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New Family Values

By: Andrew Solomon
Narrated by: Andrew Solomon
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Publisher's summary

Drawing on dozens of intimate audio interviews with families from all across the country, award-winning psychologist and writer Andrew Solomon redefines what it means to be an “ideal family” in America today. Solomon observes that America, led in large part by the women’s, civil rights, and gay rights movements, has undergone a radical social shift in the last few decades.

While three-quarters of American children lived in families with two (first-time) married, heterosexual parents in the 1960s, today less than half do. The conventional family, Solomon argues, has broken into a multitude of perfect families, including gay families, multiparent families, adoptive families, foster families, families built through assisted reproduction, single parent-headed families, and child-free families. Although the structure of family has changed, economic and legal structures lag behind and need to adapt to accommodate this explosive new reality.

©2018 Audible Originals, LLC (P)2018 Audible Originals, LLC.
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Go Behind the Scenes of New Family Values

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Our favorite moments from New Family Values

A highly politicized debate...
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Getting pregnant was an enormous challenge for Clara.
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Rainbow families often derive from problems that came up in their birth families.
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All nine judges sided with Chris…acknowledging Chris’s status as a legal parent.
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I will go to games with his name on my shirt.
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Our progress away from the margins is highly imperfect.
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  • New Family Values
  • A highly politicized debate...
  • New Family Values
  • Getting pregnant was an enormous challenge for Clara.
  • New Family Values
  • Rainbow families often derive from problems that came up in their birth families.
  • New Family Values
  • All nine judges sided with Chris…acknowledging Chris’s status as a legal parent.
  • New Family Values
  • I will go to games with his name on my shirt.
  • New Family Values
  • Our progress away from the margins is highly imperfect.
Andrew Solomon

About the Author and Performer

Andrew Solomon is an author and a professor of clinical psychology at Columbia University Medical Center. He writes and lectures on politics, psychology, and the arts. He is the author of Far and Away: How Travel Can Change the World; the New York Times bestseller Far from the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity (winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award and more than 20 other national awards); and The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression (a Pulitzer Prize finalist and winner of the 2001 National Book Award). His TED Talks have garnered over 20 million views. He lives in New York and London with his husband and son, and also has a larger post-nuclear family.

What listeners say about New Family Values

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Incredible!

A must read to everyone who think about having children, not having children, being in a relationship, not being in a relationship, and to everyone that were ever a child.

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family

without explicitly saying it this story layed out many excellent realsons why the government should get out the business of marriage and be focused the business of contracts.

The government should be focusing on recording contracts between people, ensuring that people have equitable shares (an example children should not be in a contract it's equitable), are informed and lastly help and protect people when they're stuck in a contract that's not good for them.

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Lovely book &Author

I enjoyed the many perspectives and viewpoints. from adaption, IVF to polygamy...I learned something new about family values. Yeah diversity!

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Super honest and down to earth.

This was amazing. A really great look into what can be seen as the complicated topic of family dynamics and family values. It consists of various powerful examples of families defying the odds against a preconceived notion of what a family is supposed to be. I hope that as a society we can break through these old norms and realize that consenting adults don't have to meet specific benchmarks and events in life set by previous generations or others idea of what a family should look like.

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Interesting perspectives - worthwhile listen

A well-done series. Makes you think and look at things with a fresh eye.

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Power view of family

Andrew Solomon captures the truth about being a family in America today and why we should not prejudge how others live. The chapter about the foster care system is especially knowing and touching. The examples of very different stories people speaks to the of how important love is and how that makes them all a family.

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A beautiful rethinking of family

This was so heartwarming and funny and REAL. Totally makes you rethink what you know about what is considered a “normal” family. Can’t wait until his book comes out! Definitely well worth the listen.

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Exquisite insights

This was a beautifully crafted exploration into the 21 century meaning of family and all the variations that this word embodies. Intelligent and thoughtful storytelling. Thank you for broadening my perspectives.

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Very interesting and thought provoking

I would like a discussion about intergenerational families and the possible situations that would look like. This is so prevalent throughout the world but not so much here. Trying to find a house that fits this model for example is challenging

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Such an affirming and eye-opening book

Another remarkably humane, thoughtful and genuinely challenging book by Andrew Solomon. My own family structure was in here (I cried with recognition and gratitude for the affirming and articulate words), but I honestly didn’t realize I had my own prejudices! Hearing from people grappling with making space for their love and commitment and joy and struggle was such a heart-warming and informative experience. Thank you Audible for making available a book that makes the world a better place!

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