Breaking the Cycle of Divorce: How Your Marriage Can Succeed Even If Your Parents' Didn't

This is a good book not just for children of divorce but for marital partners of divorce to avoid failure in their next marriage.

Anyone whose parents have been divorced and is interested in a relationship themselves should read this book. Anyone who loves someone whose parents have been divorced should read this book. Anyone who wishes their parents had gotten a divorce (and lived with the fighting and yelling all their lives) should read this book. I just wish I'd bought the book sooner.

In Breaking the Cycle of Divorce, author John Trent drives a hard bargain with adult children of divorce (ACOD) by stating that they will continue under the curse of divorce unless they choose to break through to a fresh start. A product of a broken home himself, Trent pleads with ACOD's to break this cyclical pattern, and he shows them how to go about it. The author defines the curse of divorce as a stream that's been dammed up, cutting off the flow of "love, support, and good modeling of a healthy marriage." Besides pointing out twelve negative manifestations of this curse, Trent also delivers the good news of how to reverse the cycle. "You can pick a different outcome and make it your reality," he insists. As President of the Center for Strong Families, Dr. John Trent is dedicated to helping many emotionally injured people to break free from the devastation of divorce. He leaves the reader virtually no space to wonder if it's worth the effort. "Well, I'm living proof that...you do so...for your children, your grandchildren, and generations even in the distant future." The needling questions at the end of each chapter may benefit readers beyond ACOD's who have other destructive patterns to overcome. Some may find Trent's textbook-approach a little cut and dried, but his truth and warmth definitely come through as well. He doesn't sugarcoat the challenge of overcoming one's past, but he also makes the reader feel that with Trent as a coach, and with prayer and trust in God, one can triumph. - Cheryl A. Cecil, Christian Book Previews.com