This book is based upon Mark Gungor’s highly successful seminar, Laugh Your Way To A Better Marriage. However, it is best to get one thing straight to begin with: Mark is a very funny guy, but, as he admits, this book is not at all about laughing your way to a better marriage. It encourages laughter, and he has a good time laughing about various issues, but if you thought this was going to be a philosophy based upon laughter, then you’ve been a little misled by the title.
That aside, it is a terrific book. We have a pre-marriage course that runs at our church and I’ve already offered it to the people who run it to have a read. Gungor takes the myths of marriage and explains why they are just that, myths. However, he loves marriage, he revels in its possibilities, and encourages the reader to do just the same. Whereas some books take what is negative about marriages and leaves you with a feeling that marriage is not all it is hyped up to be, and should be avoided at all costs, Gungor takes the negative and explains why God created such negatives and opposites in order to make successful marriages.
He does so in a laid back style of writing, as though he were sitting at a bar joking with his friends about their marriages and how they can get them back on track. Not that there aren’t serious bits, and not that there isn’t good theory to back it up, it is just his approach and his humour are what set this book apart from the many books on marriage available at the bookstore.
It covers in some depth how men and women are created differently; how they think and act differently, and how this must be understood in order to communicate successfully and enjoy each other’s company within a marriage. He lingers a little on sex, again outlining the different ways in which males and females tend to approach sex and how, if this difference is understood, sex can be a fulfilling and enjoyable experience.
Finally, Gungor looks at how to have healthy arguments and how the imposed necessity of divorce is a myth perpetuated by modern society, whereas couples who stay together, tend to succeed even through their times of pain.
All in all, a great read, taking the negatives of marriage, explaining them in the context of gender differences, and coming out the other end with a wonderfully positive outlook towards marriage and life itself.
ISBN10: 1416536051
Publisher: Atria Books, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
Page count: 283
