Happily divorced herself, journalist Lyn Lenz gives the institution of marriage a long-overdue, updated examination focused on the possibilities for increased autonomy, empowerment and equality for women in the U.S. Combining reportage, research, personal experience and pop culture, Lenz makes a stereotypically somber topic downright inspirational to reimagine. This book is about so much more than marriage or divorce; it tackles issues such as labor, intimacy, structural inequality, conditioning, expectations, fairness, rage, and more.

This was so much better than I anticipated! I loved how Lyz wove together her personal story with facts and details about women's roles in history. The details really worked to create an important book. I felt connected to the things she wrote about with her ex. I believed much of what she described. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Five stars.

A funny, heartbreaking, real, honest look at a woman going through a divorce. While a personal account, it also examines the larger cultural and societal factors that play into the everyday lives of women.

The author writes with such a candid, conversational tone that this was a very easy book to read, in spite of nonfiction not generally being my first choice. Though we may differ on several political issues, the points the author makes throughout the book illustrate that at our core, we are the same. We are women who want the chance to be ourselves, to have both roots and wings, as well as the freedom to use them. Divorce is not the answer for all troubled marriages, but it's also not the root of all evil, the way many of us have been taught. It's a complex issue, and the author does a good job of breaking down its components and dissecting them for all, men and women, to better consider as they move forward in their relationships.