by Gemma Hartley
Beacon Press
9/22/2026, hardcover
SKU: 9780807020685
The best-selling author of Fed Up deconstructs her Evangelical upbringing and shows how women's anger can lead us towards change
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 reawakened 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 together 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.
Reviews:
"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 tour de force will enliven, embolden, and wake you up." --Kate Manne, author of Down Girl
"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
About the Author:
Gemma Hartley is the author of FED UP: Emotional Labor, Women, and the Way Forward. Her work has been featured in outlets including Harper's Bazaar, Women's Health, Glamour, The Washington Post, CNBC, Redbook, Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping, Teen Vogue, The Huffington Post, and more. She is an experienced interviewee, speaker, and podcast guest, and has made appearances on shows including Good Morning America and Cheryl Strayed's Dear Sugars. She lives in Reno, Nevada.