Review
10 star value for usable information. This is by far the most complete and well-written book on custody issues and the copy I have will be given to the local library as a reference book, because I think it is a must read for anyone going through a custody fight. Thankfully I am still married thirty-five plus years and have never had to deal with the issue, but have helped a number of men gain custody of their children. If there is one thing I do not like about the book, it would be the cover photograph where the little boy appears to be dressed as a small U S marine. Having family in the military and in a real life and death war, I think a photograph of a variety of children from different ethnic backgrounds would have made a better cover. 04/0 8/ 03 Top 50 Reviewer motherlodebeth, from Sierras of California. I was doing ok (not great) during the day. Facing the [stuff] they threw at me was easier when mixed in with seeing my kids, my job and other responsibilities. Nights were long, painful and left me exhausted. If I was finally able get to sleep, I would wake in a few hours in a panic or with their latest assault eating at my guts. It would be different if I could see my kids sleeping safe in their beds. I never felt so helpless in my life. I am a good, no, a great dad. I love my kids. I shouldn't have to be a part-time dad. They need a full-time dad. I think this book is going to help me show the judge who I am and how much I can contribute to their lives. Found this book on Amazon at 4a.m. and felt better just having ordered it. It has helped so much that I can get to sleep. On the rare occasion that I do wake up worried, Win Your Child Custody War is my Midnight Companion and I can always find something to calm me by giving me a plan of action for the next day. Examples of what other guys faced and how they handled themselves are valuable. Seeing the results (good and bad) of the actions I would have taken has given me a real heads-up. I don't feel helpless any more. I think this is the next best thing to having a great lawyer in your pocket 24/7. Borrow, steal or buy a copy. --Patrick Devine, Carmillo, CA Choosing to give my ex-husband custody of our very young children was the most difficult decisions I have ever made. Later battles for visitation rights and custody have been the most painful events of my life. I have endured restraining orders based on lies, long distance visitation, and the psychological devastation of being separated from my children. My case went to the worst of extremes when my lawyer resigned, in order to testify on my behalf. Because of the injustice of the handling of the restraining order, my case was used as the example that changed a school's non-custodial parent pickup policy. Along the way, I made many of the mistakes common to parents in my situation and learned many lessons the hard way. I wish I had Win Your Child Custody War when I began those battles; the information, advice and warnings would have made the battle far easier. Win Your Child Custody War provides the legal details and information a parent needs before and after hiring a lawyer, detective, or even a psychologist. Win Your Child Custody War sets realistic expectations, includes straight talk with no mollycoddling, and lots of sound advice. Logs, affidavits, and home studies are covered with meticulous detail and with sound examples. As the author cautions, however, readers also need to follow the advice of their lawyer over the book. For example, in the extreme case of a parent who does not want to visit the child and would stop harassment if not required to pay child support, the author suggests: You could get counseling, legal assistance or return the money to the other parent, when you get it from the court each month. I know from personal experience that you may --Anne P. Mitchel --Patrick Devine, Carmillo, CA
About the Author
Charlotte Hardwick has written 6 child custody books to date. Hardwick initially shared her personal experience and built on it with the accumulated knowledge from hundreds of cases and thousands of other parent s experiences. Every conceivable aspect of the child custody wars are explored and explained while guiding the reader toward a powerful strategy. If you don't have her books and this book in particular, you are likely to be overmatched; indeed if your attorney doesn't have this book, your attorney is likely to be outmatched. In fact, I would say that the first thing you should do after reading the book yourself, is buy a copy for your attorney and somehow persuade him or her to open the pages and to start reading--anywhere in the book. I promise you your attorney will learn facts, ideas, and strategies new to him or her. The expanse and depth of the material presented here quite frankly amazed me. This extensive tome constitutes an entire course not only in child custody disputes but in human psychology, parenting, and the law itself. The mass of information and the sharp, sound guidance contained herein really amount to a post graduate course in child custody disputes. You will be much impressed with Hardwick's assertive, no-nonsense writing style and organization that managed to painlessly inform while emphasizing a positive approach. Titles include: Win Your Child Custody War, Child Custody Case Management Forms, Witness Guide for Deposition and Court, Killers & Boosters for Child Custody Cases, Dear Judge, (Children's Letters to the Judge), Help and Where to Find it (out of print).