Doormats and Control Freaks

In this well-organized volume, Lewis focuses on the ying/yang of doormats and control freaks, two opposite manifestations, or coping methods, of codependent personalities. Even though she's traveling through well-navigated territory, Lewis has unearthed some fresh material and put her own spin on the topic. The chapter dealing with the Internet phenomenon and its effects on relationships and addictive behaviors is timely, for example, and Lewis's accounts of her own experience with codependency will make readers feel that she understand their problems. (She also holds a master's degree in psychology and education.) Though the volume contains little that hasn't already been mined by authors such as Melody Beattie, Lewis's 12-step program for recovery may help readers leave their destructive relationships behind.