The Secrets of Happy Families - by Bruce Feiler (Paperback)

About the Book

An informative and compelling guide for families to enrich their home life in our age of distraction. Like millions of parents, bestselling author and New York Times family columnist Bruce Feiler felt squeezed between the needs of aging parents and rapidly growing children. Over three years, he traveled across the United States, seeking out the smartest people and the most effective families to assemble a collection of best practices for families today.

Book Synopsis

In The Secrets of Happy Families, New York Times bestselling author Bruce Feiler has drawn up a blueprint for modern families -- a new approach to family dynamics, inspired by cutting-edge techniques gathered from experts in the disciplines of science, business, sports, and the military.

• Don't worry about family dinner.
• Let your kids pick their punishments.
• Ditch the sex talk.
• Cancel date night.

These are just a few of the surprising innovations in this bold first-of-its-kind playbook for today's families. Bestselling author and New York Times family columnist Bruce Feiler found himself squeezed between caring for aging parents and raising his children. So he set out on a three-year journey to find the smartest solutions and the most cutting-edge research about families.

Instead of the usual family "experts," he sought out the most creative minds--from Silicon Valley to the set of Modern Family, from the country's top negotiators to the Green Berets--and asked them what team-building exercises and problem-solving techniques they use with their families. Feiler then tested these ideas with his wife and kids. The result is a fun, original look at how families can draw closer together, complete with 200 never-before-seen best practices.

Feiler's life-changing discoveries include a radical plan to reshape your family in twenty minutes a week, Warren Buffett's guide for setting an allowance, and the Harvard handbook for resolving conflict. The Secrets of Happy Families is a timely, counterintuitive book that answers the questions countless parents are asking: How do we manage the chaos of our lives? How do we teach our kids values? How do we make our family happier?

Written in a charming, accessible style, The Secrets of Happy Families is smart, funny, and fresh, and will forever change how your family lives every day.

From the Back Cover

The book that revolutionized our view of what makes families happy . . .

Determined to find the smartest solutions and the most cutting-edge research about families, bestselling author and New York Times family columnist Bruce Feiler gathered team-building exercises and problem-solving techniques from the most creative minds--from Silicon Valley to the Green Berets--and tested these ideas with his wife and kids. The result is a lively, original look at how we can create stronger parent/child relationships, manage the chaos of our lives, teach our kids values and grit, and have more fun together.

The Secrets of Happy Families includes more than two hundred unique practices that will help your family draw closer and make everyone in your home happier. It has already changed the lives of millions of families, and it can do the same for yours.

Review Quotes

"I loved this book because it really is a new playbook for the modern-day family, something to counteract the chaos of the digital age. One of my favorite takeaways was the "Right Way To Have A Family Dinner." It's not about the "dining every night together" that's so important. It's the "finding ways to spend time together" and actually talk/communicate." - Lyss Stern, creator of Divalysscious Moms and author of If You Give a Mom a Martini
"I loved this book because it really is a new playbook for the modern-day family, something to counteract the chaos of the digital age." - Lyss Stern, creator of Divalysscious Moms and author of If You Give a Mom a Martini
"Not your run-of-the-mill parenting manual. ... A practical, entertaining playbook that upends some of the most accepted wisdom in family-rearing today." - Outside magazine
"A self-help book with teeth, loaded with examples. ... The Secrets of Happy Families is comprehensive and clear, a how-to guide for dads who may not have realized they needed one. - Daddylibrium
"A book that will touch many." - Booklist
"It's hard not to get swept along and cheer Feiler on as he fights for his life and his daughters." - Publishers Weekly
"Infused with humor and authenticity. ... Feiler's unique perspective and voice... sets it apart from other work in both the parenting and happiness genres." - Yahoo
"This is the best book I've read about how to transform families. ... Run, don't walk, to get a copy" - NBC Latino
"Makes even the most skeptical parent sit up and take note" - BONNIE ROCHMAN for Time.com
"Refreshing. ... Feiler has an engaging stlye." - Washington Post