The Guide for the Romantically Perplexed

Billed as ""the first practical, comprehensive guide that integrates research, professional marriage counseling techniques and Jewish wisdom,"" this book uses ancient Jewish teachings about marriage as a starting point for finding--and keeping--a mate. Aiken, a psychologist who lives in Jerusalem, opens the book with yenta-like tips on ""who to be and what to look for"" when searching for one's ""b'shert"" (intended). She then offers advice on all the details of planning a wedding, even giving suggestions on how to keep kosher in an exotic honeymoon location. But Aiken's sensible and businesslike advice does not come to an end under the marriage canopy; she is deeply concerned about divorce statistics, so the second half of the book discusses marital communication, problem-solving and the two potentially explosive issues of money and sex. Her brief chapter on how children change a marriage seems almost like an afterthought, but in all, this is a sweeping guide that lives up to its own promises.