Available at:
- Amazon.com
- Losantivillepress.com
- nolankerr.com
- Joseph-Beth Booksellers
- The Bookshelf, Madeira
- Mulberry St. Books, Lebanon, OH
“The most helpful guide to navigating relationships under stress you will read this year…or maybe ever.” – Robert Rack, Chief Circuit Mediator, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, 1981-2010.
Dear Reader,
Now that retirement has given me more time to take a look back, I have published a collection of essays. After 50 years of law practice, the last 30 as a mediator, and entering the 10th decade of my life, I am ever more an observer. I look back on my professional past, having mediated well over a thousand family law cases, and on personal experiences as well, to tell intimate stories that may provide some useful insights.
Glimpses of my clients’ lives, and of my own, present a microcosm of every relationship, those on safe ground and those experiencing a measure of disequilbrium. Hence the title of this book: The Third Person in the Room: Stories of Relationships at a Turning Point, referring to both the office where my clients disclosed their hopes and fears, and the many rooms in which I lived my life.
The book is a collection of short essays, stories really. They reveal the vulnerabilities we all share. Take a look: If a particular story strikes a chord, perhaps you will be motivated to share it with an intimate friend, family member or partner, as if to say here’s an interesting idea. Who knows where the sharing of a thought-provoking insight may lead?
Not only did Bob Rack, my dear friend and colleague, offer the generous quote above, but others who read an advance copy of the manuscript have also chimed in, to my great delight:
The Hon. Nathaniel R. Jones wrote: “Readers of Bea Larsen’s narratives will find a storehouse of personal and professional wisdom, enriched by her skillful gift of language, refined over decades, to give expression, without judgment, to a number of life’s mysteries that challenge individuals to cope. The calm yet penetrating observations of complexities in relationships are a balm to those struggling through periods of crisis. That makes The Third Person in the Room a must read.”
Charlene Ventura wrote: “Like fine wine, it is seasoned, impeccable and refreshing.”
Christine Lottman: “With grace and wisdom, Ms. Larsen guides us along the tough road to compassion, and we end our journey wiser and more thoughtful.”
John Norwine: “ I learned more about communicating and relationships from reading Bea’s essays than I have in 43 years as an attorney. There are a number of situations that I will now approach differently than I have in the past. “
The Hon. Jack Sherman ventured: “A winner for the inquisitive. It teaches, you learn, and enjoy.”
“An emotional, thought-provoking read about the fragility of relationships.” – Kirkus Reviews