Second Wives
The Pitfalls and Rewards of Marrying Widowers and Divorced Men

by Susan Shapiro Barash

With more than one of every two marriages in the United States ending in divorce, the number of women faced with the prospect of becoming second wives is at a record high.

In this compassionate and timely guide to remarriage, Susan Shapiro Barash, twice a second wife, presents the unique perspective of the second wife, mixing insights and advice from noted psychologists and relationship counselors with interviews from more than 100 second wives.

Barash tackles such challenging issues as competing with the first wife, managing relationships with in-laws and stepchildren, striving to overcome the shadow of his lost love, dealing with the financial strain of supporting two families and coping with all aspects of the role of second wife.

Above all, Second Wives gives women the opportunity to identify with others who are living through the same dilemmas and provides salient advice from experts.

Susan Shapiro Barash is the author of Mothers-in-law and Daughters-in-law: Love, Hate, Rivalry and Reconciliation (New Horizon Press), A Passion for More: Wives Reveal the Affairs That Make or Break Their Marriages, Sisters: Devoted or Divided and The Men Out There: A Woman's Little Black Book. Susan teaches critical thinking, gender studies and screenwriting at Marymount Manhattan College and resides with her husband and children in New York City.

"Helps women avoid feeling second rate as Wife No. 2. Offers solid strategies for beating the statistics"
— Publishers Weekly

"Women will find Barash's voice comforting."
— Library Journal

"For women thinking about becoming a second wife and those who have already taken the plunge."
— Tulsa World

"A work of advice, comfort and matrimonial savvy... the lucid reasoning and logical advice are a boon."
— Stepfamilies

"Barash does a commendable job of presenting an objective view. Readers are given the tools to make the marriage successful and rewarding."
— Today's Librarian

"First wives, second wives...and men would benefit from the insights and wise counsel."
— Foreword Magazine

"Barash writes with wisdom and grace."
— www.beliefnet.com

"If you or someone you know is a second wife, don't hesitate to get or give this book."
— Bookviews

*Featured in the Boston Globe, Bride Again, Palm Beach Daily News, Democrat & Chronicle, Greenwich Times, Richmond Times-Dispatch
*Interviewed by Lifetime Live, Pure Oxygen and the Women's National Book Association
*Excerpted by Scripps Howard News Service and Parentguide

A New Horizon Press Release
Self-help/Women's Issues
6 x 9, 256 pages
LC #99-75939, world rights
ISBN: 0-88282-182-2 (pb)