The Most Useful Books for Christmas
Marriage-absence is the greatest social and economic problem we face. We often think of this problem in terms of its effects: father-absence, child support problems, tactical child or spousal abuse allegations, or a failure of religion.
There are libraries of misdirected books essentially covering downstream problems predominantly driven by marriage-absence, which include poverty for women and children, lack of health care, the home-loan crisis, youth problems in education, and the unsuccessful shuffling of resulting deficits from one place to another. A remarkable portion of political corruption America is now experiencing is rooted in feminist abuses of power and the misdirection of federal funds in an attempt to conceal the marriage-absence problem. None of these books are useful to the reader, for they start with the downstream problem and leave us with little more than a nasty overdose of adrenaline an paranoia.
Here is a short list of books I recommend for Christmas or holiday presents to your loved ones and family. We cannot save America, but we can save ourselves and loved ones. I know many men whose parents or relatives do not believe what we say about the predatory divorce, welfare, and child support systems. There are many men who have justifiably given up on marriage for a variety of reasons and are “going their own way”. Let us focus on our own betterment and survival during the coming period of American political, economic, and social upheaval. Perhaps you can change somebody’s life with one of these books.
Taken Into Custody, by Dr. Stephen Baskerville: This book is the most thorough existing scholarly work documenting how feminism and governmental systems work perversely and gratuitously destroying the institution of marriage to the tragic detriment of women, men, children, and America. It is fascinating reading particularly for those involved in politics and who are interested in the details about how things work. Relatives, parents, and politicians will have completely different perspectives about the nature of the divorce problem after reading this book. If you are a newly-divorced father, this is the first book you should buy — you will know that you were not singled out. Millions of good husbands thrown out of their families every year because the system strongly encourages and entitles women to make bad decisions, which later come back to haunt them too.
How to Cut America’s Divorce Rate in Half: A Strategy Every State Should Adopt, by Mike McManus: Mike is the most outspoken and effective mover and shaker in the pro-marriage movement. He founded Marriage Savers, the most aggressive pro-marriage organization in America. Like myself, he sees attacking the downstream effects a useless endeavor. Community Marriage Programs (CMP’s) are far more than simple education programs. CMP’s are effective, and Mike has a proven track record doing it. If you want change in your state, this is an excellent book to use as a legislative and activist guideline.
Save the Males, by Kathleen Parker: This first-rate book covers the same breadth of topical issues as Baskerville’s book Taken Into Custody, but is more conversational and less of an academic documentary. It is an excellent read for those who those who need to develop a fundamental understanding without knowing all the details. I have known Kathleen for years. She is one of the first major syndicated writers who took on feminists rigorously in her daily work, and nearly lost her day job doing the right thing. “Save the Males” is a particulary witty (and even funny) work — an astonishing accomplishment for such a painful subject — but the wit always goes towards making a very serious and convincing point.
The Myth of Male Power, by Warren Farrell, Ph.D. [topic summary]: This historic book is a great read for those who do not understand the tremendous damage feminism has done to America.  Warren should know. He was once a counselor and Vice President of N.O.W. New York, who walked away from feminism upon discovering that feminist psychology was a system of organized abuse demanding husbands cower in the corner and be doormats for their women or girlfriends. Warren changed sides, and lost a lucrative career doing the right thing. The Myth of Male Power is easy reading, and explains why many feminist myths about male power, income, fatherhood, abuse, and other issues are ironical falsehoods.
The Man’s No-Nonsense Guide to Women, by Marc Rudov. Let’s face it: one reason marriage is on the rocks is because nobody teaches men how to spot a good woman, or what to do when you find one. Marc is the leading national media pro-male pundit, and a regular on Fox New’s Fridays with Bill O’Reilly and Neal Cavuto. Nobody can leave a feminist with zero points in a debate better than Marc can. In this book, Marc shoots straight from the hip, and lays it all out cold.  If you are the kind of guy who always picks dysfunctional women, and want what most men want, this book is exactly what you need for Christmas.
10 Stupid Things Couples Do To Mess Up Their Relationships, and 10 Stupid Things Men Do To Mess Up Their Lives, by Dr. Laura Schlessinger.  Dr. Laura is reviled by feminists for her no-nonsense, unfeminist psychological positions.  Couples can give each other a wonderful present with the Relationships book to dig out and discard common marriage-destructive behaviors. “10 Stupid Things Men Do” is a straight-shooting non-feminist guide that will help Men be a more solid bedrock marital partner. Men who grew up without a father, or who would rather not find out how a marriage doesn’t work the hard way, really need this book for Christmas.
