I have to confess that it did take a lot of recommendations for me to read this book from friends and family, before I finally gave in and gave it a shot. I thought it would be another one of those 'relationship advice' textbooks that most of us never really enjoy reading. However, the I was pleasantly surprised this 'The 5 Love Languages' is easy to understand and is actually based on other couples perception of love too. Most people believe that marriage should come out of love. The reality though is that most couples have a difficult time when it comes to loving one another.
The main focus of this book is to show you that just as we all poses unique personality traits, we are also unique when it comes to what we find satisfying and motivating when in love.
The author Dr. Gary Chapman does a very good job at teaching the five love languages which he identifies as words of affirmation, acts of service, affection, quality time and gifts. The goal is to identify, understand and start to speak your spouse's language of love. I really appreciated how he wrote individual chapters for each love language, this made for easy reading. He also goes ahead and concludes each chater with simple action steps that you can take to start speaking your other half's language.
Dr Gary Chapman is a New York Best Selling author and also has two national radio shows called a Love Language Minute and Building Relationships. You can listen to both these shows on his website www.fivelovelanguages.com. He also has more than 30 years of relationship counseling experience and it shows as you read this book.
When I began reading this book I already had some assumptions about myself, but after reading it I was really surprised by how much I learned about myself. Some of the things that he covers you may already know but have probably forgotten. His writing style is perfect for this kind of guide and he amplifies it by giving tons of examples. This is very helpful when it comes to applying the theory to your real life situation. His simple yet powerful message on love can drastically change all your relationships.
All couples should read this book, it will help you make your relationships stronger. However, you can also easily apply this knowledge to other relationships too. There is a more advanced love languages test that is available online, you will find the promotional code for it inside the book.I would say this is one of the better books on relationships and love. It is a short read, packed with plenty of life-changing nuggets. I read somewhere that this book has sold over 5 million copies worldwide and is available in at least 38 different languages. My only regret is, I wish I had read it sooner.
Available in several formats - Start reading The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts