford Peale, Tom Landry, Florence Littauer, Roy Rogers and Max Lucado. Readers of all ages are sure to cherish this invaluable collection as a reminder that the soul of those young at heart is truly "golden." Divided into chapters on letting go, giving, learning, the lighter side, across the generations, overcoming obstacles, perspective, believing, living your dream, reminiscing and ageless wisdom, this book celebrates the myriad joys of living and the wisdom that comes from having lived. Readers at every stage of life will turn to this book again and again for the timeless wisdom that will help them live their lives to the fullest. |
The Meaning of Wife: A Provocative Look at Women and Marriage in the Twenty-first Centuryby Anne Kingston List Price: $15.00 Available from Amazon $10.50 On 7-21-2006 
See Item's Page Product Review "The Meaning of Wife styles itself in the tradition of Backlash and The Beauty Myth: It's a pop-culture-literate survey of the last 25 years that serves up feminist ideas with a lively touch."--Joy Press, The Village Voice "In The Meaning of Wife, Kingston ruminates with wit and wide historical range over the peculiar female estate of wife and its modern incarnations. . . . Kingston's spirited romp across the kitchens and boardrooms, bedrooms, courtrooms, and shopping malls of modern culture yields important . . . insights about wife-hood in the twenty-first century."--Chicago Tribune "Provocative, smart."--Elle "Entertaining . . . Kingston’s quirky sensibility (shades of Caitlin Flanagan) and her clever readings of pop culture make this book stand out. . . . The analysis is delightful."--Newsday Book Description Delving into the complex, troubling, and sometimes humorous contradictions, illusions, and realities of contemporary wifehood, this book takes the reader on a journey into the wedding industrial complex. Anne Kingston looks at "wife backlash," and the new wave of neo-traditionalism that urges women to marry young; explores the apotheosis of abused wives and the strange celebration of wives who kill; and muses on the fact that Oprah Winfrey and Martha Stewart, two of the world's wealthiest and most influential women, are both unmarried. The result is an entertaining mix of social, sexual, historical, and economic commentary that is bound to stir debate even as it reframes our view of both women and marriage. |
Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts: Seven Questions to Ask Before (and After) You Marryby Leslie Parrott and Les Parrott III List Price: $17.99 Available from Amazon $11.69 On 7-21-2006 
See Item's Page From AudioFile Two married mental health pros offer a compact guide to tuning up your marriage. It's billed as a pre-marriage diagnostic tool, but it's mainly a primer on the common problems men and women have in long-term relationships. Women are process-oriented and think out loud. Men are more egotistical and goal-oriented, and prefer fighting battles to understanding them. It's Mars and Venus revisited, along with some interesting insights on why marriages go wrong. The writing is authoritative, but the gentle narration speaks to the heart. A final section on including God in your marriage is tastefully presented and contributes to making the program a nice guide for anyone whose marriage is threatening to go off course. T.W. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. Book Description This book shows engaged couples and newlyweds how they can identify and overcome stumbling blocks to a healthy marriage. |
Stepcoupling: Creating and Sustaining a Strong Marriage in Today's Blended Familyby Susan Wisdom and Jennifer Green List Price: $13.95 Available from Amazon $11.16 On 7-21-2006
See Item's Page Book Description Love may be sweeter the second time around, but once the bliss of a newfound relationship wears off a little, the reality of being part of a stepfamily sets in. If you are one of the millions of remarried Americans facing the challenge of blending two existing families into one cohesive whole, you are part of a stepcouple—and you know all too well how hard it can be to make your marriage work in sometimes tough terrain. Different parenting styles, finances, relationships with ex-spouses, legal matters, and even seemingly simple issues such as the kinds of chores assigned to children can chisel away at your union if you don’t always make your marriage a priority. Stepcoupling offers advice for stepcouples on how to do just that—all the while strengthening their blended family with a healthy marriage. Susan Wisdom and Jennifer Green provide tips and strategies on dealing with the issues remarried couples face, with a wealth of advice from real-life stepcouples, such as: * Learning to tailor your expectations of your spouse or children and remembering that no family is perfect * Knowing where your boundaries are, whether involving a hostile ex-spouse or a stepchild who demands too much attention * Realizing that traits like flexibility, tolerance, forgiveness, and openness are especially essential in a stepfamily situation * Making “us” time for talking, problem-solving, weekends away, and enjoying your marriage to