Working Families: Navigating the Demands and \t\t Delights of Marriage, Parenting, and Career

After penning three books and having three children, Jordan-Lake \t\t writes of juggling the demands of two holy callings—hers as a writer, her \t\t husband's as a pastor—with raising kids. What distinguishes this book from \t\t the other Christian family-balancing guides that crowd the shelves is its \t\t emphasis on the fundamental equality of husband and wife, even while it \t\t recognizes that women often bear a greater psychological burden than men when \t\t they try to follow their bliss careerwise. The book is also refreshing for its \t\t social conscience; Jordan-Lake, who has worked with the urban poor and is an \t\t advocate for micro-enterprise loans, is all too aware that merely asking these \t\t questions about family and work is a luxury that few women in the world will \t\t ever afford. Writing with sharp humor and snappy prose, she draws heavily on \t\t her own experiences as well as interviews with other women about how they \t\t manage the competing expectations of career and family. Although the book's \t\t repeated sailboat metaphors grow tiresome, this stands out as one of the more \t\t thoughtful guides to Christian family life for the 21st century. \t\t (Mar. 20)