Another Great Amazon Review!

Many thanks to Grady for this review:

5.0 out of 5 stars Accessible Information from a Relationship Expert, December 7, 2011
By Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 10 REVIEWER) (VINE VOICE) (REAL NAME) This review is from: Divorce-Proof Your Marriage Before You Say "I Do" (Paperback)
Dr. Lee A. Bowers is a psychologist in Pennsylvania who must have one of the most devoted clientele ever! In this brief but very well turned book she presents seven conversations essential to assure that coupling in a relationship will be successful before marriage. She presents this material in a manner that is warmly supportive and is obviously intended for uses by same sex couples as well as heterosexual couples, as much for people who simply want a solid non-married relationship as well as for those who are considering marriage, and for those in relationships who need to refresh their minds and lives and support systems to continue the march toward a solid togetherness.

Dr. Bowers sets her book into chapters, each chapter devoted to the seven essential conversations of the title: Idiosyncrasies, Money, Children and Pets, Core Values, Friends and Family, Sex and Gender Roles, and Communication. In each of these chapters she explains (or re-explains in a fresh way!) the importance of coming to agreement on the potential bumps in the road that a committed relationship can encounter. The seven conversations seem obvious at first, but read the manner in which the good doctor explains the approaches to both sides of a potential problem and the reader will find a wealth of homespun information that is wise and full of rich guidance. Little things, such as a man's proclivity to hag the television for sports programs and keep the controls in his hand; how money is perceived - as an equal earner versus a wage earner and homemaker; uncovering how each partner feels about not only children but also pets!; setting aside time for meaningful communication, etc etc.

Yes, much of what Dr. Bowers writes has been said before, but the way she makes her points is by giving examples of couples with whom she has dealt on every point she makes - a technique that makes the importance of the 'conversation' shine more brightly and certainly more clearly. For couples and for those thinking of coupling, this is a very fine book. Grady Harp, December 11