UpDate - Vol. 16, No. 2
September 12, 1996
Dr. Ruth, Ben Yagoda at book signing Sept. 19

     Well-known sex therapist Dr. Ruth Westheimer will be in
Delaware Thursday, Sept. 19, to promote her new book, co-authored
with Ben Yagoda, English. The authors will present a lecture,
answer questions and sign copies of their new book, The Value of
Family: A Blueprint for the 21st Century beginning at 7 p.m. in
multipurpose room A of the Trabant University Center. The event
is free and open to the public.
     Yagoda met Westheimer 10 years ago through his agent when
she was seeking an author to help her write her life story.
     The result of their first collaboration was All in a
Lifetime. Subsequent books they have coauthored include Dr.
Ruth's Guide to Safer Sex and Dr. Ruth Talks to Kids About Sex
and Growing Up.
     For The Value of Family, Yagoda and Westheimer had
brainstorming sessions on what constitutes a family today and on
family issues-from teenage pregnancy and the increased divorce
rate to mothers in the workplace and the role of fathers. The
book is written as a first-person narrative by Westheimer, but
the concepts are mutual.
     Yagoda did most of the research for the book, interviewing
experts, reading background material and collecting the
demographic information on which much of the book is based.
     "Today, there are many kinds of families-not just Ozzie and
Harriet and 2.3 children-and there is no turning back the clock,"
Yagoda said. "A large segment of the population consists of
single, unmarried or widowed people without children, some
involved in relationships, and then there are single parents,
grandparents, step parents, homosexual couples and teenagers
raising children. These families are under many pressures and
need support, not isolation, from society, friends and other
family members."
     The last chapters of the book deal with how government,
business and schools can help strengthen families, and the
authors suggest that the two "most vital qualities" for nurturing
a family are "love and commitment."
     Activities for strengthening family ties included in the
book are family meals (without TV or other distractions), family
vacations, family reunions ("with plenty of food, drink and ample
photo opportunities") and using e-mail to communicate with
distant relatives.
     A review in Publishers Weekly called the book "a humane,
level-headed, eye-opening look at changing family dynamics."
     A review in Kirkus Reviews called The Value of Family a
"spirited book that packs the straightforward, common-sense
punch..." and said "this feisty work may help stiffen the spines
of the inventive men and women who are now trying to redefine the
American family."
     The talk is sponsored by the University Bookstore, the
Department of English and its journalism program and the Visiting
Women's Scholars Fund. 
                                              -Sue Swyers Moncure