The May 26 review of Stepmonster on The Step Mom’s Toolbox is out! Tool Box Girl calls Stepmonster “a must read for every stepmom, and a great tool.” She says my research is “impeccable and eye-opening” and calls Stepmonster “priceless and eloquent.”
Wow, thanks Peggy, I am blushing! Check it out for yourself, and have a good look around Peggy’s helpful and information-rich website while you’re at it:
Vera Cho of the L.A. Examiner has this to say about Stepmonster:
“Her insights and advice are more clear and articulate than those offered in any other book currently available.” Woah there lady, thank you! You will find this publication full of great advice for stepfamilies in general, so be sure to check out the whole thing. I promise I’m not just saying that because they love my book…
Heather Havrilesky, a Salon writer and stepmother, reviewed Stepmonster a few days ago:
http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2009/05/20/havrilesky_stepmonster/index.html
My favorite part of the review was Heather’s observation that, while it’s frequently noted how hard it is for kids to have a stepparent, less often do we hear about how hard it is to be a stepparent.
And now, as usual when dealing with a general audience, duck and cover. The comments that follow the piece show that there is a mind-boggling amount of rage against women with stepchildren who dare put their own happiness on par with that of the other members of the stepfamily, or even merely suggest that their own emotional reality matters. We’re not surprised, are we? And we’ll take our great reviews where we get them!
When the author of a classic in stepfamily studies emails you out of the blue to praise your book, it’s incredibly exciting and gratifying. When she’s also an expert stepfamily therapist who has made a career of saving the most endangered marriages of all–well, even more so. And when she’s the person who coined the term “stepcoupling,” it’s reason to crow. So pardon me if I crow, for just one second. In Susan’s words:
“She’s done it! Martin has told the TRUTH about being a stepmother, backed up with extensive research, interviews, and stories. With deep understanding and empathy for women with stepchildren, Stepmonster will inspire stepcouples, benefitting them and their kids.
I wholeheartedly endorse this surprising, honest, fascinating book and will recommend it to anyone on the journey of stepcoupling, stepparenting, and especially stepmothering.”
My goodness, I have to lie down now. Meanwhile, check out Susan’s book, Stepcoupling, available in bookstores and on-line, and as I have mentioned, a classic in stepfamily studies. The link to her website is on my blog list of resources: www.stepcoupling.com
Second Wives Club is a website with great information for women with stepkids, including essays and articles on everything from parental alienation to financial planning in stepfamilies to navigating family court and understanding stepfamily architecture.
In a five star review, they advise their users, “Read Stepmonster before you read any other book on stepmothering.” They’re doing a limited Stepmonster giveaway:
http://www.secondwivesclub.com/portal/forum/showthread.php?t=28199
You’ve got to love that Sarah B of BlissfullyBlended
She recently posted a review of Stepmonster, which she describes as “unlike any book on stepparenting or stepmothering that I have read.” And she should know. Like other women with stepkids, Sarah seems to appreciate that a book is finally looking at remarriage with children from the point of view of the woman with stepchildren. Rather than reducing her to a replacement parent, or a “spouse soother,” Stepmonster puts the woman with stepkids at the center of the discussion and back at the center of her own life, exploring a stepmother’s emotional reality, cultural history, and more. And that seems to be touching a nerve.
Here’s Sarah’s review: www.blissfullydomestic.com/blissfully-blended/book-review-stepmonster
