BOOK REVIEW: 50 Wonderful Ways to Be a Single-Parent Family
Dr. Barry Ginsberg

Dr. Ginsberg writes for single parents, from practice as a "child and family psychologist for thirty years. These thirty years show themselves in his book 50 Wonderful Ways to Be a Single Parent Family.

This is a book of advice. Advice? Yes, Advice. However, far from the well-meaning but intrusive and obnoxious "best friend who wants to manage the lives of others, Dr. Ginsberg gives practical suggestions and terrific illustrations as answers to questions that single parents commonly ask. Apparently, he draws from his long experience of working with single parents, children, and families.

Most of the 50 ways to be a wonderful single parent family receive two pages, with some being a little longer, giving the reader a clear and concise statement about how to deal with a particular issue. Also, each is numbered. As illustrations, somewhat randomly, some of the ways are 1. Look for the Positives, 6. Learn to Juggle, 14. Make Time to Talk, and 29. Be Realistic about Household Chores. Along with the others, these topics appear to come from Ginsberg's many conversations with single parents.

The significance of this book, though, lies neither in its number of topics, in the topics chosen, nor in the brevity of the coverage. Instead, the book is significant because it demonstrates a high level of understanding of the lives of single parents and provides useful information that is based on this understanding. This shows in Ginsberg's attention to both women and men who are single parents. It shows in his straightforward advice, instead of abstract or theoretical advice or advice that only other mental health clinicians may wish to read. This book is good because it provides single parents with invitations and directives to take care of themselves, just as they dedicate themselves to taking care of their children. Also, this book is good because it speaks to single parents in practical, simple, and very approachable ways.

Excerpt taken from The Family Journal vol. 12 January 2004.