| View Larger Image | The Courage To Be a Single Mother: Becoming Whole Again After Divorce | Paperbackby Sheila Ellison (Author)
| List Price: | $14.95 | | Price: | $11.66 | | You Save: | $3.29 (22%) | | | Available: | Usually ships in 24 hours |
| | Binding: | Paperback | | Publisher: | HarperOne | | Edition: | Becoming Whole Again After Divorce.th Edition | | Page Count: | 272 Pages | | Publication Date: | June 01, 2001 | | Sales Rank: | 497,468th |
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EDITORIAL REVIEWS |
Product Description
Putting the Pieces Back TogetherStep One: I Do Love MyselfStep Two: I Know What I WantStep Three: My Family Is Still WholeStep Four: I Can Choose Who I AmFour simple steps. A world of truth. At last, a source of compassion and support for divorced mothers facing the realities of raising children when their lives are at their most vulnerable and their self-images at their most fragile. Filled with more than a book on coping -- it is a source of understanding, encouragement, and strength that will help single women to nurture their children, resurrect their spirits, and create the life they want. |
CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.5 based on 29 reviews)
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Honest, but missed the mark of "becoming whole" by Gina Cruse (San Jose, CA)  3 Stars
October 07, 2009
I recently became separated, and I recognize many of the painful emotions that were described in the book. I admire the author's honesty in revealing both the admirable and the not-so-admirable emotions/reactions that she and the other single mothers experienced. Overall, I felt the book left me with the sense that there is a community of other single mothers that I would benefit from connecting with. On the positive side, I felt my emotions were validated in many senses and there was comfort in that.
It also left me with the sense that in many (most) cases there is considerable bitterness/anger that carried forward regarding their exes in the years that follow divorce for most single moms, despite the title's claim of "becoming whole".
I expected more advise on regaining soul/sense of self; understanding and learning from my own contributions to the failed relationship; letting go of the bitterness/anger and moving forward to become "whole". Instead, my impression is that the author and many of the interviewed women were interested not only in understanding and dealing with their emotions and their children's reactions, but also in being viewed as in the right or not at fault - there are numerous examples of husbands who seemed to absolutely have nothing whatsoever positive to offer! I am grateful for the time I had with my (to be ex) husband - I had many positive experiences in life, have two beautiful children, learned to parent with him, etc. I hope to come to peace and "become whole" accepting this in addition to coming to terms with my own sense of failure and what I learned from the relationship. If the book's view is more realistic than my own view, my path would instead continue to be fraught with emotional pain, anger, and bitterness.
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For EVERY woman considering divorce by Pokemom26 (Elkhorn, NE)  5 Stars
April 14, 2009
I can not say enough about this book. I read it once and then went back with a highlighter and reread it. I strongly recommend reading this book before you make any decisions. It gives you the courage to make the necessary decisions and takes the guilt away. I read this book the end of last summer and figured out my timeline. I told my husband the day after Christmas that I didn't want to be married anymore and I was completely honest with him about everything. Luckily, in my case, the courage to do what I did "scared him straight". It took months and months to regain the trust and finally have the courage to say "I love you, too" without being afraid he was going to revert back to his old self, but he hasn't. In 13 years of marriage, this is the first time I can truly say I am "happily married" and I really do think reading this book had a lot to do with it. I have gotten it for friends to read as well. This book will not tell you what to do, but it will let you know you are not alone and that you should not feel guilty for being placed in this position. Amazing book and an easy read!
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Lots of Narratives-Little Insight by K. D. Wilson (Twin Cities)  2 Stars
April 30, 2008
This book is filled with narratives of many wealthy women who have managed to survive many years of emotional abuse by their husbands. While it was really interesting to read about how poorly one can be treated in the context of a seemingly "happy marriage," I found that this book offered little insight or inspiration about how to establish healthy boundaries, or how to identify unhealthy patterns of both emotional, verbal and even physical abuse. I also found that the network of women that the author uses in her book are women who come from very socially privileged backgrounds. Basically, most of them seem to have married wealthy men early in their lives and were almost always dumped for a younger, beautiful woman. The men they were married to seemed content to simply replace them, and pay them off with alimony and child support. The author didn't explore the lives of women who are much less privileged--those who couldn't afford nannies, expensive cars, vacation homes, trips to Europe etc--before or after the break up. But I'm glad that the author wrote this book. It still gives the reader a glimpse into how utterly horrific bad marriages are for all women. I just don't think it gives you the proper tools about how to avoid emotional pitfalls in the future.
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Excellent Book, Amazing Author by Cassandra Mack 5 Stars
August 26, 2007
I learned of Sheila's book, "The Courage To Be A Single Mother after seeing her on Oprah. Sheila is an amazing author who speaks to the heart of women with children who are trying to pick up the pieces after a failed relationship. Although the book is geared for single mothers who have become single by way of divorce, many of the issues that Sheila addresses in her book such as: custody, finances, becoming whole, feeling good enough as a single mother are applicable regardless of how you came to be a single mother.
You should also familiarize yourself with Sheila's online community 50 Steps On The Path To Yourself where you will gain incredible wisdom and insight from her weekly motivational e-mails.
Cassandra Mack author of, "The Single Mom's Little Book of Wisdom: 42 Tidbits of Wisdom To Help You Survive, Succeed and Stay Strong" and host of The No More Drama Hour of Power, a talk radio show of The New York Carib News
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I highly recommend "The Courage To Be a Single Mother." by Rachel Sarah (Bay Area) 5 Stars
March 30, 2007
I recently took a head-first dive into the book, "The Courage To Be a Single Mother" by Sheila Ellison -- for my second time.
I first read this book in a haze almost seven years ago, when I became a single mom to my baby girl. Now the second time around, I'm more grounded and stronger. I'm truly able to swallow what Ellison says about loving myself, knowing what I want, and moving on. I greatly appreciate her insights.
If you're going through a divorce, I highly recommend "The Courage To Be a Single Mother."
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