Get Married

Why Americans Must Defy the Elites, Forge Strong Families, and Save Civilization

De: Brad Wilcox

Narrado por: Mark Deakins

A Next Big Idea Club Must-Read

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.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2023 Brad Wilcox (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers

Excellent real life illustrations of main points

Outstanding and timely message. The data is eye opening. Well written. Excellent real life illustrations of main points.

Reclaiming the wisdom our grandparents all knew

Impressively well researched and comprehensive. Worth sharing to help educate and un-indoctrinate anyone you know who has been lied to about what marriage is and why it’s the foundation of any society and culture.

Strength and Wisdom for All

Wilcox has worked hard to provide a sound voice of reason amidst a sea of confusing messages we are experiencing about marriage and family life .

Excellent lessons in the value of marriage

… both for individuals and to our common good. As a secularist, I admit that I did bristle at the author’s ongoing praise for religious couples. He backs this up with data, but I happen to come from a religious family where nearly everyone has divorced. However, one thing I had to hear with an open mind and heart was his message to liberals to „talk their walk,“ i. e., to be more vocal about the fact that many so-called „liberal elites“ are highly devoted to their families and live as staunch defenders of marriage, holding the understanding that committed families are the building blocks of our society. Wilcox gives wonderful insights into the value of marriage, what couples can do to ensure the viability of their marriages, and how our culture and policy-makers can support marriage. Not only did I learn from this book, I found some hope in listening to it as well: no matter what side of American politics one is on, hopefully our common understanding of the value of family is a place where we can enjoy some common ground— a step towards perhaps rededicating ourselves to our nation‘s unity.

Lots of statistics, but fantastic

It was a lot of numbers and statistics at times, but otherwise overwhelming with great insight and information.

Balanced

A balanced, sociological look at the benefits of marriage & family with political insights that do not favor either left or right. Plus he offers some political solutions he thinks might aid in the healthy promotion of marriage & family.

A must read in your 20s

The data 20-something’s need to counter liberal/corporate relationship narratives. The data shows that marriage on average is good for couples and more importantly children

Well written, well narrated, and accessible

This is a book that flips your reality upside-down with easy-to-follow research and real-life personal stories to support counter-intuitive conclusions. This is research and not a novel meant to entertain. The narration is top-quality allowing students, and those of us who were students a very long time ago, to revisit what we thought we knew. Well done.

An excellent, data driven analysis of marriage.

This book provides an excellent, data driven analysis of marriage. We, as a society, and nation, need to understand and celebrate the value of marriage.

Evidence of what we know to be true

Unapologetically stating the obvious which runs counter to the messages so often conveyed in our culture about marriage and family. Outstanding!