Blended Families: An Anthology

Valerie L. Coleman, Compiler
Pen of the Writer (2006)
ISBN 0978606604
Reviewed by Louise Landeta for Reader Views (1/07)

The editor’s main point is that blended families are challenging, they require awareness of pitfalls and willingness to face them head on with a lot of humility and love. 

The editor shares a great deal of her own experience and presents the stories of several other folks who have trod this journey as well.  Ms. Coleman courageously bared her soul, revealing the pain she endured in the process of coming to terms with her own blended family.  She is a woman of deep faith and exhibits a great deal of spiritual insight throughout the book. 

There was much to which I myself could relate in these stories as I, too, took on a blended family 26 years ago.  So many of these accounts reminded me of my own experience—the good and not so good.  If only a book such as this had been available to me back then.  It would have been so helpful and I would not have felt so alone.

Suffice it to say that I find this a most valuable resource.  Many are the readers who will be able to benefit from it.  In fact, I have promised to send my copy to my son and daughter-in-law for their own consumption.  My son married a woman with four children from a previous marriage which he has legally adopted.  Subsequently they have had two children together.  I believe there is much from which they can benefit within these pages.

“Blended Families” is written from a Christian perspective for a Christian audience.  The material could benefit members of other religious traditions equally as well; Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus for example struggle with the same challenges in their own blended families.  By tweaking some of the language to make it more inclusive without sacrificing the fact that she is of the Christian tradition, Ms. Coleman could appeal to a wider audience.  However, this is her call and it is certainly not necessary if she wants to keep to a smaller group of readers.

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