Rating: 
Summary: A Must Read for all Adults
Review: "The Case for Marriage" was an excellent book which discussed the key advantages both men and women receive when they get married. Everything is discussed here. And what I really like is that the authors kept this non-partisan. (There is guilt on both sides of the political aisle. Conservatives forget that the first two governers to sign "no-fault" divorse into law were Ronald Reagan in California & Nelson Rockefeller in New York). What it appears is that the both the ease of divorse (via "no-fault" divorse laws) and public acceptance of cohabitation, etc. have caused an erosion of the sanctity of marriage. If single people have the same public advantages as married people, why get married? The authors use statistics and common sense to demonstate why marriage is in our own public best interest. Most importantly, the book discusses how beneficial marriage is for children. Please read this book to reinforce what is good about your marriage (which is what I did), if you are thinking of getting married, or especially if you are contemplating divorse. God Bless.
Rating:
Summary: Sex in the Suburbs?
Review: Although we are watching "Sex in the City," we should be reading "The Case for Marriage." Based on sound social theory and overwhelming empirical evidence, Waite and Gallagher remind us that marriage is a vital social institution that needs our support to make us better off individually and collectively. The authors debunk many myths about marriage to reveal that married people report being happier overall and more satisfied with their sex lives. Married persons also earn more, are in better physical and mental health, and have more well-adjusted and successful children. Waite and Gallagher explain the how and why for these results by translating social science theories into layman's terms and weaving in illustrative anecdotes from research interviews. While 93% of Americans rank "having a happy marriage" as a priority, sadly, we are increasingly pessimistic about our chances of achieving that goal. Most of us are either scared by divorce statistics, lack healthy marriage role models, or don't fully understand the benefits of marriage, among other reasons. This fear also translates into an unfortunate self-fulfilling prophesy of failure. By entering into marriage fearing divorce, if we are even willing to make the leap, we do not make the investments required to produce successful marriages. To address the challenges for healthy and lasting marriages, the authors make specific recommendations to policymakers, religious leaders, researchers, and anyone touched by marriage as to how to build a more "marriage-friendly America." They are careful not to invoke any particular political or religious ideology. They simply examine the evidence to provide what they perceive to be the logical next steps. Perhaps readers will come up with additional suggestions.
Rating: 
Summary: Could be a provocative book
Review: except that it's taxpayer-funded propaganda.
Howard Kurtz reported in The Washington Post on January 26, 2005 that "In 2002, syndicated columnist Maggie Gallagher repeatedly defended President Bush's push for a $300 million initiative encouraging marriage as a way of strengthening families....But Gallagher failed to mention that she had a $21,500 contract with the Department of Health and Human Services to help promote the president's proposal."
You couldn't GIVE me this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Does marriage cause the positives or would they occur anyway
Review: First, I must admit that I really admire the scope of this book. It covers many bases, and reviews the literature on both men and women; many books on marriage cover only one gender when it comes to the research on marriage, and then pit men and women against each other. There is a caveat to this research, however, that anyone reading this book should think about. It is very difficult in social science research to prove that one variable "causes" a change in other variables. In this case, the authors try to prove that marriage "causes" people to be happier, healthier, live longer, have better sex, etc. etc. Yet, there is no way of measuring for selection bias: people who are physically and mentally healthier (and therefore happier and more likely to succeed financially anyway) may be more likely to marry in the first place because they are more attractive in the marriage market. For example, some research on whether individuals are likely to desist in crime commission if they marry looks at whether the spouse also engages in crime. The variables in Waite's book may be related to each other, but not necessarily in a causation model as she claims. I still give the book four stars because it demonstrates how social science can be used to inform the general public, and it is a well-written review of the literature. If Waite and Gallagher had been more honest about their results (in terms of not misleading with the statistics), I would have given it five stars.
Rating: 
Summary: Consider the flip side
Review: I came to this country when I was 18 and built my career from the ground up, and I can definitely say few things contrary to this author's opinion. I've met and dated women in my times and unlike other industries that are regulated, marriage is still "buyers be ware" market. For instance, one of the girl I was dating talked to my friend's wife if I was going to give her 50% ownership of my house after we got married. Like this girl there are many people out there who thinks just by getting married they are automatically entitled to your money which took you many years of hard work to earn. Sometimes their mother is in on it too hoping that they can get the spoils of the marriage through their daughter. More the rainmaker you are bigger the target you become. Consider that 50% of the marriage fails in this country. I'm sure no one is hoping to get devorced when they're getting married, but this is the biggest statistics that need's to be considered when you are contemplating marriage, and how much "love" is actually about "money" or tied to money. On the other hand, being single has many upside to it in my opinion. For instance, you can explore what you really need with inpunity. In my case, this was a journey all on its own. Although in the end I've discovered that you really don't need as much as you thought, it was still lot of work to just get the details right. Furthermore, your time is yours which is nothing to scoff at. You need quality time to discover about yourself. I think marriage can come after you've given some thoughts about who you really are and what you really need. It won't be too late and it's time well spent. Donald Trump said one thing that is true about marriage too. That is: "Take care of the downside and the upside will take care of itself.". Consider all aspects of your partner and what you want from marriage including prenuptual agreement before you take the leap. Remember that the biggest statistics despite what this author may be highlighting, still is that 50% of the marriage in this country ends in devorce. It's a high risk venture even if you considered it a business. Beyond that, if you and your partner is compatible, I would agree with the author's point of view that marriage can bring wealth and other intangable quality into our life, but you would have to first succeed in keeping your marriage before any of it can happen.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting reading but questionable conclusion
Review: I was impressed by the volume of data supporting the overall conclusion and was pleased that the authors chose data that was adjusted for other factors (age, etc) but I agreed with a previous reviewer that they failed to show cause and effect. Many of the downsides of not being married (domestic violence, eg) may result in not being married instead of vice versa.
