Tuesday, April 01, 2008

Serials and Scenarios - Generation Next Marriage



Visit Tricia's blog where she chooses a comment a week to win a free book of winner's choice. So if Generation NeXt Marriage looks fab, but the funds are limited, get really wordy at Tricia's place and who knows, you may hold it in your hot little hands in no time. Click on the book cover to visit the Amazon page.


Book Description:


Do you still find yourself humming the love songs of the 80s and 90s?


Do you still believe that every marriage should be between soul mates?


But...do you wonder how you can succeed at love and marriage when the generation you grew up in didn’t?


Marriage isn’t what it used to be–it can be better than ever.If you are a Gen Xer, your marriage has challenges and potentials that no other generation has known. A Gen Xer herself, Tricia Goyer offers realistic help to achieve the God-honoring marriage you long for. She includes…


•Ways to protect your marriage despite the broken relationships modeled in your youth

•Stories, suggestions, and confessions from fellow Gen Xers facing the “What now?” question of real-life marriage

•Advice from the ultimate marriage survival guide: the Bible

•Stats, quizzes, sidebars, and study questions related to this “relationally challenged” time in history

•Practical helps for negotiating kids, work, sex, money, and dirty laundry–sometimes all in the same evening


If you are part of a generation of adults who don’t want to bow to their culture or live and love like their parents did . . . this book is for you.



My Review:


Tricia Goyer is back to talk the the Gen X'ers on her most important topic yet. She does an excellent job of getting the message across. Her format is sound bite easy to read. A perfect book for the uber-involved who read in snippets while escaping into the bathroom for some peace and quiet, or while waiting for soccer practice to end.

Being on the early, early edge of Generation X, some of what she shared didn't quite hit the mark with me, especially some of the music she quoted. But during the beginning years of my marriage and child raising, I became aware of the soundtrack for the Gen X'ers and the heartbeat of the generation sounds loud and clear throughout the book. Many of the issues that Tricia covered apply to most generations. So don't let a lack of immersion in the 80's/ 90's culture become a reason to avoid reading what Tricia shared, or for ignoring the truth that needs to be considered.

I appreciate Tricia's honesty. In Generation NeXt Parenting I considered Tricia an expert. Good grief, she homeschools and writes books and... well, you get the picture. But Tricia paints some not so flattering self-portraits in Generation NeXt Marriage that should endear her to an entire generation of wives. Thanks for your transparency, Tricia. And thank John for his willingness to allow your marriage to be placed under a microscope.

I am a firm believer in investing your money into your marriage since marriage is the framework you build on the foundation of Christ. What are you building, a ranch, a modular, a mansion or a shack? Don't buy the book if you have no intention of using it to guide your own growth and change. Don't buy it for your spouse, either. After all, you may be the only book your spouse chooses to read, so without your change, the message is lost.

If you are tired of doing the same old and getting the same old results, you might find it very useful to look at how culture and your early years have shaped you.