I'm a huge Kevin Leman fan and have read many of his books. Which is why I was a bit disappointed with this one. Only because it seemed to be a collection of recycled material from his other books with a little of Gary Smalley's Five Love Languages thrown in. Nothing really new here. However, it is still great stuff and inspirational to anyone looking to make a change in their life. I especially liked the section on early childhood memories- helpful without being hokie. If you've never read a Leman book before then this would be a great one to start with. He possesses a straightforward, light-hearted writing style that's a joy to read. If you have read a Leman book before then it's really a refresher course. ( )

The birh order effect is simple and powerful. Leman explains it in the simplest possible way, with humor and personal stories. In this book he explains how the brith order effect also shapes and cements the stories that embed themselves deep inside us from the earliest stages of childhood. We have the power to accept who we are, and yet to change the thought patterns that hold us back. ( )

This review was originally posted on my blog.

I’ll admit it: I love Dr. Leman’s books. I’ve read nearly all his books about birth order, marriage, sex, and childhood memories. I’ve read his book on women who struggle with perfectionism, and I have his book dedicated to First Borns sitting next to me just begging to be read.

So, I come to this book with a bit of a bias. I love Dr. Leman’s easygoing writing style, his funny anecdotes, his sense of humor (self-deprecation is something I can definitely appreciate)… I think in some ways, Dr. Leman reminds me of my Dad. That might sound weird, but my Dad is pretty great (*waves* Hi Dad! I don’t know if you read my blog…) so I think that’s a good thing. Also, they’re both Last Borns, so that’s probably where I’m seeing some similarities in personality.

Anyway, parental reflections aside, if you’ve never read anything by Dr. Leman and you like self-help books that challenge you, here’s a great place to start. (Okay, one more plug, he also has tons of resources for parents, so if you have kids I highly recommend his books.)

This book is designed to force you to think and challenge yourself: What is it about your life that you want to change? Why haven’t your attempts at change worked before? What can you do differently, and what are the lies you’ve been telling yourself that have stopped you from changing in the past?

We all know that changing ourselves is much harder than changing others… we’re our own worst critics, and we all have these little “truths” we’ve carried around for our whole lives, whether we know it or not. Dr. Leman looks at these lies we tell ourselves, and challenges us to change our thought patterns. He looks at things like:

- Birth Order
- Love Languages
- Childhood Memories
- Your Real Personality

Now, here’s the thing – because I’ve read all of Dr. Leman’s books on birth order and childhood memories before (and Gary Chapman’s Love Languages book, which Leman references), this book in particular didn’t contain anything new for me. It was a bit of a re-treading in familiar territory, so I didn’t find it all that exciting or helpful.

However, if you’ve never read his stuff before, this is a great synthesis of the material he’s known for. If you’re looking for real change in your life that lasts, Dr. Leman’s methods are an excellent place to start!

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group. ( )