Shmuley Boteach. Shmuley Boteach. Shmuley Boteach. I just like saying this Rabbi's name a lot. After his "Kosher Sex" tour a few years ago, his second act is a tv show promoting "Shalom in the Home." My prejudice is that sincere people, for the most part, do not appear on television. Nonetheless, I liked what I heard about his previous book, and I like most of what he says here. Like this:
On men:
For men, it's something I call the "broken American male." Your worth is determined by your productivity. Donald Trump is a great success, so is Bill Gates. Two percent of the population is successful. Ninety-eight percent of us are left to feel that our dreams are shattered.
American men live their lives through endless escapes -- destructive escapes like pornography on the Internet, alcoholism, too much TV or being closer to their buddies than they are with their families, or becoming workaholics. Their families can't make them feel good about themselves. They don't take pride in being a father or husband.American men are not psychologically healthy right now. If you see yourself as a failure, your wife who was stupid enough to marry you is a failure squared.
On women:
They're dispirited. Three-quarters of divorces in America are initiated by the wives. That's an astonishing statistic. And they are going out into the wild blue yonder!Ninety percent of men who leave their wives leave for another woman. Women are leaving their husbands for nobody!They would rather be alone than be with him. Because one thing they are not going to do is sacrifice for a man who doesn't appreciate it.
And for all you parenting book authors who keep telling women to put their children first, he says Bah!:
Marriage should be put before the children. Children will outgrow your love someday. They'll move out and find the love of a stranger. You'll want them to have the memory that love is real because they saw it at home, and to believe they'll find a soul mate instead of dating aimlessly, like we see so much of now.
Omeyn to that.