KEEPING YOUR FAMILY TOGETHER WHEN THE WORLD IS FALLING APART

Host of CBN's Parent Talk Radio, psychologist Leman (Were You Born for Each Other?, 1990, etc.) here offers a plan of action—``Reality Discipline''—for dealing with common family problems. The term ``Reality Discipline'' is based on child-rearing specialist Rudolf Dreikurs's work on the logical consequences of human behavior, which, in a nutshell, finds that certain actions and attitudes result in certain consequences. Here, Leman has revised and expanded the concept into a technique for managing ``your personal life, your marriage, and your children with love, respect, and effectiveness.'' The author is a master at simplifying and a whiz at thinking up catchy phrases. He's also fond of making lists (e.g., ``The Nine Ways Reality Discipline Can Strengthen Your Family'' and ``A Baker's Dozen Ways To Fill His Love Bank''). Every chapter ends with two lists, one designed to sum up the chapter and the other to get the reader started on applying its principles in real-life situations. Each also concludes with notes that are definitely not scholarly, including such references as Leman's other books and the Bible. But then Leman is not writing for the scholarly but, rather, for those who will either not notice or not mind his deliberate repetitiveness of key ideas. His advice is neither profound nor new, but it is sensible and clearly expressed, and the examples he provides from his own experiences are entertaining and believable. Sound advice delivered in sound bites.