An earnestly didactic case study about homophobia. Mary Griffith, a mother of four in the suburbs of San Francisco, was a conservative Presbyterian who viewed her son Bobby's homosexuality as an affliction of which only faith and prayer could cure him. Raised to be a devout Christian, Bobby came out to his family when he was 15; he spent the next five years in various degrees of torment, largely caused by the staunch conviction of his mother and his church that ``you can't love God and be a homosexual.'' In 1983, at age 20, he killed himself. Aarons, a playwright and founder of the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association, uses excerpts from Bobby's diaries and the testimony of his friends and siblings to paint a portrait of a gregarious, creative, but supremely alienated adolescent whose attempts to forge a coherent identity were sabotaged by the internalized message that being gay was wrong. The book focuses on Mary's transformation, in the wake of Bobby's suicide, from bigoted Bible-thumper to compassionate activist for gay youth and spokesperson for Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (P-FLAG). At first she searched the dogma she had absorbed over the years to understand why God hadn't ``cured'' her son; eventually she figured out that Bobby hadn't been responsible for his homosexuality and that she had been wrong to condemn him. Over several years Mary found more liberal churches and other parents who helped her deal with her grief, and she began pleading publicly for tolerance of gays and lesbians, at town meetings and on Sally Jessy Raphael, recounting her own tragedy to warn others of the fatal consequences of ignorance and homophobia. (For an account of another P-FLAG parent, see Robert Bernstein's Straight Parents/Gay Children, p. 520.) Glumly informative in tone and only intermittently affecting, though Aarons effectively drives home the sad point that Bobby's death is only one in an avoidable epidemic of gay teen suicides. (photos, not seen)
Pub Date: June 1, 1995
ISBN: 0-06-251122-X
Page Count: 274
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 1995
An intriguing approach to identifying and relating to one’s emotions.
An analysis of our emotions and the skills required to understand them.
We all have emotions, but how many of us have the vocabulary to accurately describe our experiences or to understand how our emotions affect the way we act? In this guide to help readers with their emotions, Brackett, the founding director of Yale University’s Center for Emotional Intelligence, presents a five-step method he calls R.U.L.E.R.: We need to recognize our emotions, understand what has caused them, be able to label them with precise terms and descriptions, know how to safely and effectively express them, and be able to regulate them in productive ways. The author walks readers through each step and provides an intriguing tool to use to help identify a specific emotion. Brackett introduces a four-square grid called a Mood Meter, which allows one to define where an emotion falls based on pleasantness and energy. He also uses four colors for each quadrant: yellow for high pleasantness and high energy, red for low pleasantness and high energy, green for high pleasantness and low energy, and blue for low pleasantness and low energy. The idea is to identify where an emotion lies in this grid in order to put the R.U.L.E.R. method to good use. The author’s research is wide-ranging, and his interweaving of his personal story with the data helps make the book less academic and more accessible to general readers. It’s particularly useful for parents and teachers who want to help children learn to handle difficult emotions so that they can thrive rather than be overwhelmed by them. The author’s system will also find use in the workplace. “Emotions are the most powerful force inside the workplace—as they are in every human endeavor,” writes Brackett. “They influence everything from leadership effectiveness to building and maintaining complex relationships, from innovation to customer relations.”
An intriguing approach to identifying and relating to one’s emotions.Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-250-21284-9
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Celadon Books
Review Posted Online: June 22, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019
A highly readable account of how solid research and personal testing of self-help techniques saved a couple's marriage after...
Self-help advice and personal reflections on avoiding spousal fights while raising children.
Before her daughter was born, bestselling author Dunn (Why Is My Mother Getting a Tattoo?: And Other Questions I Wish I Never Had to Ask, 2009, etc.) enjoyed steady work and a happy marriage. However, once she became a mother, there never seemed to be enough time, sleep, and especially help from her husband. Little irritations became monumental obstacles between them, which led to major battles. Consequently, they turned to expensive couples' therapy to help them regain some peace in life. In a combination of memoir and advice that can be found in most couples' therapy self-help books, Dunn provides an inside look at her own vexing issues and the solutions she and her husband used to prevent them from appearing in divorce court. They struggled with age-old battles fought between men and women—e.g., frequency of sex, who does more housework, who should get up with the child in the middle of the night, why women need to have a clean house, why men need more alone time, and many more. What Dunn learned via therapy, talks with other parents, and research was that there is no perfect solution to the many dynamics that surface once couples become parents. But by using time-tested techniques, she and her husband learned to listen, show empathy, and adjust so that their former status as a happy couple could safely and peacefully morph into a happy family. Readers familiar with Dunn's honest and humorous writing will appreciate the behind-the-scenes look at her own semi-messy family life, and those who need guidance through the rough spots can glean advice while being entertained—all without spending lots of money on couples’ therapy.
A highly readable account of how solid research and personal testing of self-help techniques saved a couple's marriage after the birth of their child.Pub Date: March 21, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-316-26710-6
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Jan. 17, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2017
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