Last week, I read  Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus, by Dr. John Gray.

Summary
According to Amazon, the book is a classic guide to understanding the opposite sex, Dr. John Gray provides a practical and proven way for men and women to improve their communication by acknowledging the differences between their needs, desires, and behaviors. No other relationship guide on the market will give you the same level of evidence-based insight sure to help you strengthen and nurture your relationships for years to come. 

My Review
I liked this book. It is practical and truthful. Several times while I was reading I remember thinking “Omigosh, I totally do this.”

For example, Dr. Gray says that men mistakenly want to “fix” women, women mistakenly try to “improve” men.  But, when a woman tries to change a man, he receives the message that she thinks he is broken. This is hurtful and makes him feel unloved and unaccepted.

I found one drawback. Some sections of the book feel a bit repetitive. However, I imagine that the lessons are so important Dr. Gray wanted to ensure that we didn’t miss anything.  I recommend all women read it and share sections with the men in their lives.

Best Feature
The best feature of this book are the translations between men and women. Dr. Gray gives example of what women say versus what they mean, and he does the same for men.

In Chapter 5, he explains that women express feelings and men express information. He says that women often use generalizations that are easily misinterpreted. Here’s a couple examples:

Women Say:           Men Respond:
                          “We never go out.”            “That’s not true. We went out last week.”
      “No one listens to me anymore.”            “But I am listening to you right now.”

Rating 
Two thumbs up.


Next Review: 
This week’s reading: 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families by Dr. Stephen R. Covey