Essential Labor

Mothering as Social Change

De: Angela Garbes

Narrado por: Angela Garbes

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. A first-generation Filipino-American, Garbes shares the perspective of her family's complicated relationship to care work, placing mothering in a global context—the invisible economic engine that has been historically demanded of women of color.

Garbes contends that while the labor of raising children is devalued in America, the act of mothering offers the radical potential to create a more equitable society. In Essential Labor, Garbes reframes the physically and mentally draining work of meeting a child's bodily and emotional needs as opportunities to find meaning, to nurture a deeper sense of self, pleasure, and belonging. This is highly skilled labor, work that impacts society at its most foundational level.

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.

©2022 Angela Garbes (P)2022 HarperCollins Publishers

A fantastic affirmation of the humanity of parenting and community

Vulnerability and joy can be seen in the mirror Angela brings to any reader. This shows how we are all caregivers and should give pause to anyone who feels this work is for those who are lesser than.

Definitely listening again

loved hearing the author read this, personal stories felt more nuanced. loved the references to other books and poets and even more, the sense of richness, responsibility and rebelling in being a mother in this pandemic altered point in time.

Essential Reading

I read this as a mother and as a nurse, but as someone who came to both motherhood and nursing somewhat later in life, it strikes me as absolutely essential reading for anyone who provides care, including care for themselves. In other words, for everyone. I’m a ravenous reader, but this, more than any other book, from bell hooks to Brené Brown to Thomas Merton, is the book I most wish I could have presented to my 20-, or even 30-, year old self.

A resonant, insightful, and refreshing take on mothering

A deeply thoughtful and insightful meditation on motherhood that feels authentic and uncensored. Garbes’ writing is resonant and boundary-pushing at the same time. The way she shares about her inner and public life is relatable and inclusive even if your interests, perspectives, or experiences differ greatly from hers.

Educational and powerful

As a soon to be first time mom, this was a very eye opening and informative book about the complexity of raising a child in modern america.

If you looking for a biography this book is for you

The sample of the book and the actual book are not the same. The sample might be the only interesting subject you would hear. Very disappointing.

I am a very woke lib, I want my kids to be woke libs

Basically restating modern woke lib talking points and then laying a framework on how you live out those values with kids. Be prepared to have “capitalism”, “misogyny”, “patriarchy” and “neoliberalism” thrown around as the cause for everything. I wish she would have talked about parenting through a crisis, because I feel like that’s when it gets hard…meh…I already listen to NPR and watch John Oliver and didn’t get anything new out of this