About the Book
University of Virginia sociologist Brad Wilcox explains how our ruling class publicly disparages marriage – the institution most likely to deliver prosperity and happiness to ordinary Americans – while privately embracing it.
America is in crisis. Happiness is falling, loneliness and despair are rising, too many schools are riddled by fights and failure, crime is unacceptably high, and the American Dream is out of reach for millions. The problems are visible to us all, but virtually no one is talking about the solution that matters most: Marriage.
New research by University of Virginia sociologist Brad Wilcox shows that Americans who get married and have children today are leading happier and more prosperous lives, on average, than men and women who are single and childless. In fact, nothing predicts happiness in life better than a good marriage—not even a hefty bank account or a great career. And kids and communities—not to mention our civilization as a whole—are much more likely to flourish when the state of our unions is strong, according to Wilcox, who directs the National Marriage Project at U.Va.
But our country is in crisis because record numbers of Americans are not succeeding at getting or staying married. In this hard-hitting book, Wilcox reveals the anti-family messages and policies that have weakened marriage coming out of Hollywood, Washington, the media, academia, and corporate America.
The good news, however, is that millions of Americans are succeeding at marriage. Dr. Wilcox spotlights four groups—Asian, conservative, religious, and college-educated Americans—who are building strong and stable marriages by defying the me-first messages of our elites in favor of a family-first way of life.
This is a book for anyone who wants to understand why, even as fewer men and women tie the knot, America’s most fundamental institution matters more than ever for our civilization. And for men and women looking to forge strong, stable, and happy unions for themselves and their children, Get Married reveals the road forward.
About the Author :
BRAD WILCOX is a professor of sociology and the director of the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia, the Future of Freedom Fellow at the Institute for Family Studies, and a nonresident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. He studies marital quality; marital stability; and the impact of strong and stable marriages upon men, women, and children. The author and editor of six books, Wilcox has written for the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Atlantic, and National Review, as well as for scientific journals such as the American Sociological Review and the Journal of Marriage and Family. A Connecticut native, he now lives in Charlottesville, Virginia, with his wife and family.
Review :
"Finally a book from academia which tells the truth about the value of marriage. Based on sound research and real-life examples, Brad Wilcox calls for a return to the fundamental building block of a healthy society. I wish every adult in America could read this book." - Gary Chapman, author of The Five Love Languages
"Get Married is a compelling read from the first page, showing that marriage, far from the happiness killer the media-verse makes it out to be, is instead consistently and solidly linked to more happiness and better mental health. With marriage and fertility rates falling, there has never been a better time for a convincingly comprehensive yet still eminently readable book like Get Married." - Jean M. Twenge, author of Generations: The Real Differences between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers and Silents--and What They Mean for America's Future
"It's rare that someone offers a simple formula to improve happiness, health, and prosperity, but Brad Wilcox masterfully does just that in Get Married. Read this book and share its truths with the people you love." - Arthur C. Brooks, Professor, Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Business School, and #1 New York Times bestselling author
"Brad Wilcox scales a mountain of research to help us better see what we are missing: Marriage plays a paramount role in the American way of life. We are more secure as a nation made up of strong family-first marriages. Impressive in its scope and staggering in its implications, Get Married gives us a new vista from which to view society's ills - and more importantly - how to cure them." - Drs. Les & Leslie Parrott #1 New York Times bestselling authors of Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts
"Get Married is a terrific read. Intelligent, packed with data and great illustrative stories, and unafraid to take a stand even against the 'powers-that-be', Get Married has something to offer for teens, parents, young romantic couples, married couples, academics and lawmakers alike." - Helen Alvaré, Robert A. Levy Professor of Law at George Mason University
"Brad Wilcox is one of the most important public intellectuals in the world today. He also tells the truth, and he does so brilliantly in Get Married." - R. Albert Mohler, President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
"As Americans increasingly prioritize lifestyle choices that keep them from being 'tied down, ' Brad provides some fascinating and frightening research we can't afford to ignore. Drawing from a number of large social studies, he shows how marriage still provides security and happiness for couples, children--and society as a whole--like nothing else can. Get Married is a timely exhortation to keep defending this indispensable institution." - Dr. Greg and Erin Smalley, co-authors of Reconnected: Moving from Roommates to Soulmates in Marriage
"By all material accounts, America should be the happiest country in the history of the world. Instead, happiness is plummeting, and our country is being rocked by epidemics of loneliness, addiction, and suicide. Why? Brad Wilcox gives a compelling answer... Get Married is vital reading for anyone who seeks to understand why our social fabric is decaying--and anyone who seeks to break the cycle of decline." - Marco Rubio, United States Senator, bestselling author of Decades of Decadence
"Vitally Important." - David Brooks
