Evergreen professor's book a best of 2005

Marriage, A History, by Evergreen faculty member Stephanie Coontz has been selected as one of the best books of 2005 by the Washington Post.

The Post cites Coontz's book as one which "neatly, entertainingly and convincingly deconstructs a number of our most cherished and least examined beliefs about the bonds that tie men and women together, for better and for worse."

Coontz, a faculty member at Evergreen since 1975, says "marriage today is held up as a blissful haven of love and friendship, sex and stability. We long for the gold standard, the traditional marriage, but marriage turns out to have a checkered past. This real look at what people think of as 'traditional' finally explains why so many people are so anxious about marriage."

Coontz is a nationally known expert on marriage and family. She has appeared numerous times on national television, in magazines and national newspapers and is a sought after speaker. Marriage, A History is her fifth book - and is published by Viking, New York.

On the web: www.stephaniecoontz.com