Family Law

Revisiting the Divorce Ranch

By Erin Kelley

Marilu Norden’s newest book recently hit shevles. Unbridled: A Tale of a Divorce Ranch depicts divorce for women living in the 1950s.

The story uses the author’s own experiences with divorce to tell a tale of a woman accepting the idea of divorce.

In the book, Lara Treadwell is facing divorce after giving birth to her second child. Lara agrees to go to the Desert Lake Ranch for a quick divorce. The ranch is one of Reno’s divorce ranches, which were popular for women to establish residency at while going through a divorce during the 1950s.

During the story, Lara sorts through her emotions and thoughts on divorce and moving on with her life, while trying to be a single mother and learning to love again.

Norden was sent to a Reno divorce ranch after the end of her first marriage. Her book explores how women work through suddenly finding themselves alone and feeling abandoned by the legal system.

Norden’s book is not only a good read to learn about the emotions felt during the divorce process, but also a way for people to learn about the improvements in marital law and women’s rights since the 1950s and the existence of divorce ranches.

To learn more about the book and the author, visit her Web site.

Full post as published by The Divorce Blog on June 15, 2009 (boomark / email).