Recommended Books

This list contains books for men and women who find themselves going through a divorce; how to survive the divorce process; and to how to move forward after the divorce when they become single. There are a few recommendations about parenting books that are useful to parents embroiled in custody battles or parents who want to improve their skills as a single parent.

There are also books appropriate for children of different ages.  Some books are ones that parents should read to younger children that help explain the divorce process in simple, understandable terms that young children can grasp. Other books are recommendations for older children and teens to read.

This list is not comprehensive so we are always open to new book recommendations and reviews to add to this site.

BOOKS FOR PARENTS

• For Better or For Worse: Divorce Reconsidered by E. Mavis Hetherington & John Kelly
• Learning from Divorce:  How to Take Responsibility, Stop the Blame, and Move On!
  by Christine A. Coates, J.D., & E. Robert LaCrosse, Ph.D.
• Spiritual Divorce: Divorce as a Catalyst for an Extraordinary Life by Debbie Ford
• Crazy Time: Surviving Divorce and Building a New Life by Abigail Trafford
• Good Divorce by Constance Ahrons
• Custody Chaos, Personal Peace: Sharing Custody with an Ex Who Drives You Crazy by Jeffrey P. Wittman, Ph.D.
• Caught in the Middle: Protecting the Children of High Conflict Divorce by Carla B. Garrity, Ph.D. & Mitchell A. Baris, Ph.D.
• Surviving the Breakup: How Children and Parents Cope with Divorce by Judith S. Wallerstein, Ph.D. & Joan B. Kelly, Ph.D.
• Children of Divorce: A Developmental Approach to Residence and Visitation by Mitchell A. Baris,  Ph.D., & Carla B. Garrity, Ph.D.
• What About the Kids? Raising Your Children Before, During and After Divorce by Judith S. Wallerstein, Ph.D., & Sandra Blakeslee
• Through the Eyes of Children by Janet Johnson, Carla Garrity, Mitchell Baris and Karen Breunig
• Divorce Book for Parents: Helping Your Children Cope with Divorce and Its Aftermath by Vicki Lansky
• Your Divorce Advisor:  A Lawyer and a Psychologist Guide You Through the Legal and Emotional Landscape of Divorce by Diana Mercer
• Man’s Guide to a Civilized Divorce by Sam Margulies
• What Every Woman Should Know About Divorce and Custody by Gayle Rosenwald Smith
• Divorce & Money: How to Make the Best Financial Decisions During Divorce by Violet Woodhouse
• The Complete Guide to Protecting Your Financial Security When Getting a Divorce by Alan Feigenbaum
• Getting Divorce Without Ruining Your Life: A Reasoned, Practical Guide to the Legal, Emotional and Financial Ins and Outs and Negotiating a Divorce Settlement by Sam Margulies
• Mom’s House, Dad’s House: Making Two Homes For Your Child by Isolina Ricci

BOOKS FOR KIDS

  Young Children

• It’s Not Your Fault, Koko Bear, A Read Together Book for Parents & Young Children During Divorce by Vicki Lansky (ages 3 – 7)
• Dinosaurs Divorce, A Guide for Changing Families by Laurene Krasny Brown & Marc Brown (ages 3 – 6)
• I Don’t Want to Talk About It:  A story about divorce for young children by Jeanie Franz Ransom & Kathryn Kunz Finney (Illustrator) (ages 5 and up)
• Mamma and Daddy Bear’s Divorce by Cornela Maude Spelman and Kathy Parkinson (ages 3 – 6)
• My Mom and Dad Don’t Live Together Anymore: A Drawing Book for Children of Separated or Divorced Parents by Judith Rubin (ages 4 and up)

  Elementary School Age

• Why Are We Getting a Divorce? by Peter Mayle, illustrated by Arthur Robins (ages 7 and up)
• Divorce Is Not the End of the World: Zoe’s and Evan’s Coping Guide for Kids by Zoe & Evan Stern (ages 8-12)
• Let’s Talk About It: Divorce by Fred Rogers (ages 5-8)
• Don’t Fall Apart on Saturdays: The Children’s Divorce-Survival Book by Adolph Moser (ages 9 and up)
• My Parents are Divorced Too: A Book for Kids by Kids by Melanie Ford, Steven Ford and Annie Ford (ages 10 and up)
• Don’t Make Me Smile by Barbara Park (ages 8-12)