The public discourse right now is being hijacked by one of those periodic temper tantrums over the existence of unmarried women. Mainstream media churns out a seemingly endless number of articles complaining that women allegedly refuse to get married, and pitying men left alone by those stubbornly single ladies. Republicans have started to question the longstanding tolerance of no-fault divorce laws, arguing that it's wrong to let women end marriages because they're unhappy. Pop star Taylor Swift has become a hate object on the right simply by being publicly happy while single in her 30s.
So there's no better time for a book like "This American Ex-Wife: How I Ended My Marriage and Started My Life," by feminist author Lyz Lenz. In this breezy but thought-provoking book, Lenz demolishes the standard view that divorce is a tragedy, especially for women. Instead, she shares the dirty little secret many ex-wives come to know: Divorce can be freedom. The harried and sexless divorced mother stereotype is used to scare women, Lenz argues, but for many, reality looks much different with more free time, more control over life, and, blessedly, a cleaner house.
