"[ A] sweeping look at changes in public policy and laws governing marriage at the state and federal levels from the nineteenth century to the late twentieth. Lefkovitz zeroes in on individuals, groups, and movements across the political spectrum who pressured courts and legislatures to reconfigure marriage between the end of World War II and Clinton-era welfare reform in the 1990s. Her investigation of the way activists, judges, the Supreme Court, and lawmakers degendered (or "individualized") marriage roles deepens our understanding of the growth and impact of the New Right in the United States as it also enhances existing work on the history of second-wave feminism." (American Historical Review) "[ A] fascinating and much-needed look at critical changes in the legal and cultural status of marriage in the late twentieth century United States...Strange Bedfellows is a welcome addition to women's and gender history and the history of the family. It is especially recommended for anyone interested in the postwar United States, the intersection of legal and cultural history, or, of course, the history of marriage." (Journal of Family History) "The title of Alison Lefkovitz's compelling new book does not quite convey just how wide-ranging her subject really is. Rather than a study of how marriages changed (or didn't) during the 1960s and '70 s, Lefkovitz is interested in the legal repercussions of feminist challenges to the remnants of coverture dur-ing that period...Lefkovitz is a clear and concise writer and the book is deeply researched, relying not just on the legal record, but also on the papers of various feminist and anti-feminist activists, congressional testimony, and the archives of legislators." (Journal of Social History) "Strange Bedfellows offers an original perspective on the post-World War II 'marriage revolution.' By focusing on the interactions of feminist advocates, 'men's rights' groups, legislatures, and the courts, Alison Lefkovitz insightfully charts the emergence of new policies toward divorce, alimony, and marital property. In so doing, she reveals the disparate and harmful impact of marriage reform on the poor, racial and ethnic minorities, immigrants, and gay couples. This is an important and timely book." (Kathy Peiss, University of Pennsylvania) "The legal evolution of marriage in the United States is as old as the Republic. But beginning in the 1960s, the pace of legal change accelerated with the universal adoption of no-fault divorce. Strange Bedfellows traces this unfinished revolution, highlighting the roles played by men as much as women in challenging the gendered obligations of marriage. As Alison Lefkovitz brilliantly shows, even as the breadwinning/homemaking model of marriage was dismantled for the privileged with decidedly unequal results for women and men, it was redeployed against the poor, especially racial minorities, immigrants, and LGBTQ couples. Placing the legal revolution of marriage firmly in the economic, cultural, and political transformation of the 1960s to the present, Lefkovitz offers a sobering picture of marriage as Americans' fundamental social safety net." (Barbara Young Welke, University of Minnesota)
