Brown and Gay in LA
Happy Pride Month! This week's review looks at the lived experiences of gay men from immigrant families in LA, exploring the intersectionality of the interviewees' identities.
Posted on in Review of the Week
The Arc of Love
As Valentine's Day fast approaches, this week's review examines romantic love and how it transforms with time
Posted on February 8, 2021 in Review of the Week
The arc of love: how our romantic lives change over time
Ben-Zeʼev, Aaron. Chicago, 2019
272p bibl index, 9780226633909 $40.00, 9780226634067
This is a wide-ranging work on the nature of love, and how it can change and develop over the course of time. Ben-Zeʼev offers not a theory of love, but an account of the vicissitudes of love and the different issues that become more or less important as a romantic relationship endures. Included in the 14 chapters are discussions of the romantic connection, romantic compromises, choosing a romantic partner, and love in later life. In the chapters on sexuality, there are some original discussions of sexual generosity, friendship with benefits, makeup and breakup sex, and “sex and eating.” The book is thoughtful and witty, and it can be quite funny. It could be read from beginning to end or dipped into—as a kind of philosophical self-help book—for insight on a particular romantic theme. The multidisciplinary perspective includes popular, literary, and scientific views as well as some philosophical discussion. The author illuminates the everyday reality of love, and untangles some of its mysteries with a practical, commonsense approach.
Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty; general readers.
Reviewer: R. White, Creighton University
Subject: Social & Behavioral Sciences – Psychology
Choice Issue: Dec 2019
Related Posts
-
-
Half American
In commemoration of Memorial Day, this week's review uncovers the experiences of African American soldiers in World War II and the impact of racism on their postwar lives.
Posted on in Review of the Week
-
Digital Detox
Looking at phone addiction, this week's review analyzes how humanity's obsession with technology has evolved and the value of taking a "digital detox."
Posted on in Review of the Week
-
Refusing Death
Taking an intersectional approach to environmental policy, this week's review reveals the stories of Asian and Latina immigrant women at the forefront of the environmental justice movement in LA.
Posted on in Review of the Week