This American Ex-Wife: How I Ended My Marriage and Started My Life

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - A deeply validating manifesto on the gender politics of marriage (bad) and divorce (actually pretty good!) in America today, and an argument that the former needs a reboot--from journalist and proud divorc?e Lyz Lenz

"This American Ex-Wife is a bomb, a bouquet (but not a wedding bouquet), a memoir, a manifesto, and a total joy to read."--Rebecca Solnit, author of Men Explain Things to Me

AN ELECTRIC LIT BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

Studies show that nearly 70 percent of divorces are initiated by women--women who are tired, fed up, exhausted, and unhappy. We've all seen how the media portrays divorc?es: sad, lonely, drowning their sorrows in a bottle of wine. Lyz Lenz is one such woman whose life fell apart after she reached a breaking point in her twelve-year marriage. But she refused to take part in that tired narrative and decided to flip the script on divorce.

In this exuberant and unapologetic book, Lenz makes an argument for the advantages of getting divorced, framing it as a practical and effective solution for women to take back the power they are owed. Weaving reportage with sociological research and literature with popular culture along with personal stories of coming together and breaking up, Lenz creates a kaleidoscopic and poignant portrait of American marriage today. She argues that the mechanisms of American power, justice, love, and gender equality remain deeply flawed, and that marriage, like any other cultural institution, is due for a reckoning. A raucous argument for acceptance, solidarity, and collective female refusal, This American Ex-Wife takes readers on a riveting ride--while pointing us all toward a life that is a little more free.

Author: Lyz Lenz
Publisher: Crown Publishing Group (NY)
Published: 02/18/2025
Pages: 288
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.45lbs
Size: 7.90h x 5.10w x 0.80d
ISBN13: 9780593442692
ISBN10: 0593442695
BISAC Categories:
- Biography & Autobiography | Memoirs
- Family & Relationships | Divorce & Separation
- Social Science | Gender Studies

About the Author
Lyz Lenz is a journalist and the author of God Land and Belabored. She has written for Insider, The New York Times, Marie Claire, and The Washington Post. Lenz also writes the newsletter Men Yell at Me, about the intersection of politics and personhood in red-state America. She lives in Iowa with her two kids.