For Men Only and For Women Only by the Feldhahns (review)

For Couples Only -- set of two books by Shaunti & Jeff Feldhahn
Multnomah Publishing
Shaunti's website

I'm going to skip posting the cover images of these books for the 3rd time, but if you want to admire the covers and/or read a chapter excerpt from For Men Only or For Women Only, zip down to the post, below.

Shaunti Feldhahn's book For Women Only describes the results of Feldhahn's research on men, how they think and what they want most. I read For Women Only first (I received both books as a set), since I'm a female and men are so baffling. You know, like the way they watch football or tap on their blackberries while you're trying to converse with them and then call you crazy when you say they're not paying attention? Well, Shaunti goes into such things as why they seem to ignore you but say (and think) they're paying attention, what they really want most (to be desired and respected), and why every time they look at you they're thinking, "Sex. Sex, sex, sex, sex." All explained.

If you don't "get" men and you want to understand where they're coming from, grab a copy of For Women Only. I thought it was really eye-opening and my husband and I have had some really fascinating, fun discussions about the material.

After I read For Women Only, I decided I'd better read For Men Only to see what Shaunti and her husband, Jeff, had to say about women. Also, I figured it would take weeks to get my husband to crack the cover. While I often fall into the classification of women who aren't too picky about this and that (I don't need anyone to tell me I'm beautiful or treat me like a princess, for example -- although, of course, everyone in this household knows I was a princess in a former life), I did find a lot of what the Feldhahns had to say was bang on the nose and nicely reminds men that women are not crazy, we're just emotional creatures who need to feel loved.

Both books are short and sweet -- just long enough to give you the information and explain it without becoming repetitive. I highly, highly recommend the set of books, For Couples Only, to anyone and everyone who wants to know what the heck the opposite sex is thinking. They're especially wonderful when read and discussed together, although I have to admit I was right. My husband is probably on page 5 of For Men Only, yet we've talked about both books.

This set is published by a Christian publishing house, but the emphasis is really on the research and results, what men or women who were interviewed by the couple had to say, etc. I don't think most people would find them preachy or pushy on the Christianity issue and think they're worthwhile for every couple to read.