Love Life for Every Married Couple, by Dr. Ed Wheat: This excellent book is ideal for couples who are bored with marriage or are not experiencing a spiritual sense of joy. It can be useful in conjunction with addiction recovery programs and counseling helping spouses grow out of relationship problems, providing both spouses are willing or motivated to grow positively. This book is not a substitute for dealing with serious personal or relationship problems, or a wayward spouse who is hell bent on pursuing selfish interests. Love Life is has become a standard Christian work. It is quite positive and spiritual in nature, but is written in a manner that couples of other religions can apply effectively.
Save the Males: It’s About Time, by Richard Doyle: Rich has been a leader of the men’s movement since the early 1960’s, and founded The Liberator, which has been published continuously since the 1960’s )I served as a section editor for the Liberator for a while). Rich has perhaps the best historical view of men’s issues and the movement itself. In the book, Rich identifies the source problem of feminism, and goes into some analytical depth covering the negative impact of welfare, child support, and the system on marriage. This book is useful for recently divorced men who take their situation personally, and who don’t understand they are just one of millions similarly disposed of. If you want a scholarly work that has more historical depth than Kathleen Parker offers, but without as much detail as Baskerville’s book, this is a great choice.
_______________________________________________
David R. Usher is President of the ACFC Missouri Coalition
[Author's Note: Over the years I have read many fine books by many authors, many of whom I know personally. If your book is not listed in this piece, please do not take it negatively. This piece is dedicated to recommending a very short list of books that can help people the most.]
| More from David R. Usher
Stumble It!
December 13th, 2008 at 11:15 pm
And don’t forget “Spreading Misandry” which I believe should be handed to federal judges as part of any challenge of any feminist law.
A classic book that must be reread by anyone who hasn’t read it since high school, would be “1984″ because it deals with a government (called “Big Brother”) that wants to interfere in a private relationship between a man and a woman (Winston and Julia).
The government in this prescient book really doesn’t want men and women actually having relationships with each other. It is the state’s job to be everyone’s best friend.
At the end of “1984″, after Big Brother has “disclosed” to Julia the important information that Winston betrayed her under torture (similar to the US government telling a woman that her fiance’s last wife put a restraining order on him), Winston gets all happy and enthusiastic when his country goes to war against a new enemy (Oceania) and he sits down to watch the bombing begin on television (last page of the book).
Eric Blair (pen-named George Orwell) was amazingly good at predicting how American “conservative” males would be glued to the TV sets during the Gulf War and glued to the right wing blogosphere during the Iraq War…while their own government passed VAWA/IMBRA practically unnoticed.
The author predicted the future existence of Sarah I-would-go-to-war-with-Russia Palin who let herself get publicly endorsed by the NOW on October 5th at a Colorado rally attended presumably by 1000s of “conservatives”, without even one man, besides Dave Usher, even noticing, much less complaining about the fact that the NOW abhors the idea of a government NOT interfering in private relationships.
December 14th, 2008 at 6:21 am
I’m glad to see “Taken into Custody†is at the top of your list.
Most of the problems addressed by these books are symptoms of a much larger problem. It’s tempting for people to want to focus on the issues that directly affect their lives and to hell with everyone else. It’s what got us into this mess and it’s what will keep us there.
This book is a New York Times Best Seller and is exactly what the doctor ordered.
“The Revolution†by Ron Paul
Whether it’s Ron Paul who leads us there, or someone still unknown, this book helps people understand where we need to go. Once the government is out of our lives, many, (if not all) of the problems addressed in David’s list will be dealt with. (Plus many other very important issues)
This is the only book currently on my “wish listâ€, which is also a NYT Best Seller.
“The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder†by Vincent Bugliosi
December 14th, 2008 at 8:09 am
I note MND has Kathleen Parker’s book, Save the Males on this list. It might interest viewers to know that she named her book after mine, which was published nearly a year prior to hers, and which I consider to be much better for men and fathers (the latest version, that is.) It’s a sad fact of life that well-advertised items get the most attention.
December 14th, 2008 at 9:31 am
Rich, I added your book, its a great one. It was in the pile I was writing on. It was 3am when I finished the piece and missed it. Your book is a good scholarly middle ground between Baskerville’s and Parker’s books.
December 14th, 2008 at 5:55 pm
Let’s not forget the following:
The Rantings of a Single Male
(Losing Patience with Feminism, Political Correctness,… and Basically Everything)
by Thomas Ellis
and……
The War Against Men
(Why Women Are Winning and What Men Must Do If America Is To Survive)
by Dr. Richard T. Hise