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Bruce Feiler Shares Secrets Of Happy Families

Bruce Feiler

When Bruce Feiler set out to create a guide for happy families, he found that there is little research into what makes a family happy. 

What he found most useful didn’t come from the world of family studies.  Instead, he sought out those who know how to make groups and teams work more effectively and learned what they were doing with their families.  Then he took those things for a "test drive" with his own wife and twin girls, and articulated some things that work.

The result is "The Secrets of Happy Families: Improve Your Mornings, Rethink Family Dinner, Fight Smarter, Go Out and Play, and Much More." 

One thing Feiler debunks is the importance of the family dinner, which has long been touted as essential to a happy, functional family.  He found that there is only 10 minutes of actual contact time during the typical family dinner, and that same amount of time can be just as effective at another time of day that works better with the family’s schedule.

Bruce Feiler was Don Marsh’s guest on “St. Louis on the Air.”  They discussed the rationale for the book, highlights of Feiler’s “secrets” and took calls from listeners. Feiler will also speak on March 5 at the St. Louis Jewish Book Festivalseries.

Related Event

St. Louis Jewish Book Festival Presents Bruce Feiler
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
7:30 p.m.
JCC Staenberg Family Complex, 2 Millstone Campus Drive
(314) 442-3299
St. Louis Jewish Book Festival Website

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Mary Edwards is a producer for St. Louis Public Radio's broadcast program, "St. Louis Symphony."
Alex is the executive producer of "St. Louis on the Air" at St. Louis Public Radio.
Don Marsh served as host of St. Louis Public Radio’s “St. Louis on the Air" from 2005 to 2019, bringing discussions of significant topics to listeners' ears at noon Monday through Friday. Don has been an active journalist for 58 years in print, radio and television. He has won 12 Regional Emmy Awards for writing, reporting, and producing. He is the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, was inducted into the St. Louis Media Hall of Fame in 2013, and named “Media Person of the Year” by the St. Louis Press Club in 2015. He has published three books: his most recent, “Coming of Age, Liver Spots and All: A Humorous Look at the Wonders of Getting Old,” “Flash Frames: Journey of a Journeyman Journalist” and “How to be Rude (Politely).” He holds an honorary Doctor of Arts and Letters degree from the University of Missouri-St. Louis.