A Different Look at the Men in Our Lives

BY CHRIS BURDETT-PARR

Book Review of There is No Prince and Other Truths Your Mother Never Told You: A Guide to Having the Relationship You Want By Marilyn Graman and Maureen Walsh, Life Works Books: 279 pp.

The reason we don't have the relationships we want is that, for all the successes we've had, we have yet to dismantle old romantic ideas about dashing princes on white horses coming to take us away. More recently we have tended to expect men to be more like us and don't see them for who they are.

There is No Prince and Other Truths Your Mother Never Told You by Marilyn Graman and Maureen Walsh, with Hillary Welles, (authors of another book we feature, The Female Power Within: A Guide to Living a Gentler, More Meaningful Life) examines underlying issues that may be keeping you from having the relationships you want. It addresses the fact that loving yourself is central to having a good relationship with a man, and suggests simple yet practical ways to shift and heal what isn't working.

The book points out that a lot of the choices we make in relationships — and life — are understandably based on trying not to feel bad. It describes, for instance, the danger of "phone in hand" disease often experienced by women following an argument with the man in their life.

After examining the differences in how men and women experience any type of conflictive scenario, and providing some insightful examples for understanding men, the authors provide real enlightenment as to how as women, we can adjust certain unrealistic expectations we may have of the opposite sex.

Other issues covered include "What 'I'll Call You Tomorrow' Means to a Man," why men don't remember like we do, and an enlightening explanation of the reasons for the "delicate ego" of men, and how to handle situations that occur in relation to this.

Again, as with The Female Power Within: A Guide to Living a Gentler, More Meaningful Life by the same authors There is No Prince and Other Truths Your Mother Never Told You: A Guide to Having the Relationship You Want is very readable, with a feeling of comfortable accessibility. Although hardcover it is light in weight, and the design, formatting and typefaces used create a sense of exploration and sustain interest in the areas covered.