Real Love: What It Is, and How to Find It

Prolific author ( Lisa and David ; Overcoming Indecisiveness ) and columnist for Ladies' Home Journal and McCall's , psychiatrist Rubin here offers observations on the nature of love. Short meditations (most one page, some a sentence) on the attributes of love (``Loving is even more important than being loved'') and its enemies, which he calls ``corrosives'' and which include jealousy, pride, secretiveness and mastery, support Rubin's indisputable view that loving--God, parents, children, mates, friends--is our most redeeming activity. Optimistic and encouraging, these reflections seem like thoughts penned at free moments; unfortunately, the wisdom is blandly unspecific, with only occasional references to an individual or incident giving weight and substance. Full of compassion and conviction, Rubin's sage-sounding observations are soothing, but they are also superficial and vague. (Feb.)