The Essential Mars and Venus: The Most Famous Relationships Book Ever Published

by John Gray

This is an illustrated gift edition of one of the most well-known of relationships books, with over seven million copies sold worldwide. The success of Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus proves that many people have embraced John Grays ideas about men and womens basic differences and how to deal with them. This title i

160 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2003

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

John Gray is an American relationship counselor, lecturer, and author. In 1969, he began a nine-year association with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi before beginning his career as an author and personal relationship counselor. In 1992 he published the book Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus, which became a long-term best seller and formed the central theme of his subsequent books and career activities. His books have sold millions of copies.

Reviews

[Isabella Perini · Rating 2 out of 5]

Obviously very iconic however I would say I think the messages about men having to go into ‘their caves’ when dealing with emotions is an outdated idea. Men are socialised not to be vulnerable about their emotions to others so obviously there’s some resistance when that opportunity is created for them in a relationship but them going into a cave to deal with stress isn’t really healthy and can lead to worse male mental health. I just disagree with that part because I think it’s based around a harmful gender stereotype, also a lot of this book seems to ask women to sacrifice their own emotional needs because men don’t want to feel rejected, criticised or anything, which I think gives all the power to men if they are the only one allowed to instigate change in their relationship. I know they’ve updated this book with a female writer as well so maybe some of those ideas have been developed but I think it’s kind of dangerous to have a book about gender in relationships so based of generalisations.

[Ranmali Kirinde · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good for light reading. While I found this entertaining, the book assumes that all men are the same and all women are the same, which is too simplistic.

[Manikandan · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The Essential Mars and Venus" by John Gray is a short version of the famous book "Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus." It's a more accessible version of the same material, with illustrations and drawings like the ones you would see in a news papers. I read the original book about three years ago, and while it had its merits, I can't recall much of it.

It had been quite some time since I last read a book, so I decided to start with something light. "The Essential Mars and Venus" proved to be an easy read. Its lighter tone made it easier to immerse myself in, and the way it describes relationships felt relatable to some extent.

However, I must note that I had reservations about the book's tendency to generalize each gender, their expectations, and their needs in a relationship. This approach didn't make much sense to me, as I believe that these aspects depend on the individuals involved. While I understand that you can't write a book which suits for all the people, categorizing all men or women into specific roles seems limiting. Some traits mentioned in the book may apply to certain individuals, but not for everyone.

The book mainly focuses on developing the understanding between genders and preserving relationships, with no points on addressing the circumstances under which one might consider ending a relationship. While it aims to reduce misunderstandings and miscommunication in relationships, it oversimplifies the complexities of human connections. I should also mention that some chapters came across as manipulative, particularly the section on "Practicing Assertive Asking."

"The Essential Mars and Venus" can be seen as somewhat sexist due to its gender generalizations and outdated content (the original book, "Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus," was published in the early '90s). You may find yourself in disagreement with some of the methods mentioned in the book.

In conclusion, consider reading this book when you're looking for something to pass the time, but don't take its methods and advice too seriously. Also, note that you don't need to have read the original "Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus" to understand this book.

[Tsana · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a quick read. Fun and practical advice. Now to put it into practice.

[Maha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice light book about relatonshops

[aida · Rating 3 out of 5]

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