Customer Reviews

The Power of Partnership: The Seven Relationships that Will Change Your Life

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The Power of Partnership is a readable, "doable" book! It starts with the individual, moves to intimate relationships, relationships in organizations, workplaces, and communities. For all of life is relationships and until we learn how to live them out in a respectful (partnership) mode, we are stuck in the control (dominator) model.
Eisler's guide at the end of each chapter tells us where to go from here: from thinking to next steps action and even more.
Great for book study groups, peace and justice groups and even for an individual who is ready to take a leadership role, or even just one next step.

This book is inspirational and practical at the same time. As a therapist it is proving to be a powerful tool that helps my clients place what is going on in their lives in a greater context. This awareness facilitates the development of a wider range of choices about how to live their lives in a way that honors relationships and connectedness. Check lists at the end of each chapter which encourage the reader to begin making the changes that Eilser talks about in a step by step approach ease any anxiety about how to begin the process. I have found it an invaluable adjunct to the therapeutic process as well as a book I will refer to again and again for my own personal development.

"There are two basic types of relationships, explains Riane Eisler in "The Power of Partnership: Seven Relationships That Will Change Your Life." The "dominator model" is based on intimidation, while the "partnership model" is based on mutual respect. Most people have some of each in their lives, and Eisler explains how to effectively adopt partnership models for all relationships, whether with family, colleagues, the "international community" or with nature. Written in a simple, no-nonsense style, Eisler's book offers a new paradigm for looking at the way we interact with the world around us."...

Riane Eisler knows a lot about struggle and growth. She's been a Jewish girl in Nazi Europe, an early advocate for women's equality in America, a world-renowned visionary scholar, and not least, a grandmother. Drawing on her experience, plus that of hundreds of other great souls, she presents the spiritual journey as a process of building and deepening relationships. It's a process of reaching over the boundaries between ourselves and others, and turning fear into partnership at each level of our lives. Eisler describes this journey like an elder telling real stories. First we grow to accept and love ourselves, and then to relate as a full partners in ever widening circles of creation -- to our families, communities, nations, to humanity, the planet, and the ultimate spirit underlying it all.

In comparison with other maps of the human adventure, Eisler's goes far beyond the goal of psychological normalcy. And in describing the higher range of human potential she never imposes sectarian ideas or engages in mystical visions. You cannot tell what religious background she comes from, save that for her the quality of relationships is central. This book does more honor to the social dimension of spirituality than any other I've read. Giving it to a friend would be great.

--author of A Galaxy of Immortal Women: The Yin Side of Chinese Civilization

This book chews on a big chunk of food for thought. But be forewarned. There are political generalities in The Power of Partnership that will please Progressives and turn off Conservatives. However, regardless of your leanings, read it anyway. Many of the greatest business minds use the power-of-partnership concept to maximize profits. Can we even count the number of effective partnerships that a wildly successful company like Microsoft has going for it? It's certainly hard to count all of Bill Gates' money. Understanding partnerships is definitely good for business. It's also good for much much more. Eisler insightfully guides us through seven key relationship areas that highlight the great value of building strong partnerships. This book may very well frustrate you, but it also might change the way you think about almost everything.

This book provides a practical guide for people who are concerned about the direction of our future. It can help anyone interested in making personal and social changes that will model for and teach the children of tomorrrow how to relate in partnership with each other and our planet. I recommend this book to anyone that would like guidance and help in creating a culture of peace.

First and foremost, be your own Partner. What do you want to be doing by this time next year? In 5 years? How are you going to get there and who is going with you?

Riane Eisler has written another book with the potential to transform culture and our perceptions of what is and what can be. Highly recommended!

Sounds like these selections are for someone who is looking to get someone back in their life!!!

Although I applaud seemingly non-Christians for looking to the bible for truth. Many do not understand it. Here is a paragraph extracted from the "Spirituality" chapter, with a response from my Christian men's group - you can respond to me at mickeymike30@fmtc.net.

QUOTE from Book.
A. How can we make sense of the biblical commandment 'Thou shalt not kill,' when passage after passage contradicts this commandment? In Numbers 31 and Deuteronomy 20, we are led to believe that God approves of massacres of whole populations. In Leviticus 20:9, we are told that children who curse their parents must be killed. B. How do we take biblical passages approving of slavery (Leviticus 25:44-46) and even of a man selling his daughter into slavery (Exodus 21:7)? C. What should we make of Jesus' teaching that we should love one another and live in peace, when in Revelations 12:19 angels pour out 'the wrath of God upon the earth,' and terrible horrors are unleashed on everybody - except the chosen 'hundred and forty and four thousand,' who, according to chapter 14:3, 'were redeemed from the earth'?

Response:
A. This centers on the subject of murder, not killing. Murder is an act of violence from one person against another with the motivation for the act erupting from emotion or sinful impulse. That is quite different from 1) wars of defense, 2) capital punishment, and 3) divine pronouncements of "war on God's enemies". The latter three derive from national survival or from an indisputable source outside the personal motivating factors. If someone attacked your wife, and the only way to save her was a counterblow that would kill the offender, then this is not from those motivating factors. Is killing but not murder.

B. Slavery in those times and social conditions (in the sense of the biblical reference) was really more like long term employment to pay a large debt. We call it "indentured servitude". If one has a home mortgage today, it is really no different. Truly...ask anybody who has a big mortgage and a required big job to pay it.

C. Jesus was not a kindly suntanned carpenter who loved kids and told us all that if we just get along all will be well. He said "I come NOT to bring peace on earth, but a sword". God's message is very tough to those who think along the lines of this question. Its just the way that it is.

God is the sovereign creator and king of the universe. We owe every breath we take to Him. His ways are higher than our ways, and He is not subject to the laws impressed upon mankind because He is the author of right and wrong. "The wages of sin is death". God says what He means and means what He says. His absolute righteousness demands punishment for sin, yet in His righteousness He has made a way of salvation for those of us that truly understand his intent: "...its your kindness that leads us to repentence". He is a savage lover.