Dare to Respect

by Tammy Oberg De La Garza, Nina Roesner (Foreword)

In the new novel, Dare to Respect, six women, all unhappy with their marriages, accept the challenge to break away from popular culture and follow a daring path in relating to their husbands. They decide to embark on The Respect Dare, a book of 40 challenges that disclose the real foundation of lasting and loving marriages. Despite their differences in age, cultural backgrounds, and religions, the women find support and encouragement within their small group as they learn to deal with the realities of infidelity, alcoholism, pornography, and co-dependency in ways that bring new life and health to their marriages. Alma is a Mexican-American mother of three teenagers, and has been married to Marco for 19 years. He is facing mid-life issues such as aging, job security, increasing bills, and declining health. She has deep love for Marco, but his mood swings, lack of engagement, and negative attitude leave her wishing he would "go away... not permanently, mind you, but for just 14 or 15 hours a day." Anne is in her mid-30s, and is consumed with her job as a third-grade teacher, her teenage stepsons, and the business end of her husband's successful construction company. Between her teaching responsibilities, her endless efforts to control her stepsons, and attempting to influence her husband, Tony, to stop drinking, she is so busy that she overlooks her own health. Joyce, a cashier at the local grocery store, is outspoken and practical. She and her husband, Jim, are approaching two major lifetime milestones-their 40th anniversary and the impending birth of their first grandchild. Despite their genuine affection for one another, the two are physically disconnected and haven't been intimate in several years. Jessica is in her late 20s and the perfect specimen of youth. She is pretty, energetic, and dresses stylishly, as expected of the wife of her husband, Bob, a wealthy corporate attorney. She has three children and works hard to keep up appearances. She frequently irritates the older, less perky hockey moms with descriptions of her 'perfect' marriage. Mona, a Palestinian Muslim woman in her mid-40s, is a stay-at-home mother who has one son, Samir. Her gentle-natured husband, Aahil recently admitted to having an affair with a co-worker. Mona's anger, pain, and jealousy push her into an online relationship with another man. The friendship and acceptance she experiences from the other hockey moms force her to question her own behaviors as well as her belief system. Maxine is a high-powered, successful Black executive who is married to Samuwel. Their daughter Cynthia is a hockey goalie, and Samuwel stays home to care for their four-year-old twin sons. Maxine follows modern societal norms of treating her husband more like her assistant than her spouse. Their constant sarcasm and teasing insults have negatively impacted their relationship, which, unbeknownst to Maxine, is primed for a dangerous detonation. Set in Chicago, with a long hockey season as the backdrop, this realistic fiction highlights themes of sisterhood, trust, forgiveness, and every man's deepest need-respect. Readers peer into the private lives, internal struggles, and remarkable transformation of these bold, daring women. Along the way, there are unexpected complications, humorous quips, explosive fights, and makeovers-and not every relationship has a "happily ever after" conversion.

260 pages, Paperback

Published July 29, 2016

Reviews

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I stayed up WAY too late reading this book! Yeah, it's one of those. De La Garza makes the characters in this story so interesting that you're dying to know what they'll do next. It makes me both want to do and afraid to do the Respect Dares. It also gives you perspective on things going on in people's lives. That whole "never judge a book by its cover" thing. No matter where you are in your life our faith, I feel like you'll be able to connect to at least one of the women in the book if not multiple. Way to go on a great read, Tammy!

[Melissa Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a Godsend for me. I picked it up at a time when I was losing hope in my marriage and reading it helped restore faith and hope for my future. Each character was dealing with something I could relate to either individually or in my marriage and, like a good book can pull off, I found myself caring about the women in the story. I couldn't wait to see how things would go for them all.
There were so many things I could identify with as a wife, mom and woman in general.
Life is hard. Dare to Respect boldly enters in to areas commonly only whispered about or ignored -- especially in the church. We get an inside look at real marriages and real struggles and real outcomes. I love that even though the book is centered around a Christian ministry (the Respect Dare book), it illustrates that women of ALL faiths can find hope and strength in sisterhood if they let themselves. Wives, we need each other. And we need books like Dare to Respect. Dare ya to read it. Double dare ya to share with friends.

[Morgan Farr · Rating 3 out of 5]

While there is nothing wrong with the book I generally don't read fiction, so I am going to review it as a tool. This book can be used to help you better accomplish marriage improvements. It would be a good tool for a women's group to talk over if they were looking for a fictional alternative for book club. If used as a tool, I would explain carefully to the group that the depiction of pornography use and the subsequent actions taken are not necessarily right or biblical, which is why this book received only a B+.
You can read the rest of my review here:
https://forgivenformerfeminist.blogsp...

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://latteslacedwithgrace.com/2017...