Marriage and Caste in America: Separate and Unequal Families in a Post-Marital Age
Kay Hymowitz thoughtfully takes on the minimalists who say a marriage is just a shack-up plus a piece of paper. Her elegant essays show that marriage is an essential culture-preserver, poverty-fighter, and life-improver. (Marvin Olasky, editor–in–chief, World News GroupWorld)America could save itself a lot of trouble by paying attention to what [Hymowitz] writes. (Theodore Dalrymple, author of Our Culture, What’s Left of It)A sobering investigation of the widening gap in the American social structure that's being caused by new attitudes toward marriage. (Ron Haskins, co-director, Center on Children and Families, The Brookings Institution)The most fascinating (but grimmest) sections...deal with child-rearing skills in unmarried America. (Charlotte HaysThe Wall Street Journal)Marriage and Caste in Americashould provoke serious thought about how marriage has become a class issue—and what we can do about it. (Christine B. WhelanNew York Post)Essential. (David BrooksThe New York Times)Hymowitz...has concluded that the family revolution [is both] bad news for children [and] has had the effect of stratifying the country as a whole. (Steve Goddard's History Wire)Hymowitz provides an arresting diagnosis of American social ills. (Cheryl MillerThe American Conservative)Hymowitz has the gift of being able to convey complicated ideas, theories, and history in lucid and witty language. (Lisa SchiffrenCommentary)A strong case for the value of marriage. (Today's Machine World)A short and readable volume.... Hymowitz has surely contributed...to creating the present hopeful moment for mainstream America. (Claudia AndersonThe Weekly Standard)Kay Hymowitz makes a persuasive case inMarriage and Caste in Americathat the best social program is actually marriage. (David ForsmarkFront Page Magazine)[The author] has the gift of being able to convey complicated ideas, theories, and history in language that is lucid and-most precious of all in discussions of marriage and family-witty. It is a pleasure to read her essays....an intelligent, compelling case....Clear and forceful conclusions about what is missing from the impoverished lives that she describes so well. (Book Review Digest)Hymowitz cogently lays out a case that when it comes to reducing poverty, economics and family structure can't be separated. (Newsobserver.Com)Beautifully written tour de force of contemporary American family life. (W Bradford Wilcox, assistant professor of sociology at the University of Virginia and fellow of the Witherspoon InstituteFirst Things)Powerful...unflinching...analysis of this crisis of the black abandonment of marriage. (Gregory J. SullivanEvening Bulletin)[A] fascinating and informational [book] that you ought to read. (Dr. Laura Schlessinger)