BESIDE EVERY GOOD MAN: Loving Myself While Standing by Him

Wife to Bishop T.D. Jakes, the well-known evangelical author and pastor, Serita Ann Jakes takes up her pen to encourage, counsel and instruct Christian women about successfully relating to men. From her vantage point as a daughter, sister, wife, mother and friend, Jakes notes that from childhood on, women are formed and molded in great measure by their male counterparts. In a sometimes trite manner, Jakes hands out simple, perhaps simplistic, advice on making wise choices in dating, courtship and marriage. She offers opinions on such topics as handling the stresses of child-rearing, coping with insecurity and discontentment, caring for one's needs without becoming self-absorbed and developing a positive and godly view of sex. While heartfelt and sincere, many of Jakes's chapters, sprinkled with personal recollections and biblical anecdotes, feel lightweight and stale. Very little of her advice is presented in a novel manner, and the book has a disorganized feel. Commenting on the profound impact mothers have on their children, Jakes tells her Christian sisters to refrain from resorting to manipulation in their married relationships, certainly not a new idea, and not quite in keeping with the chapter. Despite this self-help manual's weaknesses, fans of the Jakes clan will assuredly find some measure of hope and help within its pages; if nothing else, interested readers will appreciate the personal stories from Jakes's own life. (Nov. 3)