The Courage To Be a Single Mother: Becoming Whole Again After Divorce (Paperback)

by Sheila Ellison (Author) "I'm picking up the towel from the floor in the boys' bathroom, putting it over the shower door and holding on to the edges of..." (more)
Key Phrases: single mothers group, divorce process, New Zealand, United States, Los Angeles (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"Offers strong emotional support for women struggling with their new responsibilities." -- -- Publisher's Weekly

Product Description
Putting the Pieces Back Together

Step One: I Do Love Myself
Step Two: I Know What I Want
Step Three: My Family Is Still Whole
Step Four: I Can Choose Who I Am

Four simple steps. A world of truth. At last, a source of compassion and support for divorced mothers facing the realities of raising children when their lives are at their most vulnerable and their self-images at their most fragile. Filled with more than a book on coping -- it is a source of understanding, encouragement, and strength that will help single women to nurture their children, resurrect their spirits, and create the life they want.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: HarperOne (May 22, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0062516523
• ISBN-13: 978-0062516527
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #50,194 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #12 in	Books > Parenting & Families > Parenting > Single Parents
  #43 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Relationships > Divorce

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

101 of 101 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Taking Back My Life After Divorce With 2 Fantastic Books, July 5, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Courage to be a Single Mother: Becoming Whole Again After Divorce (Hardcover)

I always took pride in giving my husband and kids the kind of happy family life that I never had growing up. So when my husband suddenly abandoned us for another woman I didn't know what to do first or where to turn for help. I was a stay-at-home mom so we had immediate money problems on top of the emotional ones. My sister put me in touch with a counselor who suggested 2 very helpful books. One was called, "SIMPLE MONEY SOLUTIONS: 10 WAYS YOU CAN STOP FEELING OVERWHELMED BY MONEY AND START MAKING IT WORK FOR YOU" by Nancy Lloyd (a Family Circle columnist and money expert). She includes a lot of financial advice for divorced parents and showed me what I needed to do IMMEDIATELY after the divorce. If I hadn't read this valuable information as soon as I did I would have had to sell the house and move my family into a small apartment in a less-than-desirable school district. Next, I started reading "THE COURAGE TO BE A SINGLE MOTHER" and it has been a roadmap for the emotional matters facing our family during a time when it's hard to get up in the morning let alone make good decisions. It's not an overstatement to say that these two books saved my family's dignity and have made it easier for us to get back to a normal life. These books will help you remember your spirit and bring your family closer together.

64 of 65 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Crucial Divorce Help For Real Women, July 11, 2000

By	Jennalee - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Courage to be a Single Mother: Becoming Whole Again After Divorce (Hardcover)

If I read one more article about how some big celebrity couple is having an amicable divorce, but the wife and kids are doing great, I think I'm going to scream! No normal woman or child can go through divorce without some Emotional trauma. More importantly, THESE CELEBRITIES DON'T HAVE MONEY ISSUES TO DEAL WITH. When you don't know how you can keep up the payments on your house (or if you will have to relocate your kids to another town or at least another school system) there's a sense of urgency that I never see celebrities discuss in People magazine. When going through a divorce I discovered that there is a laundry list of money matters that I had to work out for my kids at a time when I was least emotinally prepared to do it. My therapist and several women in my support group urged me to read a book called "SIMPLE MONEY SOLUTIONS: 10 WAYS YOU CAN STOP FEELING OVERWHELMED BY MONEY AND START MAKING IT WORK FOR YOU" by Family Circle Columnist, Nancy Lloyd. Her eye-opening chapter on dealing with the financial aspects of divorce and how to go about finding the best lawyer, financial planner and tax and pension experts made the difference between my kids having a financially secure future and not. Nancy includes lots of other important advice on money matters but this chapter was the one I (and my kids) would have lived to regret had I not been told about it. And Sheila Ellison's book has helped me deal with many emotional aspects of the divorce that took me months to even realize my kids and I were going through (the shock of the divorce lasts much longer than I ever would have thought). Both books are written in a warm and supportive way. What Sheila and Nancy write will spare you and your kids a lot of unneeded suffering. Both books got my kids and me through the worst time of our lives.

43 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How I Kept My Family Strong and Healthy After Divorce, July 7, 2000

By	lynn - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Courage to be a Single Mother: Becoming Whole Again After Divorce (Hardcover)

My husband and I began drifting apart after our second child was born. Still nothing prepared me for the fear, anger and financial problems I suddenly faced when he left. My sister helped me through the first few weeks and gave me 2 books that literally saved my family. The first book she had seen Diane Sawyer discuss on "GOOD MORNING AMERICA" with the author Nancy LLoyd. It's called "SIMPLE MONEY SOLUTIONS: 10 WAYS YOU CAN STOP FEELING OVERWHELMED BY MONEY AND START MAKING IT WORK FOR YOU." Nancy really understands what a divorcing mother needs to know about her finances and lays out about a dozen important steps to take as soon as you know you're headed for divorce. I was given several other books by friends, but "SIMPLE MONEY SOLUTIONS" was the easiest to understand and follow -- and the only one that really made sense. Once I got my finances in order (and it's the last thing you FEEL like dealing with then but if you don't you and your kids will regret it) and my husband and I divvied up the house, his pension and our other property I could then deal with the emotional and day-to-day problems of suddenly being without my kids' father. "THE COURAGE TO BE A SINGLE MOTHER" which I saw discussed by OPRAH has shown me that I am not alone and that it takes months or longer to start accepting our new life. Until you reach that stage you really can't move on.

Both these books got me through the worst time of my life. My family is stronger and at last beginning to regain a sense of normalcy. Sheila Ellison and Nancy Lloyd are angels on earth and are helping many mothers and children find hope and happiness again.