The best-selling author of Fed Up deconstructs her Evangelical upbringing and shows how women’s anger can lead us towards change
“A seething read that burns to the bone.”—Tia Levings, New York Times best-selling author of A Well-Trained Wife
Gemma Hartley grew up in an Evangelical household where she was raised to become an obedient wife from the time she was a little girl. A sexual assault as a teenager upended her evangelical world, and that coupled with an upbringing steeped in purity culture led her to internalize guilt, silence . . . and anger.
The good girl conditioning of the church demanded that Hartley seek the narrow path of womanhood that emphasized service to others, to swallow the discomfort and rage that simmered just below the surface—but when political events rewakened her trauma, she began to come apart at the seams. Here she unravels the threads of her upbringing to weave a new story, one where women’s anger is not sinful and dangerous—it is information, and often the most rational response there is.
Whether or not you’ve ever set foot in a church, Christian patriarchal norms have shaped American culture in ways that are far-reaching and insidious. From restrictive legislation that takes away women’s bodily autonomy to cultural norms that expect women to pick up after their husbands and joyfully give up their careers to care for children—these are all standards informed and fed by Christian culture.
Tying her Christian upbringing together with a feminist examination of society today, Hartley tells her personal story, but it’s bigger than that: No One Loves an Angry Woman is the story of a cultural awakening.
“This is a book you’ll be pressing into people’s hands for years. Come for the memoir, leave with a whole new relationship to your own fury.”
—Amanda Montell, New York Times best-selling author of The Age of Magical Overthinking
“Not only is this book packed with mic-drop wisdom; its gorgeous prose will demand to be read, reread, and read again.”
—Reema Zaman, author of I Am Yours
“Hartley’s account of unlearning fear, questioning faith, walking away from white patriarchy, and finding freedom on the other side is searing and compelling.”
—Soraya Chemaly, author of Rage Becomes Her
“A brave, bold, timely, and intimate exploration of how Christian patriarchy harms girls and women . . . The honesty and rigor of this book is a gift.”
—Amanda Montei, author of Touched Out
“Captivating . . . This book not only provides permission to be angry but also carves space for anger. A seething read that burns to the bone.”
—Tia Levings, New York Times best-selling author of A Well-Trained Wife
“Hartley’s tour de force will enliven, embolden, and wake you up.”
—Kate Manne, author of Down Girl