Al Crowell's book, Love in the Trenches, does what it says: it helps you overcome the power struggle. My husband and I were stuck in putting each other down and feeling like we were getting ripped off in our marriage. A friend gave us the book and video and said, "Now there's no excuse for not getting some help." Since it was Mike's boss (and friend)who gave us the book, we tried it out. The book is arranged into sessions as if you were going to therapy. The video augments the chapters with real couples doing the work. Each chapter moved us along in the skills of listening to each other, asking more clearly for what we wanted and pushed us to get to know ourselves and each other better. As you practice listening to each other for instance, you talk about your relationship to your parents and their relationship to each other. It was scary to see how similar we had become to them. I had to see that much of what I was blaming Mike for were my own inadequacies. And when he became a better listener and stopped trying to fix me I saw him more as a friend. He also learned a lot about his anger from that section of the book and video. We aren't perfect but the book and video really helped us to listen to each much better and also give caring things to each other which helps the romance.
ThriftBooks sells millions of used books at the lowest everyday prices. We personally assess every book's quality and offer rare, out-of-print treasures. We deliver the joy of reading in recyclable packaging with free standard shipping on US orders over $15. ThriftBooks.com. Read more. Spend less.