Indianapolis Recorder, October 10, 2003

When I first started reading “Gettin’ To The Good Wood” by E. Joyce Moore, I have to admit that I was a little skeptical.  As far as I was concerned, the book already had two strikes against it. 1) It is self-published, which in this industry can be synonymous with poor quality. 2) The author does not necessarily have the credentials to write a self-help book on relationships.  But as I began reading this author’s work, I realized that my pre-conceived notions were wrong.  Dead wrong.  In fact, by the time I was done, I was thoroughly impressed and had learned quite a bit.  “Gettin’ To The Good Wood” is a unique collaboration of essay-styled advice and personal experiences meshed with poetry in between.  The book is divided into four sections titled Your Relationship With You, Relationships and God, Male/Female Relationships, and Other Relationships.

 In Section One, Moore stresses the importance of knowing yourself before exploring relationships with others.  She delves into subjects such as anger management, the need for closure from previous relationships, and the need to forgive.

 In Section Two, the author discusses the need to have a relationship with God and the reason to pray for a mate, primarily from a Christian perspective.  She gives biblical examples and quotes passages from various scriptures.

 In Section Three, my personal favorite, the book digs deep into the male/female relationship phenomena.  The author elaborates on the dating scene, pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, the realism of cohabitation versus marriage, and the difference between love and sex.  Moore even reveals her humorous side when she suggests using the following approach after a man insists on sex before a woman is ready: “Great.  Let’s plan the wedding for this weekend.  We’ll need to make a list of what we need to do; I’ll call my Mom tonight.  What’s that?  What am I talking about?  Well, you want to have sex.  I don’t want sex before marriage, so I thought you were asking me to…No?  Okay, well, you’ve answered your own question.”

 In the final section, the author discusses other relationships, such as those in the corporate world, relationships with other family members, and even relationships between races. 

 While Moore readily admits that she is not necessarily a relationships expert, she still does her homework and quotes experts like Dr. Phil when proving her point.  The book does have a few problems though.  It could use some fine-tuning from a professional editor.  The poetry seems a bit out of place.  And the writer’s Christian perspective can be a turn-off for those who may not have the same belief.  But don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.  The good definitely outweighs the bad.  The author takes a complicated subject and explains it in everyday, plain English so that you won’t have to run to a dictionary after reading every other sentence.   It’s the kind of book you would want your son or daughter to reference when they start thinking about having sex.  To sum it up, “Gettin’ To The Good Wood” is a heavily researched, easy-to-read, and thoroughly entertaining book on how to deal with all types of relationships. 

Recommended.

EMANUEL CARPENTER, REVIEWER

The Midwest Book Review, November 2004 edition of Reviewer's Bookwatch  www.midwestbookreview.com/rbw/  

syndicated with Rock Publications www.rockpublications.com/the_rock/