Bruce Feiler: SECRETS OF HAPPY FAMILIES
Caught between aging parents and growing children, New York Times columnist and best-selling author Bruce Feiler, felt the same pressures many of us feel. But when his annual family vacation erupted into arguments over texting, whining, and manners, he knew the old rules of family life weren’t working anymore. He needed a new playbook for modern-day families, something to counteract the chaos of the digital age.
Rather than turning to the traditional family experts, Feiler used his experience as an investigative reporter to seek new sources—the most creative minds in business, sports, technology, television and the military. He asked them what cutting-edge techniques from their professional lives they used with their own families. Then, with the sense of humor and adventure that his readers have come to love, Feiler took those ideas home and test drove
them with his own wife and kids. THE SECRETS OF HAPPY FAMILIES recounts Feiler’s terrifically funny and fruitful quest, with over 200 new ideas to make contemporary family life more functional, more meaningful, and, best of all, more fun.
Many of the ideas Feiler encountered ran counter to age-old wisdom: Let your kids pick their punishments. Don’t worry about family dinner. Ditch date night. Scrap the sex talk. And it’s no wonder: Feiler spoke to people who don’t just think outside the box, they live outside the box, and their families are happier for it. Above all, Feiler emerges with what family life is all about: a story—an insightful, original, funny story about why families are important, why they’re so difficult to get right, and why this most maddening of human institutions is also the thing that brings us the most joy in our lives. Infused with Feiler’s trademark humor and wisdom, THE SECRETS OF HAPPY FAMILIES will help families everywhere enhance their lives, reduce their stress, and improve their stories every day.
