Publishers Weekly
04/25/2016
This gripping portrayal of the pivotal moment in the fight for marriage equality in Ohio includes childhood memories and romance as well as tense moments in court. The tale is told through the life stories of the lead plaintiff, Jim Obergefell; his terminally ill husband, John Arthur; and lawyer Al Gerhardstein. Written in the third person, though Obergefell is listed as author alongside Pulitzer Prize–winning reporter Cenziper, the book is so full of dialogue and personal anecdotes that it feels as much like a biography as a legal history. The first thread follows Obergefell and his late husband, Arthur, though their courtship, coping with Arthur’s illness as it progresses, and their quiet Maryland wedding ceremony. The second follows Gerhardstein from his early work supporting Planned Parenthood to his fight against Ohio’s same-sex marriage ban, which leads him to reach out to Obergefell and Arthur, who dread the eventual legal erasure of their marriage on Arthur’s Ohio death certificate in the wake of U.S. v. Windsor. The book proceeds to outline the testimony and arguments, ending with the Obergefell v. Hodges victory in the Supreme Court. As Obergefell and Gerhardstein literally walk out of the courtroom into the sunlight together, readers will feel they’ve been completely guided into seeing the people behind the cases. (June)
From the Publisher
[An] affecting, eloquent account… The authors ably create the suspense of anticipation and winnow the legal issues for lay readers. Uplifting, well-written story of personal courage and political empowerment.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Told with a novel’s narrative drive…. Taut, tense, and highly readable.... A remarkably rich portrait of America…. An excellent choice for book groups looking for exciting nonfiction.” — Booklist (starred review)
“A fascinating look at the fight for gay marriage.” — Library Journal
“Th[is] gripping narrative conveys how the fatal illness of one man and the question for justice of another led to the important decision that said the right to marry applies to all Americans.” — Los Angeles Times
“It’s quite rare that LGBTQ history gets told right the first time. . . . To the benefit of every LGBTQ reader and history buff who will enjoy this book, we won’t be left questioning its authenticity or intent.” — Philadelphia Magazine
“Human details make the book a fascinating read… Its best passages are about the people whose stories launched a movement that changed the law.” — Cincinnati Enquirer
“An engaging, full account of how an almost all-Cincinnati cast of characters helped topple Ohio’s ban and legalize same-sex marriage across the country.” — Cincinnati.com
“Love Wins is a real winner and expertly crafted. You can tell it’s going to make a great movie.” — Bob Woodward
“A tender story, inspiring, and ultimately a huge celebration. . . . You will never forget Jim Obergefell and his lawyer Al Gerhardstein, two men who fought with every ounce of will they could muster. This book will become a classic.” — Erin Brockovich
“Love Wins is an affecting testament to love and commitment in the face of discrimination. . . . I am recommending Love Wins to everyone I know. Rarely does a book of such uncommon beauty come around, one that digs beneath the headlines to its human heart.” — John Grogan, author of Marley & Me and The Longest Trip Home
“Beautifully told and carefully researched, Love Wins is a deeply moving insider’s account of the ordinary families who took the fight for marriage equality to the Supreme Court and won. . . . Though love may not always win, America really does stand for liberty and justice for all.” — Kathleen Parker, syndicated Washington Post columnist
“This gripping portrayal of the pivotal moment in the fight for marriage equality in Ohio includes childhood memories and romance a well as tense moments in court. . . . Readers will feel they’ve been completely guided into seeing the people behind the cases.” — Publishers Weekly
“Deeply reported, vividly detailed, utterly humane… Grabs the reader and never lets go… Written with a novelist’s attention to scene description and character-revealing action… An exemplary account that anyone, no matter his or her ideological orientation, might read with both pleasure and insight.” — The Charlotte Observer
“Bring the tissues for this powerful tale of the triumph of marriage equality. . . . A downright joy to read. It’s a rare and special feeling to be alive for moments of world-changing history. ” — Washington Post
Booklist (starred review)
Told with a novel’s narrative drive…. Taut, tense, and highly readable.... A remarkably rich portrait of America…. An excellent choice for book groups looking for exciting nonfiction.
Philadelphia Magazine
It’s quite rare that LGBTQ history gets told right the first time. . . . To the benefit of every LGBTQ reader and history buff who will enjoy this book, we won’t be left questioning its authenticity or intent.
Cincinnati.com
An engaging, full account of how an almost all-Cincinnati cast of characters helped topple Ohio’s ban and legalize same-sex marriage across the country.
Erin Brockovich
A tender story, inspiring, and ultimately a huge celebration. . . . You will never forget Jim Obergefell and his lawyer Al Gerhardstein, two men who fought with every ounce of will they could muster. This book will become a classic.
John Grogan
Love Wins is an affecting testament to love and commitment in the face of discrimination. . . . I am recommending Love Wins to everyone I know. Rarely does a book of such uncommon beauty come around, one that digs beneath the headlines to its human heart.
|Los Angeles Times
Th[is] gripping narrative conveys how the fatal illness of one man and the question for justice of another led to the important decision that said the right to marry applies to all Americans.
