Forgive or Forget: Never Underestimate the Power of Forgiveness

In her second book, talk-show host Mother Love (Listen Up, Girlfriends!) expands on the theme of her network television show by the same name, offering advice on giving and receiving forgiveness. Contending that American society is becoming increasingly intolerant, she asserts that ""Madison Avenue has pumped us full of fool notions about achieving perfection, and this makes us more unforgiving of imperfections in ourselves and in others."" In her characteristic down-to-earth tone, Mother Love relates how she learned to forgive herself for years of overeating, which in turn helped her change her habits, inspiring a new self-confidence that allowed her to pardon family and friends for their transgressions and to ask others to forgive her when she recognized her own insensitivity. However, her style of humor, which is laced with sarcasm, tends to fall flat on the page and undercuts her sincerity. The insights she has to offer--about renouncing revenge, accepting apologies and forgiving someone in the absence of an apology--are often buried under the many stories of those who have sought forgiveness or overcome anger in televised confrontations, ultimately making the book come across as little more than a transcribed compilation of outtakes from her show. Agent, Al Lowman; 15-city TV satellite tour; 25-city radio tour; 4-city author tour. (Nov.)