The Shelter of Each Other

By: Mary Pipher PhD

Narrated by: Mary Pipher PhD

“Simple solutions for survival in this family-unfriendly culture. . . . Eye-opening. . . heart-wrenching and uplifting.”—San Francisco Chronicle

Even more resonant today than at its original publication in 1996, The Shelter of Each Other traces the effects of our society’s “anti-family” way of life, where parents are overtaxed, children are undersupervised, and technology is rapidly dictating how we interact. As she did in her number-one bestseller Reviving Ophelia, Mary Pipher illuminates how our families are suffering at the hands of shifting cultural norms, and she snaps our gaze into crisp focus.

Drawing on the fascinating stories of families rich and poor, angry and despairing, religious and skeptical, and probing deep into her own family memories and experiences, Pipher clears a path to the strength and energy at the core of family life. Compassionate and heart-wrenching, The Shelter of Each Other is an impassioned call for us to gather our families in our arms and hold on to them for dear life.©1996 Mary Pipher; (P)1996 Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Publishing, Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Publishing, A Division of Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Simple solutions for survival in this family-unfriendly culture…Eye-opening…heart-wrenching and uplifting.”
—San Francisco Chronicle

“Compelling.”
—USA Today

“A canny mix of optimism and practicality.”
—Newsweek

“This new book is an expansion of Reviving Ophelia but offers more ideas for change.”
—The Washington Post Book World

“Lively, straightforward… The Shelter of Each Other offers hope for the American family in a time that challenges its viability.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“Plain and practical talk for beleaguered parents and the families they are trying to protect.”
—Publishers Weekly

families, culture, psychology history at its best!

i have to give this book 5 stars to make up for the excessive grumbling about the sound quality in other reviews. Here is the deal on the sound. They play background music for the first 30 seconds of a chapter. Those 30 seconds are offensive to modern ears. However, this problem can also serve the point of the book. The first 30 seconds of each chapter can literally serve as an example of a superficial cultural expectation which could be used to subvert the real content of the book and of its value to family life. If you are not buying the book because of these sound reviews then i would recommend the book all the more.

I doubt if the cultural and historical comparisons of families in this book will ever be better told. Further relevance of this comparison to the crisis of meaning that both families and individuals suffering under today could not be more precise. Its not a nostalgic book about the good ol days but rather a search for meaning for today. The author is fair about the good ol days and mentions the bad "sound quality" moments.

Her clarity about the dangers of viewing family problems solely from a psychological or only from a culture perspective is brilliant and as clear as i have ever read about it. The skill with which the values and words of our grandparents and our fading parents are extracted to our benefit is a talent only a few surgeons can perform.

And though the book is not from the latest tablet and smart phone era, it ironically rings clearer! I think this could be because at least the previous television-video-games-cell-phone era was actually easier to identify than today's comprehensive talking portable computer surfaces.

Further, the joy and promise of these novel devices clouds us more than even more primitive devices did only a few years back. Yet living in this latest era that is beyond outrage characterized primarily by the inhumanity of rootless corporate globalization , political hijacking, global fundamentalist regression and ruthless and callous work conditions, families need to understand how families have survived as long as they have.

Beautiful book

I agree that the audio quality is not the best but it does get better, or perhaps more tolerable, after several minutes. This book is so wonderful, you won't notice the less than stellar audio. This book is warm. It is comforting. It is filled with common sense, love, and wisdom. I suggest every parent or future parent, or spouse, listen to this book. I am so glad I found it. My children are 5 and 8 and this book only reinforces the importance of connection and closeness with family and your community. It reminds us that material goods, media and the popular culture do not lead to happiness and love. Appreciating what we have does. I loved this audio version so much that I ordered the paperback to read again and again.

Excellent book, not great audio quality

This is a marvelous book about what a family can be and how families can stay close. It raises sobering questions about what is being increasingly lost for families in America. It is a heartfelt story of connection and building strong ties.

The audio book suffers from relatively poor audio quaility.

Sound quality

The message is awesome but the sound quality is pretty bad. I still recommend it.

Could not even listen

The audio on the book was terrible. I could not even understand what was being said. Do not purchase this version.