Published in 2023
304 pages
Emily Kenway is a writer, researcher and activist from the UK. Her first book, The Truth about Modern Slavery, delved into the world of human trafficking and exploitation – but not in the way you expect. Instead of taking us on a tour of miserable lives, Kenway showed how ‘modern slavery’ was a new framing of exploitation, one that served the interests of the economy and the powerful more than those it purports to save.
Her new book, Who Cares: The Hidden Crisis of Caregiving and How We Solve It takes us into the invisible world of family caregivers. Weaving together her personal story caring for her mother with in-depth research and interviews with caregivers from around the world, Kenway shows us what care is like today and what needs to change.
What is this book about?
An intimate and deeply researched account of the experiences of unpaid caregivers, this “beautiful book” (Rob Delaney) calls for us all to put care at the center of our lives
When Emily Kenway became the primary caregiver for her terminally ill mother, her life was changed forever. Although she was lonely, she was far from millions of caregivers all around the world are silently suffering from poverty, isolation, and burnout. Saving their nations’ economies billions by providing nonprofessional care, these people—primarily women—remain largely ignored by politicians, in part because the demands of care itself keep them from effectively advocating for their needs. In Who Cares, Kenway brings the caregiving crisis into the light. Blending expert research with insights from her own experience, Kenway shows us that building a world that cares for its caregivers requires us to fundamentally reimagine the role of care in our society, bringing it from the margins to the center of our collective life. Powerful and deeply reported, Who Cares is an essential read for anyone who has ever cared for, or will receive care from, another person—which is to say, for everyone.
