“This valuable and original work showcases Margaret Brinig’s wide-ranging talents and deep understanding of family life. She is the rare scholar who can comfortably weave together insights from sociological theory, judicial decisions, high-tech econometric studies—and, so appropriately in the domestic sphere, the possibility of unconditional love.”

Robert Ellickson, Yale Law School

“This fine book shows why Margaret Brinig is America’s leading family-law scholar. She anchors her arguments in both sound legal scholarship and her own high-quality empirical research. Her work in this book corrects individualistic trends in family law theory towards the dogma of ‘private ordering’ and restores the role that law can play in creating trust and community support for today’s troubled families. A great book.”

Don Browning, University of Chicago

“This is an important, innovative book that addresses some of the hottest topics in family law. Brinig brings impressive skills and a sophisticated command of the law to the task of assessing and reforming family policy. Her fresh insights are bound to provoke debate.”--Barbara Woodhouse, Emory University

Barbara Woodhouse

“There is no one better than Brinig at combining social science, policy analysis, values, and common sense to bring clarity to the toughest questions in family law. Even where one might be tempted to disagree with Brinig’s ultimate conclusions, one always leaves her work seeing the debates in a way completely different from the way one saw them before. And there is no greater compliment I can think of for a scholar.”

Brian Bix, University of Minnesota