THE GOOD STEPMOTHER: A Practical Guide

According to Savage, founder of the Stepfamily Resource Center in Scarborough, N.Y., and co-author Adams, one out of five families in America is now a ""stepfamily."" This down-to-eàrth guide is aimed at women who find themselves occupying the touchy position of stepmother. Using her own experience as both therapist and stepmother, Savage, with Adams' help, moves the reader through virtually every aspect of stepfamily life, from the first introduction to the potential stepchildren to the jungles of stepchild adolescence, even to the moment when the stepchildren leave the nest and start families of their own. She stops to consider the ""witch/saint"" dichotomy that many stepmothers face, and stresses throughout the practical truth that a stepmother can never be fully in control of the family situation. Savage's style is simple and direct and rarely stoops to the cutesiness that clogs many self-help guides. One cannot help wondering, however, why only stepmothers are addressed here--surely, as a therapist, Savage could extrapolate from her own experience and address the problems stepfathers face as well. Still, this is a lucid and valuable sourcebook for a growing group of Americans.