Caregiving in America: Author Talk and Booklist

by Kate Washington

Despite feeling profoundly alone while providing care to her sick husband, a writer discusses how she discovered she was one of millions of exhausted and stressed unpaid caregivers in America and argues that more should be done to support them. Already Toast is a memoir and feminist cultural critique of how unpaid family caregiving affects women in America.

by Deborah J. Cohan

Cohan shares her story of caring for her elderly father, a man who was often generous and loving, but who also subjected her to a lifetime of cruelty, rage, and controlling behavior. Trained as a sociologist and family violence counselor, Cohan reflects on how she healed from decades of emotional abuse.

by Chris Gabbard

A scholar tells the story of how his son, born with significant and multiple impairments, forced him to reconsider his commitments to the Enlightenment thinkers he studied, the ideal of Enlightenment reason he had embraced, and his own prejudices against people with intellectual disabilities

by Angela Garbes

Garbes explores assumptions about care, work, and deservedness, offering a deeply personal and rigorously reported look at what mothering is, and can be. Part galvanizing manifesto, part poignant narrative, Essential Labor is a beautifully rendered reflection on care that reminds us of the irrefutable power and beauty of mothering.

by Rachel Bertsche

It's 8:30 PM. You close the door to your child's room and now it's time for an hour or two of glorious freedom. What do you do? Read a book? Chat on the phone with a friend? Or, like many modern parents, do you get caught up in chores, busywork, and social media black holes? Bertsche discusses ways for harried parents to enjoy the limited downtime they have to engage in fulfilling and pleasurable activities and reconnect with their real adult selves. 

by Harvard Business Review;  Daisy Dowling, Series Editor

You're only one person—but you're not alone. Doing It All as a Solo Parent offers you the help you need to lighten the load. Drawing on the wisdom of experts and parents alike, it provides practical tips and advice tailored to your unique challenges as a solo parent. Whether you're single, widowed, or have a partner who is unable to help, you'll discover how to do it all—with less stress.

by Ali Wong

In her hit Netflix comedy special Wong told the world her remarkably unfiltered thoughts on marriage, sex, Asian culture, working women, and why you never see new mom comics on stage but you sure see plenty of new dads. The sharp insights and humor are even more personal in this completely original collection. She shares the wisdom she's learned from a life in comedy and reveals stories from her life off stage, including the brutal singles life in New York, reconnecting with her roots in Vietnam, tales of being a wild child growing up in San Francisco, and parenting war stories. 

by Michael Chabon

Essays inspired by Chabon's interactions with his four children and his own father illuminate the meaning, magic, and mysteries of fatherhood.

by Jessi Klein

In interconnected essays explores this stage of life in all its cruel ironies, joyous moments, and bittersweetness. Klein hilariously explodes the cultural myths and impossible expectations around motherhood and explore the humiliations, poignancies, and possibilities of midlife.

by Ai-jen Poo with Ariane Conrad

Looks at the growing pressures on families caused by the growing population of elderly in the United States, and offers a plan for allowing the exploding elderly population to age with dignity, while generating millions of new jobs.

by Atul Gawande

A prominent surgeon argues against modern medical practices that extend life at the expense of quality of life while isolating the dying, outlining suggestions for freer, more fulfilling approaches to death that enable more dignified and comfortable choices.