| The Custody Wars: Why Children Are Losing The Legal Battle, And What We Can Do About It |  | Author: Mary Ann Mason
Publisher: Basic Books
Category: Book
List Price: $18.50
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Rating:  2 reviews
Sales Rank: 1,040,725
Media: Paperback
Pages: 288
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 5 x 0.4
ISBN: 0465015298
Dewey Decimal Number: 346.730173
EAN: 9780465015290
ASIN: 0465015298
Publication Date: January 28, 2000
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Product Description
An impassioned argument for the restoration of children's rights to the foreground of family law Drawing on a wealth of legal cases and research-as well as on the personal stories of families caught in these disputes-Mary Ann Mason presents a program for reform that is certain to change the terms of the debate on child custody, one of the most highly charged topics on the national agenda. "A brilliant, highly readable book that not only points to shocking court and mediation policies but proposes sensible remedies that could be enforced tomorrow. The Custody Wars is essential reading for judges, attorneys, mental health practitioners, mediators and responsible parents everywhere." -Judith Wallerstein, Ph.D., author of Second Chances and Surviving the Breakup
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| Customer Reviews:
Mason's book demysifies The Custody Wars brilliantly. March 9, 1999
47 out of 51 found this review helpful
The thesis of Berkeley Law Professor Mary Ann Mason's highly readable and powerfully argued The Custody Wars is that the U.S. legal system fails to provide adequate representation and concern for the interests of children in custody disputes. Judiciously articulated irony abounds, as when Mason exposes the court system's vulnerability to the cynically utilized self-interest of many middle/upper class fathers and mothers for whom parenting is on the back burner. On the other hand, it is equally ironic that parents of both genders who practice self-sacrificism (not healthy, involved parenting) are sometimes the most childishly selfish in insisting upon their entitlement, regardless of the child's feelings. We learn of children whose lives are ridiculously fragmented and enervated by joint custody shuttlings, and yet we also hear of children who have benefited from the arrangement, thanks in large measure to the parents' maturity. As evidenced by the specificity and nuanced analysis in her case studies, Mason's scrupulous fairness and flexibility in offering parameters of judgment about custodial fitness are rooted in compassion for the child's well-being. She simultaneously seeks reasonably objective standards while realizing how difficult they are to determine, especially on ideological battlefields. Hers is wisdom unavailable to radical relativists or the theologically impaired. To note only two of many fine examples of her clear thinking about how the court system can be changed to make custody decisions more child-centered, Mason proposes that judges be educated in child development and that reviews of custody arrangements be mandated when the child is 7 and 12. Professor Mason has much of interest for various potential readerships. There are chapters on the unwed father, stepparents, domestic violence, gay and lesbian parents, and "test tube troubles." Mason's argument merits serious attention from a broad spectrum of policy-makers, academics, and warring couples and ex-couples. In fact, as a friend of mine, a single mother faced with absurd demands from a father with an abysmal track record, declared, "This book should be required reading for every couple considering marriage or children."
The Book we Use to Train Our Mediators December 3, 2009
Diana L. Mercer (Los Angeles, CA)
This is the book which we use to "train" our mediators to make sure they're ready to handle the worst custody disputes which we see at our private mediation firm. In addition to understanding children's developmental needs, it's also important to understand how these battles unfold in court so that we're able to describe them accurately for clients. So often parents come to mediation and at some point threaten to go to court if they don't get their way. If they only understood what was in store for them in court....both from the process itself, as well as the pressure that the other parent will feel to ramp up the case as much as possible in order to attempt to secure a "win". And, of course, when it's custody litigation, there's never a winner. This book provides honest, interesting feedback on the court system and describes the dynamics of custody cases honestly and accurately.
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