Dear Dr. Laura,

I waited with much anticipation for your book "The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands." I didn't have a husband. I was a single (knocked-up) mother who hoped maybe someday I would have a husband, and I wanted to get a head start on how to treat a real man.

When it was released I purchased two copies - one for me and one for a friend's wife, who I thought could really benefit from it. When I gave it to her, she looked at me like I had two heads. Meanwhile my married sister "borrowed" my book. Flash forward many years later, my friend is recently divorced while my sister's marriage thrives. By the way, she has yet to return the book.

The pain of the husbands in the pages of your book was acute in my friend, but I was sadly unable to convince his wife of the power she had as a wife and as a woman. I'm sure she never bothered to open the cover.

My son is 20 and in college and I have found the man who will swim through shark-infested waters to bring me a lemonade. I have also re-acquired a copy of your book and am confident that when I can put your advice into practice, there will be one more man who is properly fed and cared for. Thanks for your wisdom. Keep doing what you do.

Maria