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Divorce With Decency – The Second Edition Hits Shelves
By Bradley A. Coates, J.D.
I’ve been doing quite a bit of public speaking lately, including several radio
and TV appearances centering around the release of the second edition of my
award-wining book, “Divorce with Decency: The Complete How-To Handbook and
Survivor’s Guide to the Legal, Emotional, Economic, and Social Issues.” Some
of the same folks who regularly read this column have told me they also listen
to my “Topical Tuesdays” morning drive talk radio programs on KQMQ. Audience
questions often seem to center around three primary themes.
First, folks want to know more background about how I wound up writing the book.
Secondly, they request a synopsis describing the book’s key topics and primary
focus. Third, they want to know which are the key elements of this second
edition that received “new and improved” revisions since the book’s First
Edition was originally published. Thus, I’ve decided to devote my next couple
columns to providing a brief refresher course on the theories, topics, themes
and key updates contained in the second edition.
The first edition was published in 1998 by the University of Hawaii Press and
was released nationwide. The second edition, also published by the University of
Hawaii Press, was released Spring 2004. Both volumes contain up-to-date,
informative yet highly readable (and occasionally amusing) overviews of the
entire divorce process. In my (not so) humble opinion, it is the most
comprehensive treatment of the legal, emotional, economic, and social aspects of
divorce available anywhere in a single volume.
The book’s first sections look at the dynamics of divorce including the causal
factors and the common stages from initial separation onward, and the
complications surrounding each for older and younger couples and children.
Important information on spouse abuse (often absent from divorce guides) is also
included. The book discusses key criteria in selecting an attorney and gives
advice on directing and monitoring the course of a case efficiently and
economically. A detailed discussion of the critical legal issues is provided,
followed by case histories highlighting key points of divorce law. Finally, the
section “Life After Divorce” looks at the newly divorced as they face single
parenthood, new relationships, remarriage, and various other “after shocks.”
The tone of “Divorce with Decency” is
targeted to cover advanced scholarly and legalistic material – but in
layman’s terms. As such, “Divorce with Decency” has proved to be extremely
valuable to anyone involved in a divorce, whether directly or indirectly.
Lawyers, social workers, marriage counselors, psychologists, psychiatrists and
other professionals have found it a useful and concise reference for both
themselves and their clients. Finally, since the writing style stays on the
“lighter” side and is buttressed with cartoons and drawings (by prominent
Hawaii artists John Pritchett and Charles Valoroso) and pithy quotations, the
book is an enjoyable read in its own right. It has been well received, for its
almost “Dave Barry” style of ironic humor and empathy with its intended
audience, by anyone who has ever been bounced along the rocky road of divorce.
In fact, the first edition of “Divorce With Decency” won the Hawaii Book
Publisher’s Award of Merit for Excellence in Guide and Reference Books.
The second edition seems to have been equally well received.
Some of the highlights of the fully revised and updated second edition include
“tons” of new material on the legal, psychological and sociological aspects
of divorce. Significant amounts of additional research, statistics, demographic
and other data have also been included. Readers can get a more detailed overview
of the book by visiting www.divorcewithdecency.com.
This article contains only general information and readers should not take any actions based on the summarized information contained herein. Instead, appropriate experts should be consulted for each individual’s case and/or fact situation. Contact Coates & Frey at (808)524-4854. Also visit the firm’s website at www.coatesandfrey.com.