Reviews

You'll Do: A History of Marrying for Reasons Other Than Love by Marcia A. Zug

kuklatravels's review

funny informative

3.0

deboraha's review against another edition

dark informative reflective fast-paced

4.5

pecsenye's review against another edition

informative medium-paced

4.5

Extremely informative. It's a dry-ish topic, but the author keeps it moving and I whipped through the book. The book made me angry, which I think was the point. Women get screwed no matter what, for the entire 300—year period the author covers. 

lacewing's review against another edition

informative medium-paced

3.25

laurenerickson's review

dark informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

Leans very heavily into the history of marriage from the 19th century into the 1940s. Wished there was a bit more dialogue around how this influences modern-day marriages but still an amazing read for curious history buffs!

andrea_author's review against another edition

4.0

This book critically analyzes marriage’s elevated status in American culture, exploring how society has long relied on it to address injustices while deflecting responsibility from government and institutions. Through historical examples from slavery to the Depression, the author illustrates the problematic tradition of using marriage as a solution to racial, gender, and economic discrimination rather than directly confronting systemic societal issues.

This book offers a thorough and in-depth exploration of the politics and social norms relating to marriage throughout American history. The writing style is engaging and easy to read. The tongue-in-cheek title is a little misleading, since this is a serious and sometimes scathing analysis.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

anj_t's review against another edition

informative medium-paced

3.5

“You’ll Do: a History of Marrying for Reasons Other Than Love” tells a truth we all know— not every marriage is based on the “I Do” we’ve been spoon fed in romance novels. Instead there’s been a long tradition in this country of wedded unions based on power, money, security, status, to fight descrimination, and to be entitled to the perks government bestows on spouses. The author, Marcia Zug, intentionally omits arranged marriages tied to religious or cultural preferences so if you are curious about those relationships this book is not for you. She chooses to explore marital trends, laws and practices in U.S. history. She digs through archives to share “wife wanted” ads from single farmers and miners in the early 1900s. She spotlights gold diggers and name checks Melania. She looks at how the government’s military pension policies for Civil War veterans drastically shaped marriages for decades. She also showed how for generations of immigrants, marriage was often their only option for getting into the country and staying safe once here. One of the more interesting chapters, packed with examples worthy of Dateline, looked at marriage as a criminal defense strategy. A social history that’s informative w/o being dry. 

faxytess's review

informative medium-paced

5.0

danibeliveau's review

5.0

So fascinating! Zug examines the history and evolution of marriage from the American legal perspective, using an impressive number of court cases both as anecdote and precedent. She’s that rare nonfiction (especially legal!) writer who balances entertainment and information quite masterfully.

sam_is_reading's review against another edition

informative reflective medium-paced

3.25

This book was very informative, if a bit discouraging. No one wants to think about the myriad of ways people abuse others, and unfortunately a significant number of the “protections” offered to married persons promote and encourage some form of abuse.

Very well researched and laid out in a clear and concise manner. The author is clearly passionate about the topic, and cites numerous references. Overall a well-written and interesting book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Marcia A. Zug, and Steerforth for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.