Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #399134 in Books
• Published on: 1999-06-18
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 304 pages

From Library Journal
Grosskopf, a Seattle psychiatrist, has written an extremely insightful book that will be of value to everyone who reads it. He explains that in order to understand our own problems and shortcomings, we must examine the lives of our parents as children. When we know their childhoods, we can begin to understand their behavior as spouses and parents, which allows us to look at our own lives and relationships and begin to change our own behavior. Grosskopf writes simply and beautifully. He skillfully uses the experiences of his patients to illustrate behaviors passed on through the generations as well as ways people have broken these patterns and moved on to healthier relationships. The only thing wrong with this book is its title, which may turn off the very people for whom it was written. Highly recommended for all libraries.AElizabeth Caulfield Felt, Washington State Univ. Lib., Pullman
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Forgiving one's parents, rather than blaming them for our own psychological problems--and everything else--is not a new concept. What is new here is the laudable attempt by Grosskopf to require us to take a closer look at our parents and try to see through their eyes: that a parent's hand-me-down legacy of anger, alcoholism, abuse, or other psychological scarring may be the product of their own painful pasts. This view is especially relevant when you consider that many parents of today's baby boomers did, after all, go through war and, for some, a deep economic depression. Aside from these obvious historical legacies, Grosskopf points out that every parent has her or his own personal history, and it's worthwhile for the children to investigate it. Given this, it's very plausible that taking their parents' pasts for granted can blind scarred individuals from healing in the present. Certain to improve self-help collections. Marlene Chamberlain