sourcebook for MFT students. It will assist MFT educators to translate complex ideas intopractical treatment steps, and it educates students in the ‘‘nut and bolts’’ of being a workingtherapist. Gehart’s accessible writing style provides a enthusiastic introduction to the field.I recommend it heartily.

Jeff Chang, PhD, RPsychAthabasca University

REFERENCES

Nelson, T. S., Chenail, R. J., Alexander, J. F., Crane, D. R., Johnson, S. M., & Schwallie, L. (2007). The

development of core competencies for the practice of marriage and family therapy. Journal of Marital and

Family Therapy, 33(4), 417–438.

Sexton, T., Weeks, G., & Robbins, M. (Eds.) (2003). Handbook of family therapy: The science and practice of

working with families and couples. New York: Taylor & Francis.

Spring, J. A. (2009). Life with Pop: Lessons on caring for an aging parent. New York:Penguin, 240 pp., $15.95.

Life with Pop is a popular-press book that chronicles Dr. Spring’s experience caring for herfather during his final years. It provides an intimate first-person look into the rewards and chal-lenges of caregiving.

I have often wondered why there are not more books like this. All day long thousands ofus therapists sit in our offices, listening to the most intimate of humanity’s challenges. Yet forall our listening to other’s challenges, very few of us seem brave enough to share our own. I’veoften thought that is unfortunate – who better to intimately explore, expand and normalizethese challenges than a gifted author and therapist experiencing that challenge for him or her-self? Yet all too often we keep our suffering to ourselves, robbing the world of insights we’vegained during our experience.

This book is one of a few exceptions to that tendency. Life With Pop reads like a journal,in form as well as vulnerability. Each chapter heading is a date and theme (e.g., ‘‘A nice fruitsalad, April 28, 2004’’ or ‘‘A good poop, November 12, 2003’’), starting with the day she ‘‘inher-ited’’ her father following her mother’s surprise passing and culminating in her father’s funeralservice 5 years later. The most refreshing aspect of this book is that Dr. Spring explores herresentments, exhaustion, anger and frustration as thoroughly as she explores her love, fulfill-ment, spirituality, and peace. She lets the reader see her at her most and least noble, and indoing so manages to beautifully communicate lessons she learned without expert editorializing.As often happens when reading a good novel, I found myself wondering about her and herfather throughout the day, and looked forward to that evening where I could pick up where Ileft off.

I heard about this book when it was first published last year, and like many other intriguingbooks it got placed on my mental ‘‘fascinating books that I’ll read when I get the time’’ shelfwhere, truthfully, most books remain. Issues of mortality and caregiving seemed too far removedto be of immediate interest. Yet a few pages in, I realized how relevant the book was – who atsome time does not think of aging, caregiving, health, and so forth? Are not these issues near thecore of many of the challenges we and our clients face? I am glad I read Life With Pop; in short, itis one of the most moving books I have read. It does a wonderful job of calling attention to agroup that sacrifices so much, yet receives so little recognition. I strongly recommend it foranyone who thinks about issues such as aging, death, dying, caregiving, and adult parent ⁄ childrelationships, regardless of the proximity one may have with these issues.

Sean Davis, PhDAlliant International University

504 JOURNAL OF MARITAL AND FAMILY THERAPY October 2011