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Commentary By Nora Kenney

The Marriage Bonus

Culture Culture & Society

REVIEW: ‘Get Married: Why Americans Must Defy the Elites, Forge Strong Families, and Save Civilization’ by Brad Wilcox

When I was 16, on the recommendation of Oprah Winfrey, I read Eat, Pray, Love (2006). The bestselling memoir tells of "one woman’s search for everything across Italy, India, and Indonesia," as the subtitle puts it, documenting author Elizabeth Gilbert’s abandonment of her marriage in pursuit of pasta, yoga, and romance.

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The book was a transformative cultural moment, sparking the 21st century wellness tourism that became a hallmark of Millennial social media in the 2010s. And it was transformative for me, too. But as I raved about it to a favorite aunt, she wrinkled her nose. "I found the book pretty stupid," she said, deflating my newfound wanderlust. "I mean, you’d have to be pretty selfish to leave your husband like that," she continued, complaining that contemporary media seemed obsessed with deconstructing the "white picket fence" ideal of marriage and family life.

Continue reading the entire piece here at The Washington Free Beacon

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Nora Kenney is director of media relations at the Manhattan Institute.

Photo by Kenji Lau/Getty Images