REVIEW: The Man Whisperer

Revell
Non-Fiction
ISBN: 9780800731977
July 2008

www.revellbooks.com

Rick Johnson's THE MAN WHISPERER follows the premise that men, like horses, respond better to a person that fully understands exactly what they need rather than what the other person wants from them. As a woman, I found that Rick Johnson seems to have a good grasp on both sides of the picture. I've been married for almost 18 years and there's a good reason why my husband and I are still great friends, as well as husband and wife.

Women who think they can change a man need to read this book. While I'd love to change some things about my husband, and vice versa I'm sure, I realize that he wouldn't be the man I fell in love with if he changed himself to fit my list of ideals. Things covered in this book include the number one issue in my house--the toilet seat.

My son summed it up best: "Mom, it's just as much work for us to have to put the seat up every time as it is for you to have to put it down some of the time." He does have a valid point, though he's never gone down in the wee hours of the night to use the toilet and fallen in because the seat is once again up. Nitpicking aside, the toilet seat issue is no longer a battle in our house. This is one of many issues that Johnson details in his book. He covers issues like getting your man to help with the household chores, parenting issues and much more. He does so with humor.

I won't say I agree with everything he says. Not every family will fit ideally into some of the lessons. One for me was the getting your husband to take a day off from time to time. My husband's work is booming requiring them to work weekends when ordered. If he doesn't show up or calls in sick, it's a black mark on his record. Too many of those and he'll lose his job, thirty years seniority and the best benefits around. If he's forced to work for a month running without time off, we have to suck it up and deal with it.

For the most part, however, I do think THE MAN WHISPERER will help a lot of women. It's got some great lessons and ideas that you can easily incorporate into your daily lives.