“Calling It Quits” is the first book to reveal the truth about the exploding phenomenon of late-life divorce, which has resulted in a seismic shift in modern relationships. In a finger-on-the-pulse examination of this growing trend, Deirdre Bair, the New York Times bestselling author and winner of the National Book Award, explores the many reasons why older, long-married couples suddenly decide to break up. Deirdre Bair conducted nearly 400 interviews with husbands, wives, and their adult children. She reveals some of the surprising motivations that led to these drastic late-life splits, as well as the unexpected turns life takes for all concerned after the divorce is final.
The standard assumption is that husbands trade in wives for younger “trophy” models, but Bair found this was not true; most often, women initiate divorce because they want the freedom to control how they will live the rest of their lives.
Bair describes the growing use of mediators as an alternative to lawyers and the courts. She provides fascinating examples of how people cope with unwanted breakups, of how divorce changes peoples’ sex lives in surprising ways. She tells about some surprising ways in which they find comfort, solace, and information about how to create the best possible lives for themselves.
This is an important, eye-opening book, a truly groundbreaking study. Calling it Quits is essential reading for an entire generation and its children, and an acclaimed author’s most personal and universal work.
