Pre-Owned Love's Promises: How Formal and Informal Contracts Shape All Kinds of Families (Hardcover) 0807033669 9780807033661

9780807033661. Pre-Owned: Good condition. Hard cover. Language: English. Pages: 280. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. 280 p. Queer Ideas/Queer Action. "Blends memoir and legal cases to show how contracts can create family relationships In Love's Promises, law professor Martha Ertman delves into the legal cases, anecdotes, and history of family law to show that love comes in different packages--each shaped by different contracts--which family law should and sometimes does recognize. Beginning with Ertman's own story about becoming part of a family of two moms and a dad raising a child, she then shows that many people--straight and gay, married and single, related by adoption or by genetics--use contracts to shape relationships. These contracts and deals can be big, like vows of fidelity, or small, like "I cook and you clean." But regardless of scope, these deals can create, sustain, and modify family relationships. Insightful, accessible, and revelatory, Love's Promises lets readers in on the power of contracts and deals to support love in its various forms and to honor the different ways that individuals contribute to our daily lives. "--