The Boys and Girls Book About Divorce [Paperback]

Richard Gardner (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

Should Your Parents Be Married Even If They're Unhappy With Each Other?



If your parents fuss at you does it mean they don't love you? How can you tell if your father loves you, if he lives in another city? Are you "bad" when you get angry with your mother or father? Why is it a mistake  to talk to one parent about another? Do you blame yourself for your parents' divorce?



This warm and honest book provides reassuring answers to these and many more crucial questions children ask about divorce.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Should Your Parents Be Married Even If They're Unhappy With Each Other?

If your parents fuss at you does it mean they don't love you? How can you tell if your father loves you, if he lives in another city? Are you "bad" when you get angry with your mother or father? Why is it a mistake to talk to one parent about another? Do you blame yourself for your parents' divorce?

This warm and honest book provides reassuring answers to these and many more crucial questions children ask about divorce.

From the Inside Flap

Should Your Parents Be Married Even If They're Unhappy With Each Other?



If your parents fuss at you does it mean they don't love you? How can you tell if your father loves you, if he lives in another city? Are you "bad" when you get angry with your mother or father? Why is it a mistake  to talk to one parent about another? Do you blame yourself for your parents' divorce?



This warm and honest book provides reassuring answers to these and many more crucial questions children ask about divorce.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (April 1, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553276190
• ISBN-13: 978-0553276190
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 0.5 x 6.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #451,904 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #14 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Parenting & Families > Family Relationships > Divorce
  • #69 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Family Life > Marriage & Divorce

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Tells it like it is, June 24, 2002

By 

Unicorns & Kittens (Rochester, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Boys and Girls Book About Divorce (Paperback)

This book is fantastically un-PC; so much that it verges on shocking. Those who want some bland and reassuring pap for their nearest/dearest child of divorce should look elsewhere.

I know nothing of the author biographically, but I can tell he's seen a lot of unhappy children. He's seen them lied to by adults whose intentions spanned the gamut of good and bad, and seen that misdirection and ephemism hurt children more than directness ever could. In other words, Gardner respects children and understands their need for plain talk. This book advocates for them.

Parents may be offended. But divorces occur more often where fundamental tenets of healthy relationships aren't respected, and things we rarely talk about are done to kids as a matter of course. Kids get used as adult-companionship substitutes. Kids get used as weapons against the Ex, or meal tickets. Parents drift off after the divorce and never drift back again. Parents fawn and drool on birthdays or Christmas and fail to call the rest of the year. To Gardner, this suggests a parent who does not love their child. What does it suggest to you?

The current vogue is pad all this over and "be reassuring," but Gardner prefers to let them in on the truth -- believing truth is something even children can eventually come to terms with.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Honesty is the best policy, March 15, 2004

By 

Shuan Chen (Taiwan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Boys and Girls Book About Divorce (Paperback)

I noticed this book because of my own miserable childhood.
No adult would like to tell me the truth about my parient's divorce even themselves.There were so many questions in my mind.I have wasted so many time to adjust it. The teachers never taught you how to deal with a divorced family and a sad father. There was no book about it. So, we are helpless.
When I saw this book,I felt so amazingly. This was a book written for us and truely helped us.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It influenced me to become a psychologist!!, December 4, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: The Boys and Girls Book About Divorce (Paperback)

I read the book 16 years ago and it influenced me to become a psychologist. I even mentioned the book and Dr. Gardner in my application essay for graduate school. The book was easy to understand as a child and I still recommend the book to my children-patients. I highly recommend the book to parents and children who are dealing with divorce issues. The book also contains great illustrations. No book has had greater influence on my life and career