Ron Deal and David Olson. The Remarriage Checkup. Bloomington, MN: Bethany House, 2010. 203pp. $22.99.

Ron Deal is an authority on remarriage and has authored The Smart Stepfamily and co-authored The Smart Stepmom. David Olson is the founder and president of Life Innovations. He has authored The Couple Checkup and has now co-authored The Remarriage Checkup.

This book is the result of the data collected from 50,000 couples who participated in PREPARE-MC (Marriage with Children). The purpose of the volume is to help stepfamilies build healthy homes. Chapters include issues of expectations, parenting, healthy communication, conflict resolution, leisure time and sexuality. By purchasing The Remarriage Checkup you will receive a voucher code that is redeemable at www.couplecheckup.com. However, your fiancee/spouse will have to purchase a discounted checkup in order for you to compare yourselves to each other. This unique tool is referred to as a CPS, a Couple Positioning System, a device to help locate strengths and weaknesses of a marital relationship. Without a voucher the cost of this checkup is $29.95. Couples will need to invest the time and effort into the Internet survey in order to reap the full benefits of this book. Not having done so myself, it is difficult for me to give this volume a rating (I read an unedited galley proof that did not include the voucher).

I read the volume as a senior minister who conducts an average of four weddings a year. Many of these couples are divorcees seeking a second marriage. I would recommend this book as helpful for those facing the challenges of remarriage.

A. Ramey

I have found this book to be of high quality in its research, very insightful in its analysis of the issue, and realistic in its consideration of difficulties and possibilities of remarriage (for the Christian couple).

The authors, Ron L. Deal and David H. Olson, are well trained and experienced practitionars in their fields of expertice.

If you are considering remarriage, or if you already are in a new marriage, chances are that this book is going to help you a lot. It is a quite useful resource! ( )

Good summary of this topic, on the practical and theological levels. ( )

Author Ron L. Deal is a leading authority on remarriage. A book based on cutting-edge research conducted over 35 years on 50,000 remarried couples, Deal and his co-author, David H. Olson, provide not only the expected discussions on unity, communication styles, and managing children. The authors have provided quantifiable tools to assess each remarriage partner’s strengths and weaknesses and interplay between them. Though it contains a great deal of information and statistics, this book is not meant to simply be read through. It is intended to be interactive, including an online interactive survey, and in depth study questions. Divorce and remarriage are prevalent both inside and outside the church today. Admitting that on average 65% of remarriages fail, Deal acknowledges the exceptional and extra challenges of remarriage, particularly in regards to relational damage and woundedness, and the complexities of blended families. For every 1,000 “Christian” books about marriage, there is only one about remarriage. The authors step into a much-needed area of Christian literature. ( )

This was an excellent book for those looking to remarry or already remarried. There was a lot of information about different types of couples along with good examples. I really liked the stats about how happy and unhappy couples think. One problem I did have with the book was there is an online checkup you are supposed to do and they refer to it often. But they did not give you the code in the early review copy to take the checkup. I think it would have helped the book be more meaningful. Other than that I really liked all of the information in the book. I am going to have my husband read it too and see if he feels we are in the "happy" couple percentages like I feel! ( )