The Shelter of Each Other: Rebuilding Our Families [Paperback]

Mary Pipher (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 25, 1997

In The Shelter of Each Other, Mary Pipher does for the American family what she did for adolescent girls and their parents in her bestselling book Reviving Ophelia: she opens our eyes wide to the desperate realities we are facing and shows us a way out. Drawing on the fascinating stories of families rich and poor, angry and despairing, religious and skeptical, and probing deep into her own family memories and experiences, Pipher clears a path to the strength and energy at the core of family life. Wise, compassionate, and impassioned, The Shelter of Each Other challenges each of us to face the truth about ourselves and to find the courage to protect, nurture, and revivify the families we cherish.



"A canny mix of optimism and practicality gives Pipher's fans a way to resist the worst of the culture around them and substitute the best of themselves."

*Newsweek



"Eye-opening . . . Pipher's simple solutions for survival in this family-unfriendly culture are peppered throughout the heart-wrenching and uplifting stories of several of her client

families. . . . Highly readable, passionate."

*San Francisco Chronicle



"Compelling."

*USA Today

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

As she tells stories of families?her own and others'?therapist Pipher (Reviving Ophelia) focuses on small victories in what she calls "the current family-hurting culture." Distancing herself from therapies that pathologize families, Pipher claims to have experienced the power of hope that can be stimulated through carefully chosen family stories. In even the most dysfunctional families, she discerns threads of connectedness that have led to empowerment of her clients as they became more capable of handling their own lives. Pipher recommends an empathetic approach to families' efforts to survive in a difficult era, one that parallels the homesteading years of her grandparents earlier in this century. She offers plain and practical talk for beleaguered parents and the families they are trying to protect. 125,000 first printing; $100,000 promo; first serial to Good Housekeeping; author tour; BOMC main selection.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Psychologist Pipher, the best-selling author of Reviving Ophelia (LJ 4/1/94), once again looks at American culture to explain our problems. This time, she explores the family and what today's antifamily culture is doing to it. She argues that by glamorizing sex, drugs, and violence and regarding children as consumers, our socity teaches children inappropriate values. She condemns institutions that glorify independence to adolescents who desperately need adult guidance and teach neighbor to fear neighbor. In short, she believes our culture is tearing apart the fabric of the American family and community. Pipher also criticizes therapists who blame bad parenting for children's problems rather than looking at the whole picture of culture. Yet she also offers hope by demonstrating ways of strengthening communities and bringing families closer together, using real-life success stories. This is a book that every library should own and every person should read.?Elizabeth Caulfield Felt, Washington State Univ. Lib., Pullman
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (March 25, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345406036
• ISBN-13: 978-0345406033
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #75,702 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #54 in Books > Parenting & Relationships > Family Relationships > Parent & Adult Child

More About the Author

Mary Pipher, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist and author of The Shelter of Each Other: Rebuilding our Families and Another Country: Navigating the Emotional Terrain of our Elders. Awarded the American Psychological Association's Presidential Citation, Pipher speaks across the country to families, mental health professionals, and educators, and has appeared on Today, 20/20, The Charlie Rose Show, PBS Newshour with Jim Lehrer, and National Public Radio's Fresh Air.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a book full of practical advice that re-affirms the family, June 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Shelter of Each Other: Rebuilding Our Families (Paperback)

I heard Mary speak in Calgary last year. The thousands of us who were there were riveted. As a high school teacher who is on the "front lines" witnessing the disenfranchisement of our youth, her book holds hope for everyone--if only everyone could read it. I recommend all her books--but this is less clinical than Reviving Ophelia. After hearing her speak, and reading the book, I have continued to make positive changes in my home. I am a single parent, but we have numerous traditions that I know my kids will cherish when they are older! This should be another one of those books we send home with the baby from the hospital!

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent emphasis on importance of "community", August 21, 1998

By 

Arlene Mcfarland (North Alabama, US) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Shelter of Each Other: Rebuilding Our Families (Paperback)

Mary Pipher has an influence of native American culture. Her concept is one of individuals being strengthened by forming increased connections with family and community. Her illustrations help solidify the concepts. Some of her suggestions near the end of the book are somewhat ideal but excellent to strive for. Her writing style makes it hard to put the book down. You feel comfortable, growing to feel "connected" with her by the time you finish the last page. What she says is true: Families are valuable; we need each other; there is much richness in our society and community.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Let's spread the word, May 16, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Shelter of Each Other: Rebuilding Our Families (Paperback)

An honest appraisal of the pressures on families, including the ways in which Pipher's own profession has contributed to the devaluation of family ties. Pipher is not strident, but she is very clear on the flaws of our culture as well as the consequences of choices we make in what we value and how we spend our time . She doesn't blame parents for everything. She gives many examples of the way in which outside pressures and the lack of a supporting culture can tear families apart. She offers principles and practical guidelines to help families bond and shelter each other while still giving each other room to grow. A far more hopeful book than "Reviving Ophelia".