About this item

From the acclaimed author of Like a Mother comes a reflection on the state of caregiving in America, and an exploration of mothering as a means of social change.The Covid-19 pandemic shed fresh light on a long-overlooked truth: mothering is among the only essential work humans do. In response to the increasing weight placed on mothers and caregivers - and the lack of a social safety net to support them - writer Angela Garbes found herself pondering a vital question: How, under our current circumstances that leave us lonely, exhausted, and financially strained, might we demand more from American family life? In Essential Labor, Garbes explores assumptions about care, work, and deservedness, offering a deeply personal and rigorously reported look at what mothering is, and can be.



About the Author

Angela Garbes

Angela Garbes's writing has appeared in The New York Times, New York Magazine's The Cut, and featured on NPR's Fresh Air. She was a former staff writer at Seattle alt-weekly The Stranger. She lives in Seattle with her family.



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