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A review by epellicci
Labours of Love: The Crisis of Care by Madeleine Bunting
dark
informative
sad
slow-paced
4.0
Labours of Love is an attempt to give voice to those working in the vastly undervalued and underfunded sector that is care work.
Very academic, Bunting looks at several different elements of care from historical and legislative perspectives, bringing into stark light the abysmal support that this area of society receives. Alongside this she presents witness testimony from those on the front line.
I made hundreds of notes reading this book. Horrifying, but deeply important, Labours of Love encourages the reader to reflect on what care means to them in broader terms than simply “who will look after me when I am old”. It is slow paced – unsurprisingly considering the scope and wight of the material – but still gripping. I particularly enjoyed the section at the end of each chapter, where Bunting explores our changing understanding of the word “care” by offering definitions of associated words and examining their historical context. Incredibly important reading.
Very academic, Bunting looks at several different elements of care from historical and legislative perspectives, bringing into stark light the abysmal support that this area of society receives. Alongside this she presents witness testimony from those on the front line.
I made hundreds of notes reading this book. Horrifying, but deeply important, Labours of Love encourages the reader to reflect on what care means to them in broader terms than simply “who will look after me when I am old”. It is slow paced – unsurprisingly considering the scope and wight of the material – but still gripping. I particularly enjoyed the section at the end of each chapter, where Bunting explores our changing understanding of the word “care” by offering definitions of associated words and examining their historical context. Incredibly important reading.