Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus: A Practical Guide for Improving Communication and Getting What You Want in Your Relationships

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Summary: Great title
Review: The title of the books just about sums it all up. Men and women are different. Some of the concepts explained are useful but overall the book is a little shallow on the "how-to's" of relating with the opposite sex. An excellent book my girlfriend bought me is THE ROMANTIC'S GUIDE. I guess it was a big hint from her.

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Summary: John Gray should go back to Mars
Review: This book is a perfect example of how one can get rich simply by inventing a clever title (a la "Chicken Soup for the Soul"). Inside the cover, however, there is nothing but oversimplified, stereotypical trash, with about as much scientific value as the content of the average TV talk show. How sad that so many people are taking this garbage seriously.

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Summary: Happily married.
Review: If you have ever walked away from an encounter with the opposite sex scratching your head and wondering what just happened, this book is for you. Having had a few of these experiences myself, I decided I might need some help in understanding my reactions to another's actions. This book helped me put some perspective on my ingrained attitudes and reactions. This book set me on the road to a more understanding attitude towards myself and my relationships with women. It also reminded me of another book that helped me identify some of the learned reactions I have that aren't serving me any longer, "Working On Yourself Doesn't Work" by Ariel and Shya Kane. The Kane's have introduced me to a new way of being. The engendered ways of behaving described in Gray's book can be "unwired" with a reading of the Kane's book. Both are great and I'm happy to say life in partnership with my wife has never been better.

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Summary: Self Help? Help YOURSELF!
Review: Some people just don't get that books like _Men are from Mars_ AREN'T for everyone. It even SAYS so in the introduction to the book! However, for those people that can glean information from a chapter without thinking that everything MUST apply to them, this is a must-read. I'd recommend going to the library and skimming first, then purchasing for a deeper read. Not everything in this book applied to my girlfriend and I, but enough did to help our relationship GROW beyond what I ever expected.

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Summary: Don't bother
Review: The only thing this book taught me about relationships is to avoid like the plague any woman who owns a copy. Anyone stupid enough to think that the few simple rules, strategies and generalisations given here can help them understand 50% of the worlds population has their own problems before they even start getting into a relationship.

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Summary: Let's just add more fuel to the fire
Review: If you and your spouse aren't getting along before reading the book, look out - the sparks may just start flying faster after reading it! It is filled with bad advice. As a woman, I found it insulting that my husband just has to pretend that he is listening. Greys basic advice to men - make her believe she is being heard - it doesn't matter if you are thinking about the football game etc., just nod, grunt and say uh-huh - that's all she requires. Even if you make the effort to hear (I won't even mention the word listen) it doesn't matter, she's just babbling on and on anyway. And, that's all the communication the relationship requires, because as a male you don't really have any thoughts or feelings to share yourself. If you can even talk. Hello - Real communication comes from the mutual desire of both parties to understand each other- which requires active, HONEST listening and verbalizing by both parties. Secondly, he believes that all men must retreat into their caves and must NOT be disturbed - especially by a bimbo - or look out the caveman might just come out with his club. He is very unfair in dealing with both genders' capacity to communicate with each other. I think the information in this book has the potential of making a strained relationship worse. We stopped reading it. We were beginning to argue about the things in the book - thinking the other person was possibly doing the stereotyped activity - i.e going to the cave - not wanting to be disturbed, not listening, etc., when it wasn't the case at all. It literally provided more argumentative material for our "discussions". Obviously, I don't recommend this book. We have done much better without it.

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Summary: How to get along with your caveman!
Review: This book is a wonderful guide for women on how to get along with prehistoric cavemen. The book explains caveman behavior; hiding in caves and communicating minimally. It also explains how women can interact with cavemen. Do not intrude on his cave, keep "score" of how much each does for the other, do less so as to keep the "score" even, and avoid all competition and confrontation as this will only cause the woman to get "minus points." On the otherhand, if you want to know how to get along in a real relationship with a MAN or a WOMAN - this book is not the book for you!

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Summary: A must read if you care about you relationship
Review: I received this book a day after having a huge argument with the man I am currently dating, and who I care about very much. After reading it my first thought was, had I read this book before, we would not have had that argument. This is a great book for helping both men and women understand the dynamics of their relationship, and why men and women respond differently to the usual situations which crop up from time to time in a relationship. If your relationship is important to you, buy this book. I promise it will help you to see your mate in a different light, and to understand him or her better.

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Summary: Uncanny connection
Review: When I was half way through the book, my wife asked me how it was. I responded that the only thing missing from this book was her name and mine. I couldn't believe the number of places where Gray almost exactly described situations and conversations that my wife and I had experienced over our 37 years years together. We both thought it was great. We both highly recommend it, especially to young newly married couples.

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Summary: Understanding is easier since I know the differences.
Review: Do you know about the differences between men and women? If not - read this wonderful book! The author has a funny way to descibe and illustrate the different behaviours and emotions of men and women - which often cause stress and unhappiness in relationships and in life circumstances. His way of writing made me laugh - so that I enjoyed reading this book and got a feeling of acceptance of mechanical behaviours of both sexes. When I told a friend of mine about this book, she gave me another one which I liked as much as the one of John Gray and which I would like to recommend to other readers. The book "Working on yourself doesn't work" by Ariel&Shya Kane also made a big difference in my life. The thesis of the Kanes is, that beeing in the moment and becoming aware of your own mechanical behaviours hold the possibility to transform your life in the way they "define" transformation so that different possibilities to live a happy life and success in different ways work out. So as a resumé: a big "Thank you" to John Gray and the Kanes for their wonderful works and the differences, they made in my life!