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No One Loves an Angry Woman: An Exvangelical Coming-of-Rage Story
Not yet published
Expected 22 Sep 26This is a coming of rage story: 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 rewakened 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.
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 rewakened 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.
216 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication September 22, 2026
About the author
Gemma Hartley
2 books108 followersGemma Hartley is a journalist and writer whose work has appeared in Glamour, Women’s Health, Cosmopolitan, Redbook, Good Housekeeping, Harper’s Bazaar, Huffington Post, and the Washington Post, among other outlets. She lives in Reno, Nevada with her husband and three children.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Author
There’s a moment in "Pretty. Little. Thing" where Gemma Hartley describes her mother taking a “before” photo to mark the beginning of an anticipated transformative diet. Her mother slumps her body, frowns her smile, pushes her stomach out, and performs the badness her body is supposed to portray. In this moment, Hartley describes laughing at the absurdity of it—at the intentional performance of a body that was so capable and free, trying to depict her supposed badness.
This is just one of many breathtaking scenes where Gemma Hartley deconstructs the patriarchal belief systems that taught her to view her body, and also her mind, as something that needed to be highly controlled and submitted to a God who mostly exalted men.
In many ways, Hartley’s life is parallel to mine. She and I had many of the same experiences— we heard our bodies objectified by preachers, compared to chewing gum or cattle; learned that our highest good was to become submissive wives and mothers, and attended private Christian schools that taught conspiracy in place of science. Because of our backgrounds, we constantly question our intellect in the scope of the larger culture.
Even though so much of what Hartley discusses in this collection is familiar, none of it felt predictable. I found myself surprised by some of her connections and delighted by unexpected but smart conclusions about marriage, capitalism, the mental load, and women's pain. I’m so grateful I had the chance to read this book, and I think any woman trying to live as a full human being in our culture needs to read it, too.
This is just one of many breathtaking scenes where Gemma Hartley deconstructs the patriarchal belief systems that taught her to view her body, and also her mind, as something that needed to be highly controlled and submitted to a God who mostly exalted men.
In many ways, Hartley’s life is parallel to mine. She and I had many of the same experiences— we heard our bodies objectified by preachers, compared to chewing gum or cattle; learned that our highest good was to become submissive wives and mothers, and attended private Christian schools that taught conspiracy in place of science. Because of our backgrounds, we constantly question our intellect in the scope of the larger culture.
Even though so much of what Hartley discusses in this collection is familiar, none of it felt predictable. I found myself surprised by some of her connections and delighted by unexpected but smart conclusions about marriage, capitalism, the mental load, and women's pain. I’m so grateful I had the chance to read this book, and I think any woman trying to live as a full human being in our culture needs to read it, too.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Gemma Hartley has written a memoir that is at once a feminist manifesto as it is a love letter to her younger self. Not only is this book packed with mic-drop wisdom, its gorgeous prose will demand to be read, reread, and read again. Each essay acts as a North Star to deftly guide the reader through the life of the book’s titular ‘angry woman.’ But what Hartley does by the end is utterly brilliant—not only will you fall in love with this ‘unlovable angry woman’; you will admire her, you will respect her, and you will applaud her.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Gemma Hartley astounds in her latest book. I could not put it down! She's such a talented writer. While her first book examined the rigors of domestic labor, NO ONE LOVES AN ANGRY WOMAN focuses on the systems that put much of this disparity in place.
Hartley excavates her upbringing, reckons with the distorted teachings she received, and offers a template for forging a new path. This book is essential reading for anyone who wants to confront the damage the patriarchy has wrought and make the world a better place for themselves and their loved ones.
Hartley excavates her upbringing, reckons with the distorted teachings she received, and offers a template for forging a new path. This book is essential reading for anyone who wants to confront the damage the patriarchy has wrought and make the world a better place for themselves and their loved ones.
Review of advance copy received from Author
A brave, bold, timely, and intimate exploration of how Christian patriarchy harms girls and women. No One Loves An Angry Woman probes the intricate process by which our emotions become gendered and constrained as we grow up, as well as the complicated work women must do to save themselves from worldviews that don't view them as fully human and to find their own voices amid so much clamoring about who and what women should be. The honesty and rigor of this book is a gift.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I tore through this book in two days and LOVED it. I highlighted so many sections and I'm going to be nerd and type them into my master document of "things I've loved in books." So grateful to Gemma for sharing her story. I know many women can relate. I didn't grow up religious but so many patriarchal belief systems rooted in Christianity have permeated our society. I'd recommend this to any woman interested in exploring the "shoulds" that taunt her.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I wrote this book. It was hard to do. I cried a lot. Be nice to me, please.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
An absolute gut punch of a memoir that will stick with me for a long time
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews