Family & Relationships Books

Jeannette Walls's memoir revolves around her parents, who give the concept of bad parenting a whole new meaning. Her irresponsible romantic of a father was an inventor of outlandishly useless devices, and her mother, an artist, was his abettor. As the two of them dragged the family around the country on the run from creditors and from one bad idea to another, they virtually ignored their four hapless children, except when they were giving them shoplifting lessons or stealing their money for booze. Walls writes about these years with a hardheaded, clear-eyed acceptance and very little recrimination, and she doesn't neglect her parents' virtues, which she manages to wrest out of the slag heap: their values were both generous and idealistic, they produced self-reliant children, and they were true originals.

A consultant and story editor from the hit TV show SEX AND THE CITY tell you what's really going on in a man's mind when he's apparently sending out mixed messages about his feelings for you: HE'S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU. According to this humorous but intensely practical self-help guide, men avoid telling women that they're not interested in them because men hate messy, emotional confrontations. However, their actions are fairly screaming their interest, or lack thereof, and women need to pick up on that, dump the losers, and move on to the real, fulfilling relationships that they so richly deserve. This book torpedoes every lame excuse a woman makes for a boyfriend's bad or indifferent behavior. A man who's interested in a woman will move heaven and earth to be with her. If he won't call you, he won't ask you out, he won't propose, or he disappears entirely, wake up and smell the coffee: HE'S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU. As featured on OPRAH and NBC's TODAY SHOW. Winner of the 2005 Quill Award in Health/Self-Improvement.

Transforming the challenging behavior of children between the ages of 2 to 12, as well as creating healthy, positive habits is the focus of this incredibly helpful parenting guide. In three steps, based on the concept of "Stop" and "Start" behaviors--identifying the things that need to stop, such as tantrums and whining, and focusing on beneficial routines like getting homework completed--psychologist Thomas Phelan teaches parents how to limit bad behavior and foster new, constructive actions.

There is a way to bridge the generation gap, say child experts Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish, and the methods they describe in this book have been used by many parents. They teach communication and discipline without alienating kids and aggravating the problem. Undesirable behavior, they say, is often met with remarks that make children feel endangered or unloved. The authors, who have written several parenting books, including SIBLINGS WITHOUT RIVALRY, present scenarios and dialogues demonstrating common mistakes that exacerbate the problem. Topics addressed include coping with a child's negative feelings (such as anger or sadness), setting limits while maintaining good relations, and resolving family conflicts without waging war.

Couples therapist Harville Hendrix created his successful Imago Therapy from the combination of his experience as a therapist and the experience of his own marriage and divorce. In his influential book GETTING THE LOVE YOU WANT, Hendrix introduces the reader to Imago Therapy and tells how it can transform relationships. In the first section, Hendrix explores the haphazard way most of us choose our mates, how we fail to comprehend the almost organic life of a relationship, and hence, why these "unconscious marriages" do not work. The second section introduces his concept of the "conscious marriage," where Hendrix explains how his program can move couples toward this objective. He then shares a very practical 10-step system that couples can use to work through their relationship issues and form the loving partnership of their dreams.

This is the third book in David Pelzer's touching autobiographical trilogy about surviving an abusive childhood.

The sequel to Pelzer's autobiography of an abusive childhood, THE LOST BOY follows Pelzer through the California foster care system.

After decades of studying both successful and splitting married couples, John Gottman has distilled his findings into basic precepts for success, explaining how and why they work. Rejecting traditional assumptions about the things that make a marriage work, Gottman cites "emotional intelligence" as the bedrock of marital success. He turns his empirical findings into practical, specific advice for those in search of a long-term, close partnership. He offers plenty of quizzes and questionnaires to help determine the chances of making a relationship lasting and satisfying, and he details a concrete, seven-point plan for enhancing these odds. Filled with humor and written in a highly accessible, friendly style, this guide will show couples the way to beat the divorce statistics and strive toward optimal success in making their marriages emotionally fruitful.

Comedian Steve Harvey offers women tips on what really goes on inside a man's head. Harvey offers his view on what men are really thinking when it comes to dating, sex, having kids, and settling down. With a direct voice and humorous tone, He presents a lighthearted but helpful guide for any woman who feels befuddled by her man's strange behavior. Harvey is the host of the popular STEVE HARVEY MORNING SHOW.

In this pickup artist's memoir, Neil Strauss tells how he went from average guy (loser) to master seducer. Neil's Harvard was a secret society of seducers, a subculture of like-minded men who share the secrets of getting the best-rated women. Using the name "Style," Strauss actually lived among them in a Los Angeles safe house, and he tells of his two-year journey that included encounters with some of the rich and famous, such as Tom Cruise, Paris Hilton, and Courtney Love. He masters the rules of the Game, but the lifestyle that he and his friends lead takes them to some dangerous places. Strauss's textbook offers theory and practice in the seduction arts, and his prose style is engaging and readable. In the end, he gets what he wants and what he needs--though not what he expected. Readers of THE GAME will come away with more than just pickup lines.

Wallerstein's 25-year study of the effects of divorce on children, including their adolescence and young adulthood, gives a unique and vivid portrait of the divorce culture. A comparative study, it sheds light on the legacy of failed marriages: attitudes, life-choices, and behaviors that children of intact homes do not harbor. Valuable reading for married couples and adult children of divorce. A New York Times Notable Book for 2000.

The author (who is a psychologist, family counselor, and Christian advocate) advises parents on handling the special challenges of raising boys.