stibj 's review for:

I Don't: The Case Against Marriage by Clementine Ford

3.25

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I really wanted to love this book more than I did. I’ve loved Ford’s previous work and I thoroughly enjoyed her talk for this book’s launch. I just wanted... more. This book is great for young women or women who want equality but aren’t ready to call themselves feminists yet – she raises great points and provides a great list of resources for additional reading.* It reads like Ford speaks, her ADHD brain shines through with her unique way of moving between each point and she’s uses colourful language, punchy sentences, and anecdotes which makes for an easily digestible read. That being said, I think the book could have lost some of the emotive and colloquial language without losing relevance, which would have made for a more condensed read. I would have preferred more empirical evidence and a more in depth compare and contrast with some of her historical references. Having a passionate opinion about the topic myself, I think I was looking for a more academic review and independent study on the impacts of the institution of marriage, rather than the high level observational commentary provided – but that is probably an unfair expectation to place on a writer. 

I Don’t offers a great summary of arguments made from a number of great resources, I’m just not sure what new standalone argument it contributes to the zeitgeist. Ford touches on the impacts social media has had to the marriage landscape, but there is just so much more that could be explored. It’s a topic well deserved of scrutiny. 

A recommended read for anyone welcome to having their societal norms challenged, for anyone worried about missing out, or for those wondering if they made the right choice. 

*side note, she polled her IG followers for how she should present the resources in the book and I will admit I actually prefer the resources footnoted, like she has in previous wok, rather than listed at the end