Life Preservers by Lerner, Harriet -- Read -- Imperial Library of Trantor

Index

Cover Title Page Dedication Contents To My Readers 1: Mr. Right and Mr. Wrong

Introduction My Boyfriend Won’t Talk About Problems Is He Having an Affair? What Is Intimacy? Why Can’t I Find Mr. Right? Is He the One? My Fiancé Has a Violent Temper Should I Lie to Keep Him? He Won’t Commit I Always Pick the Wrong Guys He Won’t Wear a Condom What If He Says No? My Fiancé Collects Pornography He Wants to See Other People My Boyfriend Isn’t Generous Should I Move In with Him? Do I Take His Last Name? My Boyfriend Is Bisexual He Hates Spending Time with My Friends and Family My Fiancé Doesn’t Like Sex

2: Mending the Mind, Body, and Spirit

Introduction I’ve Never Had an Orgasm Should I Find Out My IQ? I’m So Self-Conscious I’m Not Sure My Therapy Is Working Living with Chronic Illness I Just Can’t Say No! I’m Ashamed to Undress in the Locker Room Am I Codependent? I’m Afraid I’m a Lesbian My Doctor Hugs Me Help! I’m Too Gorgeous! Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Can We Cause Our Own Cancer? Is My Fantasy Abnormal? Should I Pretend to Be Happy? I Trusted My Doctor Should I Quit Group Therapy? My Abortion Haunts Me Sugar Pills

3: Friendship Matters

Introduction Am I Too Needy? My Friend Is Dating a Jerk Lending Money to a Friend A Friend in a Wheelchair I’m Jealous of Her Success My Friend Isn’t There for Me When I’m Down Angry with Fat Friend She Always Betrays My Confidence I’m the Only One Who Can Help My Best Friend Is Jealous Starting a Women’s Group Have I Sold Out? To Lift or Not to Lift She Said/She Said Can’t Take a Compliment What’s Wrong with Giving Advice? How Can I Win My Friends Back?

4: Women at Work

Introduction How Much Do You Make? I Can’t Believe I Was Fired When the Lady Is Boss My Boss Is Too Critical I’m So Humiliated Is Volunteer Work a Good Thing? Minding Our Business I Can’t Stand My Supervisor I’m Attracted to a Colleague Are Women Just a Bunch of Whiners? My Employee Has a Bad Attitude I’m Paralyzed by Criticism I’m a Homemaker and Proud of It Promotion Anxiety

5: No Place Like Home

Introduction My Brother’s Gay—and I’m Worried My Mother Wants to Live with Me My Sister Won’t Quit Smoking Coping with a Suicide in the Family Should I Cross Dad Off My Wedding List? A Helping Hand I Miss My Mother My Brother-in-Law Made a Pass at Me My Distant Dad Is My Sister a Lesbian? My Parents Can’t Stand My Boyfriend A Death in the Family My Sister’s Husband Is Abusive Going Solo False Promises Keeping a Secret My Mother Is Driving Me Crazy The Power of the Unconscious Is It Weird to Plan Your Own Funeral?

6: Then Comes Marriage

Introduction My Husband Betrayed Me Premenstrual Syndrome or Premenstrual Sanity? My Husband Is Jealous of My Therapist I’m Monogamous, He Isn’t I’m Not Mrs. Smith! My Husband Left Me for a Man I’m White, He’s Black I Love the Guy, but the Sex Is Terrible My Impossible Mother-in-Law Can a Vibrator Harm My Sex Life? My Doctor Says I’m Depressed I’m More Successful Than My Husband What Should We Name the Baby? I’m Not a Failure Choosing to Be Childless Should I Stay or Should I Go?

7: Parents in Recovery

Introduction Do I Have to Breast-Feed My Baby? Adoption and Self-Esteem Does My Son Need a Man in the House? Helping a Child with Divorce Should We Allow Our Teenager to Bring Pornography Home? Should We Let Our Son Sleep in Our Bed? Talking to Children About Illness and Death Breaking a Promise Our Son Says He’s Gay I’m Indulgent and He’s Too Strict Is It Ever OK to Lie to a Child We’re All the Same on the Inside Introducing an Adopted Child Telling Children Secrets Can Single Mothers Raise Boys? Why Do Adopted Children Search? Is It Really All My Fault? A Bereaved Child I Can’t Stop Worrying About My Daughter

8: The World We Love In

Introduction Girls, Ladies, or Women? Does It Matter? Is Hope Possible in This Violent World? Avoiding the F Word Color Does Matter Closets Are for Clothes Are Women Too Dependent? Women Who Read Too Much Are Women 50 Percent to Blame for Sexism? My Husband Has a Persecution Complex Tired of the Victim Mentality Whose Truth Counts? Finding the Right Therapist Hurt by Racial Prejudice I’m Uncomfortable Excluding Men Am I an Addict? Happy Mother’s Day

Acknowledgments About the Author Books by Harriet Lerner Credits Copyright About the Publisher