Take Back Your Marriage: Sticking Together in a World That Pulls Us Apart

To preface my review, let me just clarify that I am an unmarried 22-year-old college student, so my perspective is that of a future husband, not a current one.That being said, I have loved the professional advice and counsel given by Dr. William J. Doherty. His writing style is captivating, and it is obvious that his experience is extensive. He frequently uses stories and examples to illustrate his theories, all of which spark ideas in the reader. One of the most valuable aspects in any self-help literature is the author’s ability to enable the reader to think about things in a different way, and perhaps to examine their lives through a new lens and from a different perspective. ‘Taking back your marriage’ is one of those books. It is full of fantastic ideas, and Dr. Doherty’s enthusiasm for his spouse and marriage is contagious. You will learn about a wide variety of beneficial skills throughout your reading, and, if you’re anything like me, you might even be inclined to try a few of them out.I would recommend this book to those struggling to reconcile rogue thoughts and actions in their marriages, that wish to remap their thinking and acting to match their desire to be the man or woman of their spouse’s dreams.

You can't control anyone but yourself - and this book's insights are good. It helped me with my confusion and powerlessness - helping me find my own answers, and to help me try to wrap my brain around my situation. Unfortunately I was just obsessed with my divorce - and just fed myself with book after book after book after video after conference and many nights of prayer and phone calls. The obsession with trying to save something - and hearing the right words, but not getting any action from my partner, just tormenting me into thinking I could save it - and that I could maybe change the situation - that I could have made it work - but it TAKES TWO. So - read with hope... realistically.

Easy read, educational

Lots of great concepts to help each spouse in a marriage understand and take the responsibility they have to be a "responsible citizen" in their marriage. Love that word picture! Lots of wisdom in this book that explores the impact of the "consumer mentality" on today's marriages. The great thing about this book is if your spouse isn't motivated to change you can still improve your marriage. Your family is worth it...read and take action!

I purchased this as a wedding gift. I've read it and gifted it many times. It's a wonderful book that has taught me how a husband and wife need to work together as if they are in a canoe, paddling down a river. If one gets tired and needs to rest, the other will need to paddle a little harder for a while. It's been a great metaphor for us. It's an easy read and very friendly for those of us who are not professionally adept.I highly recommend this to anyone who is married, or planning to get married.

Sound advice, with a common sense approach. I bought this after my husband left. Unfortunately, this is more of a book that would work if both of you are willing to try. My husband wasn't willing to try to save our marriage. I do however recommend this book for couples who really want to work together to save your marriage and make it better.

I bought the book for one of my college classes so it saved me a lot of money and was exactly what I was looking for!

Textbook was delivered as expected

This is a helpful book. It encourages those who recognise problems in their marriage. Like teenagers, married people can believe that they are the only ones experiencing certain issues, because marital problems are often kept secret and are rarely discussed until breakdown is inevitable. I like the author's ideas about how communities can support marriages and his admission that this is rare in the modern world. I bought the book because the idea of rituals to counteract distancing and avoidance was something I had started to think about, but there is more to be gained from reading it than just the value of developing rituals. In particular, the author is an advocate for marriage and warns against therapeutic approaches that only consider the needs of the two individuals and not the value of the marital commitment itself. He also has the insight to recognise the limitations of reading a book to try to save a marriage and admits that this can in itself cause problems between the enthusiastic partner who has read the book and the other spouse who may be reluctant to read it, finds it less inspiring or interprets the request to read the book as criticism.

A readable book. I promise you'll find something that fits your situation. Practical, down to earth wisdom. A wedding present with a difference - reality

This book was easy, agreeable reading. I did not find it had a lot of practical ways for couples to deal with marriages in crisis but rather it seems to be the kind of book that marriage counsellors would enjoy as it has quite a few tips for them in their practices. The statistics and facts about how people approach marriage today were interesting and thought provoking. The label of "entitlement" that the author places on many couples' attitudes in marriages today seems to ring true. I would recommend this book for people wanting to take hold of an easy reading book on marriage with lots of facts about marriages in today's society but with a minimum amount of application for marriages in crisis.

This was actually used as a textbook in my university course & it's brilliant.