Marriage, a History: From Obedience to Intimacy, or How Love Conquered Marriage by Stephanie Coontz Is marriage as an institution in crisis? The answer seems to be yes almost uniformly, although what the problem is and what to do about it varies from one end of the political spectrum to the other. Author Coontz agrees that marriage is going through a rough time right now – but her analysis of why is unique. Coontz examines marriage around the world and through history, examining who, how and why people married, and their attitudes towards issues like children, fidelity, choice of partners and inheritance. Filled with juicy details of the alliances of kings and queens, as well as excerpts from diaries and letters, she manages to focus both on the personal and overall trends. Her conclusion: while marriage has always been in flux, today’s emphasis on love and mutual satisfaction has made the modern marriage both the most satisfying and the most fragile in history. This is a fascinating read for anyone interested in where we’ve come from and where we might be going.