Forgive or Forget: Never Underestimate the Power of Forgiveness [Hardcover]

Mother Love (Author), Tonya Bolden (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1999

Girlfriend, if you're not willing to sacrifice, compromise, and forgive, then you can forget about having any kind of positive relationship with anything or anybody, and this includes your dog. Period.

Mother Love. She's honest, she's funny, and she's very charming. She's also the host of the captivating and unconventional hit daytime talk show Forgive or Forget. Her guests range from feuding sisters to embittered lovers seeking resolution through forgiveness. Mother Love is the empress, hearing confessions that range from simple to sordid. Mother Love's insights are blunt yet compassionate: "The world is going to hell in a handbasket. I'm trying to show people that if we love each other and learn to forgive each other, we can make the world a better place." She ends each show with the mantra, "Never underestimate the power of forgiveness."

No matter how short or tall, big or small, thick or thin--doesn't matter what skin you're in, everybody needs some Mother Love now and then.

In this book Mother Love blends personal anecdotes from her life and her popular show with a journey to teach readers the true meaning of forgiveness--how to give it and how to receive it. The first section of the book is all about understanding the power of forgiveness--what it really means and how to find it in your heart and practice it. In the second section Mother Love reveals her Passages of Forgiving: Renounce Revenge, Don't Worry About the Negative Vibers, Don't Confuse Revenge with Restitution; Be Wise About "Why?" You May Need to Ask for an Apology; You Don't Have to Receive an Apology to Forgive; Forgiving Is Not Forgetting, If It's Over, Let It Be Over.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In her second book, talk-show host Mother Love (Listen Up, Girlfriends!) expands on the theme of her network television show by the same name, offering advice on giving and receiving forgiveness. Contending that American society is becoming increasingly intolerant, she asserts that "Madison Avenue has pumped us full of fool notions about achieving perfection, and this makes us more unforgiving of imperfections in ourselves and in others." In her characteristic down-to-earth tone, Mother Love relates how she learned to forgive herself for years of overeating, which in turn helped her change her habits, inspiring a new self-confidence that allowed her to pardon family and friends for their transgressions and to ask others to forgive her when she recognized her own insensitivity. However, her style of humor, which is laced with sarcasm, tends to fall flat on the page and undercuts her sincerity. The insights she has to offerAabout renouncing revenge, accepting apologies and forgiving someone in the absence of an apologyAare often buried under the many stories of those who have sought forgiveness or overcome anger in televised confrontations, ultimately making the book come across as little more than a transcribed compilation of outtakes from her show. Agent, Al Lowman; 15-city TV satellite tour; 25-city radio tour; 4-city author tour. (Nov.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Daytime talk-show host Mother Love (Listen Up! Girlfriends) teams up with self-help author Bolden in this new pop-psychology book. In easy-to-understand terms, they outline their eight steps to forgiveness. In the first section, they explore the problems of dealing with forgiveness; in the second section, they look at the journey to forgiveness; and in the last part, they trace the "Passages of Forgiving." Throughout, they sprinkle proverbs, short quotes, and fill-in-the-blanks. This may be a worthwhile purchase for libraries serving Mother Love fans; otherwise, more popular titles like Sarah Ban Breathnach's Simple Abundance or Richard Carlson's Don't Sweat the Small Stuff would be a better bet.ALisa S. Wise, Broome Cty. P.L., Binghamton, NY
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 187 pages
• Publisher: Harpercollins; 1st edition (October 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060194502
• ISBN-13: 978-0060194505
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,285,328 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars OUTSTANDING, September 14, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (San Jose, Ca. (U.S.)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Forgive or Forget: Never Underestimate the Power of Forgiveness (Hardcover)

5 Stars is not enough for this book. This is an outstanding and well written book. It brings tears, joy and a true clear understanding of the word forgiveness.

To Mother Love:

You are my INSPRIATIONand IDLE. I never miss a show, tape you everyday...Keep you the good work .

I love your insight, it is so full of a Mother's Love.

YOU GO GIRL. Your show is the best thing on TV now days. 100 ****************** stars to you.

Barbara J. Jackson

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A truly inspirational book!, September 6, 1999

By 

Glen L. Loveland (Beijing, China) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Forgive or Forget: Never Underestimate the Power of Forgiveness (Hardcover)

I read Mother Love's first book and found myself laughing and crying and rejoicing at this woman's story! Mother Love is the only positive thing on TV these days and her book is one of the most inspirational I have ever had the pleasure to read. I must commend Mother Love for putting her story on paper. Thank you for everything and for trying to make the world a little better everyday!

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As usual, Mother Love is full of wit and wisdom !, November 6, 1999

By 

Tensie Holland ([e-mail]) (Cleveland, Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Forgive or Forget: Never Underestimate the Power of Forgiveness (Hardcover)

Forgive or Forget is a powerful lesson on the art of Forgiving. Mother Love offers her sharp wit and wisdom to readers. She shows how to learn to forgive and what it means to forgive. Mother Love is the Dean of Forgiveness and the book should be used in Forgiveness 101 and Advanced Forgiveness. She sends out a powerfull message and does it in her own special unique style. You will laugh and cry as you read this and learn so much.