If you're looking for a very practical, solidly Catholic , down-to-earth guide to marriage and/or raising children (i.e. Parenting with Grace...), Gregory Popcak's books are for you. He has a solid foundation in Catholic theology and a real talent for writing. His books are easy to understand, highly useful and a delight to read. I especially recommend giving For Better...Forever and Parenting with Grace as a wedding gift to young couples. Such a gift is not only unique, but highly useful and practical. It's a gift that you know will keep on giving in the most important way...bringing Catholic couples and families closer to God's glory.

My wife and I have read many practical marriage books in the past few years, and we agree this is hands-down the best. Popcak presents a solidly Catholic foundation for marriage, and fills it out with down-to-earth and thoughtful practical advice.

While many marriage books today tend to concentrate in one particular area, a strength of this book is that it draws from other books with narrower scope (Gottman's "Seven Principles...", Chapman's "Love Languages", etc.) and works them into a more synthesized whole. The best I can say about Popcak's book in comparison is that while I thought those other books were perfectly fine, this one tends to make them look superficial by comparison.

Popcak has a slightly quirky style of occasional wise cracks, but the underlying message is presented with enough care and thoughtfulness that this doesn't detract.

His chapter on vulnerability is really, really, good, and his chapter on the beauty, and wonder of sex should be required reading for people who mistakenly think that Catholics think sex is sinful or bad. Also, his classification of stages of marriage was something we found very insightful and helpful, if painful to consider at times when seeing how we measured up! But even so, it was tremendously helpful in pointing out areas to work hard on.

His exercises at the ends of chapters are generally good, but couples with trouble communicating might want to defer sharing some of them until things improve (such as the one early on about sharing what is annoying about your spouse -- ouch!).

As a bonus, he also provides practical details for how to get help from good, supportive counselors for couples who need that (including himself, via phone!).

Thanks to to Mr. Popcak for the best book I ever had in my hands to help a troubled marriage. This book has many words of wisdom and practical advice for all marriages. Using the applications he gives you, My husband and I are on our way to an even higher level of intimacy than ever before and we have just started to work at it. This book is funny and serious. I enjoyed every word. Many thanks to Mr. Popcak

Dr. May provides a coherent introduction into the ethical issues surrounding sexuality as taught by the Catholic Church - both from the standpoint of Natural Law and John Paul II's personalistic philosophy. Faithful to the teaching of the Magisterium, May critiques revisionist views such as "consequentialism" and "proportionlism" that have curiously only arisen since Pope Paul VI's issuing of Humanae Vitae. May supplements his argument with copius citations of Church documents. Highly recommended for a Cathechist or anyone interested in what the Church truly teaches on sexual issues, May has a knack for relating difficult philosophical issues to the layperson without prior training.