Cincinnati Enquirer
Human details make the book a fascinating read… Its best passages are about the people whose stories launched a movement that changed the law.
Bob Woodward
Love Wins is a real winner and expertly crafted. You can tell it’s going to make a great movie.
Kathleen Parker
Beautifully told and carefully researched, Love Wins is a deeply moving insider’s account of the ordinary families who took the fight for marriage equality to the Supreme Court and won. . . . Though love may not always win, America really does stand for liberty and justice for all.
The Charlotte Observer
Deeply reported, vividly detailed, utterly humane… Grabs the reader and never lets go… Written with a novelist’s attention to scene description and character-revealing action… An exemplary account that anyone, no matter his or her ideological orientation, might read with both pleasure and insight.
Washington Post
Bring the tissues for this powerful tale of the triumph of marriage equality. . . . A downright joy to read. It’s a rare and special feeling to be alive for moments of world-changing history.
Washington Post
Bring the tissues for this powerful tale of the triumph of marriage equality. . . . A downright joy to read. It’s a rare and special feeling to be alive for moments of world-changing history.
Los Angeles Times
Th[is] gripping narrative conveys how the fatal illness of one man and the question for justice of another led to the important decision that said the right to marry applies to all Americans.
McClatchy and The Charlotte Observer
Deeply reported, vividly detailed, utterly humane… Grabs the reader and never lets go… Written with a novelist’s attention to scene description and character-revealing action… An exemplary account that anyone, no matter his or her ideological orientation, might read with both pleasure and insight.
Library Journal
05/01/2016
Author Obergefell and his partner, John Arthur, married in Maryland in July 2013. On October 22, 2013, Arthur died of ALS, a progressive neurodegenerative disease. The couple's home state of Ohio did not recognize their marriage, and Arthur's death certificate listed him with no surviving spouse. This book begins with the story of Obergefell's fight to amend his husband's death certificate and evolves into an account of gay couples, their children, and their fight for recognition. Cenziper, a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter for the Washington Post, wrote this work with Obergefell. Together, they do a thorough job of exploring the history of discrimination against LGBT Americans that led to the landmark 2015 Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage in Obergefell v. Hodges. The book also tells of the plaintiffs, the legal teams on both sides, and the circumstances that brought them to the case. While the legal strategies of the case are fully explored, the personal lives of the participants are the narrative's draw. VERDICT A fascinating look at the fight for gay marriage and at the experiences of gay couples and families. Recommended for public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, 12/14/15.]—Becky Kennedy, Atlanta-Fulton P.L.
JULY 2016 - AudioFile
George Newbern narrates the story of the legal case that ultimately made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court and removed barriers to same-sex marriage. His straightforward delivery brings home the ordinary lives of the couple at the center of the case, as well as those of the couples whose cases were consolidated as they sought legal recognition for their marriages. Newbern’s unembellished approach complements that of the two authors, plaintiff Jim Obergefell and Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Debbie Cenziper. Newbern’s clear and steady recitation of the facts keeps the focus squarely on the poignant events that took this issue all the way to the highest court in the land. J.E.M. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2016-03-28
The moving personal stories behind the landmark Supreme Court case Obergefell v. Hodges (2015), which established the right of same-sex couples to marry in all 50 states. While the major 2013 Supreme Court decision of United States v. Windsor had struck down key discriminatory provisions of the Defense of Marriage Act, there remained some shadowy spaces still not defined for the equal protection of gay couples. In this affecting, eloquent account, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Cenziper (Washington Post) and the plaintiff in the Supreme Court case, civil rights activist Obergefell, re-create the events and legal precedent that began in Cincinnati shortly after the Windsor decision, involving Obergefell and his longtime partner and husband, John Arthur, who died in 2013. Having defended such unpopular causes as abortion clinics and discrimination against gay employees, crusading Cincinnati lawyer Al Gerhardstein resolved to launch a federal lawsuit against the state of Ohio in order to allow Obergefell to be listed on Arthur's death certificate as "surviving spouse," although their marriage was not recognized by Ohio, where a referendum a decade earlier had banned the recognition of same-sex marriages. While the ban on anti-discrimination laws for gays was declared unconstitutional by the city of Cincinnati, the conservative 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the decision in 1995, then again in 2014, refusing to recognize gay couples (who had married in another state) on death certificates and the birth certificates of their children. Essentially, the court forced Gerhardstein's hand, and he petitioned the Supreme Court, which, astoundingly, took the case, narrowing the issue down to two questions: "whether the Constitution required all fifty states to issue marriage licenses to people of the same sex and whether states with bans should be required to recognize marriages that were legally performed elsewhere." The authors ably create the suspense of anticipation and winnow the legal issues for lay readers. Uplifting, well-written story of personal courage and political empowerment.
