- Published: 06/05/2021
- ISBN: 9781783783816
- Granta Books
- 336 pages
Labours of Love
Madeleine Bunting
LONGLISTEDFORTHEBAILLIEGIFFORDPRIZEFORNON-FICTIONWe’refacingacrisisincarelikelytoaffecteveryoneofusoverthecourseofourlives.Care-workisunderpaid;itsvaluesdisregarded.Britain’ssocietylaudseconomicgrowth,productivityandprofitovercompassion,kindnessandempathy.Forcenturiesthecaringlaboursofwomenhavebeentakenforgranted,butwithmorewomennowinwork,withincreasingnumbersofelderlyandwithausteritydismantlingthewelfarestate,careisunderpressureasneverbefore.Overfiveyears,MadeleineBuntingtravelledthecountry,speakingtocharityworkers,doctors,socialworkers,in-homecarers,nurses,palliativecareteamsandparents,toexplorethevalueofcare,thehiddengluethatbindsustogether.Shefindsremarkablestories,inGPsurgeries,inworkundertakenbyparentsfortheirdisabledchildrenandinend-of-lifeteams,thatconjureadifferentwayofimaginingoursocietyandtheconnectionsbetweenus.Blendingtheserevelatorytestimonieswithahistoryandlanguageofcare,andwithBunting’sownexperiencesofcaringfortheyoungandoldinherfamily,LaboursofLoveisahugelyimportantportraitofournationtoday-andofhowitmightbe-whichraisesaclarioncallforchange.
£9.99
Labours of Love is a fine achievement. It is full of humanity. I found it utterly absorbing and, unpopular though the word is, humbling
Alison Light, Book of the Week,, Guardian
Labours of Love is a masterpiece. Humane, perceptive, honest, compassionate, wide-ranging, and erudite, it is a profound inquiry into the most important social issue of our time...It should be read by policymakers, health and social care professionals, and anyone who has responsibility for delivering - that is to say, pretty well all of us
Raymond Tallis
Informative, moving and essential, thank you Madeleine Bunting