Winner 2021 PROSE Award in the Cultural Anthropology ampamp Sociology CategoryFinalist 2021 Lambda Literary Award in LGBTQ StudiesA troubling account of heterosexual desire in the era of MeTooHeterosexuality is in crisis. Reports of sexual harassment misconduct and rape saturate the news in the era of MeToo. Straight men and women spend thousands of dollars every day on relationship coaches seduction boot camps and couples therapy in a search for happiness. In The Tragedy of Heterosexuality Jane Ward smartly explores what exactly is wrong with heterosexuality in the twentyfirst century and what straight people can do to fix it for good. She shows how straight women and to a lesser extent straight men have tried to mend a fraught patriarchal system in which intimacy sexual fulfillment and mutual respect are expected to coexist alongside enduring forms of inequality alienation and violence in straight relationships. Ward also takes an intriguing look at the multibilliondollar selfhelp industry which markets goods and services to help heterosexual couples without addressing the root of their problems. Ultimately she encourages straight men and women to take a page out of queer culture reminding them about the human capacity to desire fuck and show respect at the same time.