Marriage and Love

What if marriage and love have nothing in common? In this searing, accessible essay, Emma Goldman dismantles the myth of marriage as a sacred union and exposes it as an economic contract that binds women to dependence and limits human freedom. With unsparing clarity, she interrogates the forces of church and state, the social training that steers girls toward the altar, and the hypocrisy that prizes conformity over genuine affection. Goldman argues for love as a free, creative force—one that needs no legal sanction—and for motherhood chosen in liberty, not compelled by custom. She confronts the realities of wage labor, the drudgery of domesticity, and the moral panic around sexuality, urging a world where relationships are forged by mutual respect and desire, not obligation. Brought to life by narrator Helen Kamminga, this powerful performance delivers Goldman's urgency and compassion with intimate force. Provocative, lyrical, and remarkably current, Marriage and Love is essential listening for anyone interested in feminism, radical politics, or reimagining how we love and live.