Wow. I have had this book for FAR too long. And there is absolutely no reason for it! Marriage by Dr. Ray Guerendi is a great book about marriage.
Though Catholics might recognize him from his show on EWTN radio, in his books, Dr. Ray is a normal psychiatrist. Well as normal as they get anyway :). As usual, Dr. Ray Guerendi has the ability to make light of pointing out the obvious and answering your objections before you have a chance to voice them. In practice for x years, he has seen it and heard it all, and has boiled down steps to make a not-so-great marriage better. Without the other person doing anything at all!
Marriage is broken down into 10 simple steps that help improve a marriage:
– apologize
– don’t say it
– listen
– ask questions
– accept it
– don’t even mention Divorce
– use your manners
– protect
– make a list
– touch
The great part about this book is that on first glance, you might scoff and think that it’s too easy to work. And then dig in your feet. Dr. Ray tells you why it needs to be done and what will happen when you do it. He even role plays and cracks jokes throughout that makes the simple bu effective advice less threatening. You could even break it down to one a month and call it your year to a better marriage project, doing something special for your anniversary & Valentine’s Day :).
I recommend this book to any newly married couple to help nip any of these in the bud. If your marriage is just, well, blah, you might be able to give it CPR with the tips in this book. If you are perfectly happy? Well, there is probably room for improvement for you, too :). No matter where you are in your relationship, Marriage by Dr. Ray Guerendi, is a great tool!
This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Marriage – Small Steps, Big Rewards. They are also a great source for a baptism gifts or first communion gifts.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review.