Caring for Red is Mindy Fried’s moving and colorful account about caring for her ninety-seven-year-old father, Manny – actor, writer, labor organizer, and survivor of political persecution during the McCarthy Era – in the final year of his life.
Caring for Red brings a personal perspective and a “sociological eye” to caregiving, as it grapples with universal issues facing thousands of people today. As an ethnography, Caring for Red also provides important insights into the culture of assisted living, framing day-to-day life for her father and other residents within a larger sociopolitical context. Social historian Stephanie Coontz, author of The Way We Never Were: American Families and the Nostalgia Trap, calls the book, “a deeply moving account of the rewards and challenges that emerge as an adult child becomes the caregiver for a beloved and formerly fiercely independent parent. The practical lessons Fried learned will be especially helpful to the millions of Americans facing this transformation in the future.” And sociologist Meika Loe,author of Aging Our Way: Lessons for Living from 85 and Beyond, comments: “Raw and real. Anyone who has experienced caregiving can appreciate Mindy Fried’s story. I was reminded of Roz Chast’s Can’t We Talk about Something More Pleasant? Both books help caregivers to feel less alone and to put the life course in perspective, and both Fried and Chast offer helpful advice along the way.”
Mindy Fried is the author of four books, including Parental Leave Policy and Corporate Culture (Temple University Press, 1998). Mindy is a sociologist and Co-Principal of Arbor Consulting Partners (www.arborcp.com), and she teaches Evaluation Research at Boston College. Mindy also co-produces music/arts festivals in Boston that provide opportunity to local talent, and bring people together across race, culture and class, and she blogs for The Society Pages: Feminist Reflections and for Mindy’s Muses (www.mindyfried.com).
PLUS: Busboys & Poets' delicious food and drink will be available for purchase and all participants will receive a LaborFest t-shirt!
FREE but you must RSVP Here.
Bread & Roses is a monthly labor series that features a variety of events focused on workers and organized labor. Each month brings a new topic through interactive discussions, film screenings, and performances. The hope for these events is that attendees walk away with a greater understanding of organized labor, its role in shaping history and current relevance. The name "Bread & Roses" was inspired by a poem/song written by James Oppenheim that appeals for both fair wages and dignified conditions. Bread & Roses is held on the second Tuesday of every month at Busboys and Poets, Takoma.
