The Male Factor by Shaunti Feldhahn

The Male Factor, at a glance looks like another one of those relationship advice books. It is, but The Male Factor by Shaunti Feldhahn isn’t to help your love life. This book is about the relationships we have with men in the work place. With feminism, women’s lib, and all the talk about equality in the workplace, sadly, it is still a man’s world. In most businesses men still dominate and/or run the work environment. Feldhahn does an excellent job of dissecting the male mind at work. Note, I said “at work”. Men compartmentalize and have a different mind set in different environments. Understanding how the men you work around think is an invaluable tool. It’s a tool that can help you improve your interpersonal work relationships and achieve success instead of unknowingly sabotaging yourself. Although Feldhahn wants to help us understand the male mindset and develop a more cohesive work environment, the fact that this book will have you thinking before you speak can help improve all your professional relationships, male and female. This is a must have book for every professional woman. Five out of five stars.


This book was provided by WaterBrook Multnomah. You can learn more about this book at Random House.

Book Review - What's He Really Thinking? by Paula Rinehart

Professional counselor and author, Paula Rinehart uses her experience to delve into the male psyche in What's He Really Thinking? How To Be A Relationship Genius With The Man In Your Life. She takes a biblical look at understanding the men in our lives by understanding what motivates them, what hurts them, how they learn and what influence women play on them. She then delves into what we need and expect from men and why they react to these challenges and conflicts the way they do.

I've grown up around men and often feel more in tune to them than I do to women. I chose this book to see if Rinehart had some new insight into the minds of men. I was disappointed to read the same old "words of wisdom" that dozens of other authors, therapist, people in general provide. The only new perspective she offered was the biblical references. While I enjoyed this new perspective and the stories she provided as examples, I think she simplifies man too much. Men are definitely less complicated than women in many mental aspects; however, they can still be quite complex. It would be interesting to see how a man would review this book and if he would agree with her conclusions. The book may be helpful to women who have very little contact with men, but I don't feel the average woman will find it useful, although they may be able to relate to some of the examples given. I would only give it two out of five stars.

*This book was provided by Thomas Nelson.