Intimacies - Contemporary Study of Personal Life and Relationships

In this review of Intimacies, the reader gets a thoughtful survey of how relationships, rather than marriage, have come to the center of modern personal life. Daniel ShawAlan Frank traces shifts in intimacy across family, friendship and romance, and notes the role of virtual spaces in forging emotional bonds. The book is best for readers interested in contemporary social science and gender studies because its single biggest strength is synthesizing a broad, recent scholarship that treats intimacy as a cultural and institutional change rather than an individual failing.

Key Features

• Scope of topic: Maps the movement from marriage-centered norms to varied forms of intimacy across familial, friendly and romantic ties, giving readers a wide-angle view of social change.
• Contemporary focus: Highlights recent decades and current debates so students and researchers can see how scholarship on cohabitation, parenthood without marriage and queer families has evolved.
• Emphasis on venues: Discusses face-to-face and virtual or cyber contexts, which helps readers understand how technology reshapes emotional bonding.
• Theoretical synthesis: Brings together literature from sociology, gender studies and social sciences to frame intimacy as both personal experience and social institution.
• Accessible tone: Presents complex social research in language that is readable for non-specialists while retaining analytical depth for academics.

Who It's For

Intimacies is aimed at students, researchers and general readers curious about how contemporary societies reconfigure personal life; it is particularly useful for those studying gender, family studies and the sociology of relationships. The book functions well as a course text because it collects and interprets a wide body of research.

Readers looking for a how-to guide to personal relationships or practical counseling advice should look elsewhere; this is a scholarly survey rather than a self-help manual. Those seeking narrowly empirical, statistical reports without interpretive framing may also find the emphasis on theory and synthesis less immediately practical.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Wide-ranging coverage gives a clear picture of changing norms around intimacy across multiple relationship forms.
• Incorporates discussion of virtual contexts, making the analysis relevant to digital-era relationships.
• Useful synthesis for interdisciplinary courses in gender studies and social sciences.

Cons

• Because it is a synthetic academic survey, readers seeking concrete relationship advice or detailed empirical tables may be disappointed.

Specifications

Title	Intimacies
Author	Daniel ShawAlan Frank
Subject area	Social Sciences, Gender Studies
Focus	Contemporary relationships and intimacy across venues
Topics covered	Cohabitation, parenthood without marriage, queer families, cyber intimacies
Intended audience	Students, researchers, general readers in social sciences

Our Verdict

Intimacies is a valuable, well-synthesized survey that belongs on the reading list of anyone studying modern personal life and gender. It is good value for readers who want a conceptual map of how intimacy has displaced marriage as the organizing idea in many relationships, though those seeking prescriptive advice should consult other titles.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this book academic or for general readers?
Answer. It is primarily a scholarly survey but written accessibly so informed general readers can follow the arguments.

Does it cover online relationships?
Answer. Yes; the author explicitly discusses virtual and cyber contexts as venues for forming intimacies.

Will it help with personal relationship advice?
Answer. No; the book analyzes cultural and institutional shifts rather than offering practical counseling guidance.