Words and Terms

quintessential (representing the perfect example of a class or quality)
"I grew up in Los Angeles's San Fernando Valley- the quintessential American suburb, built on the postwar fantasies of men like my father…" (page 48)

latchkey kids (a school-age child who is home without adult supervision for part of the day (especially after school until a parent returns home from work)
"We were the "Divorce Generation," latchkey kids raised with after-school specials about broken families…" (page 48)

unilateral (involving only one part or side)
"…Gov. Ronald Reagan signed California's "no fault" divorce law, allowing couples to unilaterally end a marriage by simply declaring "irreconcilable differences." (page 48)

profound (showing intellectual penetration or emotional depths; from the depths of your being)
"But while it may be a common occurrence, divorce remains a profound experience for those who've lived through it." (page 48)

decry (express strong disapproval of)
"Sociologists decry a growing "marriage gap" in which the well educated and better paid are staying married, while the poor are still getting divorced." (page 49)