Healthy Living Books Books

Rating: - Not a book to be tossed aside lightly...
Dorothy Parker said, "This is not a book to be tossed aside lightly, it should be thrown with great force." I had always had respect for books before I read this book. I hurled it across the room in fury. Never have I read such cliche ridden rubbish. Don't waste your money.

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Rating: - Some quality info..
This book is presented in an easy to read format although it is particularly cheesy and repetitive. The Mars vs Venus comparison isn't just reserved for the title, men are constantly referred to as Martians and women as Venusians which can become quite annoying as you read further into the book.

The main points are repeated religiously, men crave approval and need to be adored, also if they are being quiet it is because they are in their cave and you need to just shut up and leave them to it. Women need to talk about all their problems and like to nag, and feel abandoned whenever men won't listen to their every problem. There is of course much more information in the book but these points are covered to such a degree that they are stored forever into my memory.
If the actual different points covered were written out seperately and covered without constant repeating of information then this book would be alot shorter and easier to read.

Despite all this there are reasonable and usable pieces of information which will help you understand the other person in your relationship alot better. Although the examples given are generally focused on married couples who have been together for a long period of time, there isn't much specifically aimed at new couples. I was also slightly disappointed that there were no tips on how to win someone back after you've lost them. There are tips which say men need to listen to women to get them back but as I recall there wasn't alot on the side of how to win back a man after he has given up.

If you seriously want to improve your relationships then this is worth a read, although you shouldn't expect it to cover everything and should invest in a few more books to get a wider range of information!

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Rating: - Great Guidebook
A lot has been said already about this book over the years since it first hit the shelves, and I'm not sure I can offer any new information. I believe everybody should either read this book or books like it. We all need a greater understanding; not just of others (our partners, family and friends), but also of ourselves.

The more compatible a couple naturally is the better they will get on. That's just logical. But sometimes we need to be aware of, and reminded of, the differences between men and women so they ae are more tolerant and understanding; particularly during rough patches of life.

Dr. John Gray offers a great insight into these differences and tackles the subject matter in an informative, but at the same time, light-hearted and fun manner. I enjoyed this book. Some of the information I already knew, but there were definitely new insights I learner and understood better regarding men and women. I regularly find myself refering to this text to remind myself of these differences, and to remember to be more tolerant and understanding.

How To Keep Your Man: And Keep Him For Good

Real Life Dramas - Volume One: 1

Darren G. Burton

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Rating: - Words of Wisdom
This book probably won't seem terribly relevant if you are in the first flush of romance. But if you hope to be in a relationship for the long haul, then this is the book for you. It changed my marriage immesurably for the better and throws light on how to communicate what you want effectively and without becoming angry or defensive. John Gray hits the nail on the head so many times, my husband and I learned a huge amount about what makes us tick and why we behave the way we do. While this was written before scientific research confirmed the differences between male and female brains, work done since has backed up Dr Gray's theories and he has written a number of more up to date volumes since. A little repetitive toards the end but Highly Recommended, none the less.

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Rating: - A lot of good information
I agree with many of the previous reviews that the differences Gray has observed in men and women are contained in the first few chapters and the rest of the book goes on to illustrate these. I also agree that the book makes sweeping statements and assumptions about gender behaviour and ways men and women think. It also assumes that all men are broadly the same, and that likewise all women are also broadly the same, which is clearly not the case.

However, unlike virtually anything else written on the subject anywhere, the book is actually based upon genuine empirical research undertaken by Gray (despite his dubious PhD qualification) into the way real people behave, and so has a great deal of value. There are also many second-rate `copy-cat' publications out there which say the same kind of things, but I think this is the best book on the subject. I personally believe that both men and women display much of the behaviours described here and so we can all learn how to relate better with each other.

Although sound research on the subject is almost totally lacking, I personally believe that 90+% of the differences described are due to external factors and social conditioning, and are not genetic. The key thing here is to make use of the suggestions and solutions provided, and improve the way we behave to our nearest and dearest and reap the benefits!