constantly renew and strengthen your bond as a couple Let this invaluable remarriage manual help you make your stepcouple the foundation of a strong, happy, and successful stepfamily. Inside Flap Copy Love may be sweeter the second time around, but once the bliss of a newfound relationship wears off a little, the reality of being part of a stepfamily sets in. If you are one of the millions of remarried Americans facing the challenge of blending two existing families into one cohesive whole, you are part of a stepcouple?and you know all too well how hard it can be to make your marriage work in sometimes tough terrain. Different parenting styles, finances, relationships with ex-spouses, legal matters, and even seemingly simple issues such as the kinds of chores assigned to children can chisel away at your union if you don?t always make your marriage a priority. Stepcoupling offers advice for stepcouples on how to do just that?all the while strengthening their blended family with a healthy marriage. Susan Wisdom and Jennifer Green provide tips and strategies on dealing with the issues remarried couples face, with a wealth of advice from real-life stepcouples, such as: * Learning to tailor your expectations of your spouse or children and remembering that no family is perfect * Knowing where your boundaries are, whether involving a hostile ex-spouse or a stepchild who demands too much attention * Realizing that traits like flexibility, tolerance, forgiveness, and openness are especially essential in a stepfamily situation * Making ?us? time for talking, problem-solving, weekends away, and enjoying your marriage to constantly renew and strengthen your bond as a couple Let this invaluable remarriage manual help you make your stepcouple the foundation of a strong, happy, and successful stepfamily. |
The Content Analysis Guidebookby Kimberly A. Neuendorf Available from Amazon $50.95 On 7-21-2006 
See Item's Page Product Review Communications: The European journal of Communication Research : “Skimming through the book left me with a sense of optimism, as the value of computer assistance and of electronic archives is mentioned in various parts of the book.” Marshall Scott Poole : "This is a sorely-needed book that gives an understandable introduction to one of the most important methods of communication research to students and scholars alike." William Evans : "Neuendorf's writing is both appropriate and accessible, a rare accomplishment in a book on research methods. Neuendorf provides a sophisticated yet readily comprehensible treatment of content analysis." Product Review "Neuendorf's writing is both appropriate and accessible, a rare accomplishment in a book on research methods. Neuendorf provides a sophisticated yet readily comprehensible treatment of content analysis." |
The Great Good Place: Cafes, Coffee Shops, Bookstores, Bars, Hair Salons, and Other Hangouts at the Heart of a Communityby Ray Oldenburg List Price: $16.95 Available from Amazon $11.53 On 7-21-2006
See Item's Page Newark Star-Ledger Well-written, informative, and often entertaining. Parade Examines gathering places and reminds us how important they are. People need the 'third place' to nourish sociability. |
What God Has Joined Together?: A Christian Case for Gay Marriageby David G. Myers and Letha Dawson Scanzoni List Price: $17.95 Available from Amazon $11.67 On 7-21-2006
See Item's Page From Publishers Weekly Coauthors Myers (who serves on the board of the National Marriage Project) and Scanzoni (of the Evangelical and Ecumenical Women's Caucus) "take marriage [and] our Christian faith seriously." Bringing together those two commitments to build a Christian case for gay marriage, they begin by arguing that marriage is good for society: marriage correlates to longevity; boys raised by married parents are less likely to commit crimes; married moms are less prone to depression than single moms and so forth. Why, the authors ask, should these good things be reserved for heterosexuals? They then consider what Scripture has to say about sexual orientation, rehearsing the by now familiar arguments that Jesus has nothing to say about homosexuality, and though the bible does talk occasionally about homosexual sex, it does not deal with "loving committed homosexual relationships." Myers and Scanzoni's tone is calm, respectful and balanced. For example, though they present some of the latest scientific evidence about the causes of sexual orientation (including a chart of "mental rotation scores by sexual orientation"!), they also freely admit that scientific studies on this issue are still in the early stages, and that even conclusive scientific information "cannot resolve values questions." With its traditional defense of marriage and its progressive embrace of same-sex relationships, this book cannot be pigeonholed, and that in itself is refreshing. (June) Copyright © Reed business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. David Popenoe, Co-Director, National Marriage Project, Rutgers University. "A well-reasoned, important and timely contribution to the national debate." |
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