This is especially true in reference to the section on how there is a full out war against marriage - yes, there is a lot of bad press on marriage but that's because there are a lot of bad marriages (and if you think divorce is bad for the children, try having one of the parents - or both - hating their home life). The authors show that their are several inherent values to marriage (eg, finance is easier with 2 people supporting one household)-and you want us to believe that people stay out or get of marriages because they others talking about how bad marriages are? In the end, people are going to make decision based on personal experience if available and I know very few people who haven't experienced marriage, either their own or their parents. Something's going wrong within the matrimonial institution that the authors completely ignore. What is it? I don't know and the book fails to give me insight.
Given that omission the authors' final conclusion - encourage marriage by giving financial breaks to married couples and marginalizing single people - will not solve the problem. If singles have trouble financially, shouldn't they be the ones getting tax breaks? If some singles are less likely to have affordable health insurance shouldn't we address the health industry? What about those singles who want to be married but haven't met the proper person - how is this going to help them? Bottom line is the authors' suggestions won't necessarily increase the proportion of happily married people but will make single people's lives more difficult.
Rating:
Summary: PUNDIT PAID BY BUSH ADMINISTRATION TO PROMOTE MARRIAGE
Review: It has just been revealed in a Washington Post article, and discussed by Aaron Brown, that Maggie Gallagher received tens of thousands of dollars from the Bush administration to promote marriage in her columns. This book grows directly from her columns and is a blatant propaganda piece for which this columnist was paid without revealing the fact, ever, to her publisher or in her columns. US taxpayer money was used to finance the payoff of this columnist, a conservative pundit who has taken money to shill for the Bush administration. This unethical behavior taints the message of this book. It is immoral to take payment for promoting propaganda without disclosing it to one's publishers or one's readers. In fact, it's tantamount to prostitution-- you sell your voice, your presence, to someone else's message, but without revealing to the public that you have sold yourself in this way. Maggie Gallagher, supposed doyenne of morality, took YOUR tax money under the table without letting YOU know about it. You should keep that in mind if you are considering buying this book. She's already been paid once for saying this stuff people-- why pay her again?
Rating:
Summary: Ms Gallagher's bona fides are suspect
Review: Maggie Gallagher is writing on a very important subject. Is she up to the task?
I heard of her for the first time today, and she made a striking impression as someone who is short on logic and candor. She came on AM talk radio (Mike Gallagher Show, KVIL, Dallas) to defend the propriety of working as a paid consultant to the Department of Health and Human Services while writing opinion columns in the newspaper. She repeatedly stated, "I am an expert on marriage." I kept waiting for her to explain why. It turns out her expert status is self-appointed and resides in no academic record, professional achievements or recognized institutional affiliations.
She said that it's the most normal thing in the world for an "expert" to work as a paid consultant to a government agency. Her expertise is derived from speaking about marriage, writing about marriage, and attending scholarly conferences about marriage. The HHS should be rebuked for spending its budget to hire people who have no more expertise than that. Ms Gallagher should be admonished to practice more candor and transparency. Or maybe she honestly doesn't see the difference between an expert and someone who writes opinion pieces. Either way, her qualifications are suspect.
The public discourse on the role of marriage as a social institution is exceedingly important. Anyone with an opinion is welcome to join in. But for insight into what marriage is meant to be and how we are to act in relation to it we need rigorously developed views from religion and ethics. We also need thoughtful analysis by people with well-trained minds using intellectual tools of the social sciences, history and philosophy.
Ms Gallagher presents neither the exacting self-discipline and transcendent values of a religious leader nor the brilliantly-honed tools of a careful thinker and researcher. She needs to figure out her role in the discourse and do what's right. If her services consist in rendering opinions she should give (not sell) her services to the government, although it's fine to sell her opinions in the press.
Rating:
Summary: Paid propaganda doesn't inspire confidence
Review: On the pad from the Bush administration and HHS, Ms. Gallagher now finds herself with some serious credibility problems. Even worse, she seems not to understand what's so wrong about her accepting a secret bribe from the White House to buttress its attempts to make marriage a political wedge issue. Kool-aid, anyone?
Rating:
Summary: Good research or ...
Review: The Case for Marriage makes arguments supportive of Pres. Bush's policies on marriage. However, Howard Kurtz of The Washington Post (1/26/5) reports that Maggie Gallagher was paid over $40,000 by the Bush Administration to write columns and a "private" report supporting its $300 million HHS marriage initiative.
Mr. Kurtz reports that Ms. Gallagher filed a column apologizing to her readers, writing "I should have disclosed a government contract when I later wrote about the Bush marriage initiative. I would have, if I had remembered it." She also states she was "aware vaguely" that her work was federally funded. It must be vaguely hard to remember being paid $40,000. Bad memory, vagueness, national column: what will we say to the children?
I wonder who paid Ms. Gallagher to write this book?
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