Rate this book

Unhitched: Love, Marriage, And Family Values From West Hollywood To Western China (2011)

by Judith Stacey(Favorite Author)

3.63 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

0814783821 (ISBN13: 9780814783825)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

New York University Press

review 1: I was so into this book, weaving tales of what family, love, intimacy, and sex can look like across cultures and around the world. What I wished for was more. Not that stories of gay men in LA, poly families in South Africa, and 'walking marriages' in China aren't enough - and the author certainly talks in depth about these small universes - but I feel like there must be other, diverse stories to tell. One thing that bummed me out was the author's patter. As an academic, the book does a lot of: here's what I'm going to tell you, here's what I'm going to say, now I'm saying it. I'm a fan of a more succinct route, but even this did not lessen my enjoyment of this great read.
review 2: Great read. Describes several case studies of different groups--gay dads in Hol... morelywood, polygamous families in South Africa, and matriarchal families without marriage or a real concept of fatherhood in China. The conclusion is that there is no such thing as "traditional" marriage, and what is often called that (i.e. monogamous hetereosexual couple) is actually a modern concept. There is no evidence that this model is particularly better for society, the people involved, or children. Each society and individual has to balance the demands of desire and domesticity, and each society and individual does so in a different way. So while it's ok to get married if you want, you don't have to. Creating laws that require marriage as such to get the benefits of society is hurtful and unnecessary. less

Download links for: Unhitched: Love, Marriage, and Family Values from West Hollywood to Western China

Advertising