Sharon Thompson – författare

Stripe N Strong is a zebra that was in the circus who was unsure of what life was going to be after the circus closed.

Things appeared more hopeless for him when he found himself in a gray trailer hitched to the back of a Chevy Colorado heading for the state of Georgia.

Stripe N Strong’s journey from New York to Georgia was familiar but somewhat lonesome.

On the other hand, Nia felt like she was the luckiest girl in the world to have Stripe N Strong to be one of their family pets.

The first night Stripe N Strong got home, Nia had a dream about all the pets going through the woods.

While they were in the woods, Stripe N Strong rescued a teenager named George from the Clayton County Shamrock Dam. Stripe N Strong ended up a favorite. He not only rescued George from the dam but gave George’s autistic brother Derrick a zebra-back ride on the day the town had a fun day called the Pirate Extravaganza.

Six-year-old Anya, her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Dole, and her baby sister, Aliyah, visited Mrs. Porter’s farm for potbellied pigs in June of 2019. A miniature potbellied pig named Peasy followed them around throughout the visit. Anya’s parents noticed the interest Anya had in the pig Peasy and how loving she was toward the pig.

They secretly arranged with Mrs. Porter to buy Peasy as a gift for Anya. As soon as Peasy got to Anya’s house, their bond became even tighter. One of their favorite things to do was hanging out on the porch and listening to music together. But Peasy had a funny side to her that no one knew about.

One Friday morning, the Dole family left to visit their aunt Tracey, who lived about four hours away. It was that Friday that Peasy’s funny side came alive. To name a few things Peasy did that day, she drove Anya’s electric toy car, she tried on Mrs. Dole’s wigs and her pearl necklace, rolled in the mud, then washed it off in Anya’s bathtub. All this time, Peasy thought no one would find out what she did, but she was being watched on the Doles’ cell phones.

Chapter authors explore the contested meanings and changing boundaries of marriage, the scope and role of alternative opt-in regimes, and the justification for conferring rights and responsibilities based on intimate relationships. Responding to the rising numbers of couples cohabiting without formalising their relationship, contributors examine how legal systems should respond to these changing patterns of relationships, and what it means to be a ‘family’ in different societies. Ultimately, they argue against imposing a particular view of what marriage should be, showcasing the importance of a diverse range of views and perspectives on the topic.

The Research Handbook on Marriage, Cohabitation and the Law presents a comprehensive overview of the field, and will be an invaluable resource for students and scholars of family law, law and gender, and law and society. It will also be an essential guide for policy-makers and legal practitioners seeking insights into the processes of family formation across jurisdictions.