There are a lot of books about how to improve your marriage. Some of them are actually helpful, but how do you get your spouse to read them?
It’s never a good idea to give your spouse a marriage book and say, “You should read this.” That comes off as condescending and more than a little bit insulting. That type of approach is not likely to inspire your spouse to have a good attitude about reading the book or accepting any of the marital counsel being foisted on him or her in the book. Who wants to hear a husband or wife say, “Here’s a book about why I think you’re a poor spouse and how you can improve.” Not a recipe for success.
Yet, at the same time, a lot of wives whose husbands have read the book are saying that it is important for women to get their husbands to read Adam Loves Eve, our new marital guide for men only. Wives are saying, “Your book saved my marriage and changed my life.” Men who have read the book are thanking us, too, and for the same reasons.
The question is, how do you get your husband to read the book? You can’t say, “I read this book and really enjoyed it; I think you should read it too.” That won’t work because women aren’t supposed to read Adam Loves Eve. It’s a book for men only. So how does a wife get her husband to read the new book from First Fruits of Zion?
We put our heads together and came up with five tactful strategies.
- Tell him that the curiosity is killing you. Since it says that it’s for men only, you were hoping he could read it for you and tell you what’s in it.
- Leave it in an inconspicuous place where he will discover it himself, like inside the refrigerator or on his nightstand.
- Tell him that if he agrees to read Adam Loves Eve, you’ll read Eve Loves Adam—just as soon as he gets you get a copy. (There is no such book.)
- Put a slip-cover on it that makes it look like a copy of Reader’s Digest and leave it in the bathroom.
- Tell him you heard that the book is a lot better than the movie.
Source: First Fruits of Zion
