Should I Try to Work It Out?: A Guidebook for Individuals and Couples at the Crossroads of Divorce Paperback – July 1, 2013

I thought this book was good. Solidly research based with a lot of statistics and many many facets and perspectives on divorce and reconciliation. I did not want the divorce and this book helped me put some things into place and helped me move forward. This book gives you many things to consider as you work through your decisions.

Information in the book is very helpful. However the formatting for the Kindle version leaves a lot to be desired especially for the end of chapter questions. I was able to find photos of some of the question sections online that helped me understand what it was supposed to say, but this really needs to be fixed to make it easier to read and understand.

Book was in good shape and arrived in a timely fashion.

There are so many errors in the book. As someone who works in publishing and editing, it was obvious that the authors cut corners and didn't hire someone to edit the book. It's readable but the errors are so bad on the quizzes. For example, on pages 48-50 there's a quiz to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the relationship. On page 50 they say lower numbers indicate strengths of the relations. Well, if you are "very often" depressed (item 10) then that's a strength of the relationship?! And, for items 22-30, if you and your partner "very often" have financial, sexual, communication issues then those are strengths?For at least three cases, I pulled the cited research papers and was frustrated to see that they don't support the claim that the author made. I don't think people who actSecondly, the book is very biased to scare the blankety-blank out of you to NOT get divorced. It feeds off of fear. It cites the statistics that a Google search for "why not to get divorced" will return. There is one sentence (yes, ONE) that says "Some people are happier after divorce" and does not thoroughly explore the factors that lead to that. The first author's research focus is on the preservation of marriage. When I read the assessment of abuse section, I audibly gasped. The authors ignore the multiple forms of abuse beyond sexual and physical (financial, use of children, manipulation/denying, etc.).There is also little attention given to commonly found gender issues in marriage. For my marriage, a main issue has been a lack of involvement from my husband in childcare and household duties. This is simply not addressed in the book. A second major problem of my marriage has been conflict-avoidance. My partner and I simply do not communicate, we avoid talking about our problems, and there is a refusal to go to counseling. If you read this book, these issues would not surface as problematic.I recommend other books (Kirshenbaum's "Too good to leave, too bad to stay"), your instinct, and counseling (discernment, individual, or for couples).

This books gives a lot of facts but has little or nothing to do working through why you have thoughts of leaving. It barely touched on emotional abuse and pressures you stay for kids, financial reasons and for the good of the economy

As a Couples Therapist, I recommend this book to couples constantly whom are considering divorce. The book is an invaluable resource, and is written by people whom know what they are talking about. Great Buy!

The authors to a great job of laying out statistics about how divorced life is really like--such as what custody is like and how likely a person is to be happy after divorce. It also helps you think through the divorce process, from A-Z, in order to make sure you know what divorce is really all about and how it would affect you and your family. This is a short book, and inexpensive, and you definitely need to read this if you are considering divorce.

It was less helpful than anticipated. Of course, no one can give you a clear answer when facing this issue. It is a burden and problem you have to choose what to do on your own.