Book Review: Family; The Good F Word by Troy Dunn

Family: The Good "F" Word: The Life-Changing Action Plan for Building Your Best Family

Author: Troy Dunn and Dr. Phil McGraw

Publisher: Bird Street Books

Publication Date: April 21, 2014

Length: 321 Pages



About The Author
Troy Dunn is the creator and executive producer of the #1 rated show on WE Network, “The Locator” and host of the TNT series “APB with Troy Dunn.” As a husband and father, Dunn truly is an expert on family — he and his wife have been married for more than 25 years and have 8 children.

The LCA Plan (Life-Changing Action Plan)
Troy Dunn is a dedicated family man and owner of a business that reunites separated and distressed families. He shares his love, enthusiasm and passion for family life in this book.

Mr. Dunn has created the "LCA Plan" to help restore families to full strength. This plan contains the following four steps;

• Determine what is wrong with your marriage/family relationship. This involves taking a personal inventory and taking responsibility for your actions in the relationship.
• CHANGE. The author puts this word in capital letters because without it you will not be able to fix your family
• Repairing damage and rebuilding your marriage or relationship.
• Empowerment and attempting to permanently stabilize your family. This includes embracing forgiveness and moving forward without clinging to destructive behaviors.

The author admits it will not be easy to implement the LCA Plan, but the benefits can be tremendous if you desire a better marriage and family life.

My Thoughts
I read this book from cover to cover and found it to be an outstanding guide for marriage and family improvement and growth.

The author includes quizzes to help evaluate areas of your marriage that need improvement. He emphasizes the importance of communication and states that silence is a silent killer in a relationship.

My very favorite part of the book is where Mr. Dunn recalls his own childhood and his father's problem with alcoholism. He states that his mother tried to make the marriage work, but she eventually packed up her three children and separated from his father. Several months later, a young Troy came home from school and found his father sitting on the front porch of the house where his mother had moved the family. His father had gone to AA and was willing to take responsibility for all the bad behavior that he exhibited during his drinking days. His family was reunited and his father's example was a strong positive influence on the author.

I highly recommend this book to readers who are ready for positive change in their family and their life. This book is the real deal and will be well worth the time it takes to read it.

RATING: 5 Stars Out Of 5

FYI ~ I received a complimentary digital copy of this book to read and review from NetGalley.

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Movie Review: Hope Springs

Kay: "It feels like Arnold and I aren't going towards anything anymore. I want a real marriage again."
Eileen: "I think for that to happen you would have to risk everything just to shake things up."

Kay (Meryl Streep) and Arnold (Tommy Lee Jones) are a devoted couple, but decades of marriage have left Kay wanting to spice things up and reconnect with her husband. When she hears of a renowned couple's specialist (Steve Carell) in the small town of Great Hope Springs, she attempts to persuade her skeptical husband, a steadfast man of routine, to get on a plane for a week of marriage therapy. Just convincing the stubborn Arnold to go on the retreat is hard enough - the real challenge for both of them comes as they shed their bedroom hang-ups and try to re-ignite the spark that caused them to fall for each other in the first place.

My Thoughts
We tend to fall into daily routines that are predictable and difficult to change. This is the story of a 50ish couple who have been married for 31 years. They seldom talk to each other and they sleep in separate rooms. They have not had sex for over five years.

Kay wants to find out if REAL change is possible. Can you teach an old dog new tricks? Kay is determined to find out.

The scenes with Dr. Feld, the marriage counselor, are hilarious. Arnold does not think there is anything wrong with his marriage. He does not think he needs to change. My very favorite quotation in the movie is when the marriage counselor asks Arnold the following question;

Arnold: "You come up here for one week and you're supposed to have a new marriage?"
Dr. Feld: "Arnold, your wife is very unhappy and you have to ask yourself, 'have I done all I could?'"

Kay and Arnold renew the physical and emotional intimacy in their marriage. It is a slow process, but it is worth the effort. This is a wonderful "date night" movie for couples who are not afraid to dream of new ways of connecting and loving.

This is not an action-packed show that will have you sitting on the edge of your seats. There are times when the movie is not really entertaining. The purpose of this movie is to explore the complicated interactions between a man and a woman who live in the same house but are no longer connected.

Dear Readers, are you willing to risk everything just to shake things up? Are YOU doing all you can to make your marriage the best it can be?

My Rating:  4 Stars Out Of 5

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Book Review: Save Your Marriage - Get Rid Of Your Resentment

Do you tend to give your spouse the "silent treatment" when you are upset? Do you mull the same old issue over a lot, building a tighter case against your partner as time goes by?

Marriage counselor Claire Hatch, author of "Save Your Marriage; Get Rid Of Your Resentment", believes that resentment could be undermining the closeness you want from your relationship. She explains how most resentments develop in a predictable cycle in this ebook.


About the Author
Claire Hatch first showed an interest in counseling at age 14, when she volunteered on a crisis hotline for teenagers. Now a licensed social worker, she maintains a private practice near Seattle, WA. She specializes in marriage counseling and works to bridge the engineer/woman divide.

The Cycle of Resentment
The author defines "resentment" as anger that snowballs in your mind because you can't express your feelings and be understood. Either you try and get stuck in the blame game, or you've given up. This ebook is mostly for women who are afraid that resentment is sapping the life out of their marriage.

Ms. Hatch has identified a "resentment cycle" that explains how resentment really works. The following elements are included in the cycle of resentment;

• Trigger event
• Burning unmet desires
• Negative conclusions
• Painful feelings
• Reactions
• New desires

The author encourages the reader to print out a worksheet from her web site to work through each part of the cycle. This makes the woman aware of what is going on with her feelings before she talks to her spouse.

Ms. Hatch offers some very helpful communication tools to help the husband/wife learn to discuss their feelings in a successful manner. Many husbands will not be eager to talk about their feelings because they have been caught in the trap of not talking. The author gives many suggestions for healthy and productive communication between a husband and wife.

My Thoughts
This book begins with a case study based on two couples that Ms. Hatch has counseled in her private practice. She does a very good job explaining exactly how resentment can drive a wedge between a couple and damage their marriage.

After explaining the problem, the author goes into a detailed explanation of the cycle of resentment and how to overcome it. She offers women many suggestions for communicating with their husbands in a way that will improve the relationship and make the couple feel close again.

Ms. Hatch provides practical, do-able advice in an easy-to-understand method. The strategies in this relatively short ebook can really make a difference in your marriage and your life. The price of this Kindle ebook is $0.99 ~ This is an incredible resource for the money. Highly recommended!

FYI ~ Thank you to Ms. Hatch for sending me a complimentary digital copy of this book to read and review.

Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below.