The Dance of Anger

In a snappy abridgment of her 1985 book, the author examines the reasons anger in women is still so misunderstood, feared, and punished. She sees women's anger as a normal reaction to common interpersonal threats and conflicts that too often get resolved by being overpowered by the man's anger. By delineating the threats and supports that expressing anger activates, she offers a refreshing look at the cultural and institutional forces that condemn a woman's anger as unjust and crazy. With great wisdom and sensitivity, she sets up a logical frame for getting through the common arguments in relationships. As genuine as it is authoritative, this is one of the very best learning audios on a mental health topic. T.W. (c) AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine

June 15, 2005
In these two programs listeners are encouraged to recognize that anger and fear invite the individual to practice self-care without blaming or shaming others. Yet, when in the grip of these emotions, people often react in ways that perpetuate the situations that first triggered them. Lerner explains how to recognize this behavior, evaluate consequences, and make changes if desired. In both books she stresses that solutions are found only when individuals focus on and make changes in themselves -not when they try to control or change others. In "Dance of Anger", the author offers more solid examples of why women react with self-defeating behaviors when they are angry. In "Fear", she describes how to recognize the differences among fear, anxiety, and shame but offers fewer specific strategies to deal with them. Lerner reads both works adequately, but she lacks the polish of a professional narrator. "Dance of Anger" is highly recommended for self-help collections; "Fear" is an optional purchase. -Kathleen Sullivan, Phoenix P.L.

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