Strauss's book examines the importance of caregiving and the benefits it brings from many angles; it is careful to include many forms of caregiving in its range, though it does have the most focus on (two-parent) parents caring for children and secondarily those caring for the elderly. I appreciated the sections looking at the effects of paid caregiving (and was fascinated by the study that included doctors and professors along with nannies and home health aids in measuring the benefits and challenges of caregiving). I also appreciated the attention paid to less traditional family structures, including grandchildren caring for grandparents and found families (although I would have liked to see more). The primary focus may be because that's where the research is concentrated, and while Strauss clearly cares deeply about all aspects of caregiving and connects what she finds to her own experience as a parent and caregiver, this is a research-centered book, and the research is fascinating. Some of it was familiar to me; some, like the ethics and philosophy of caregiving, was completely new to me. The book works well as an introduction to many facets of caregiving, and I know I will be following up on some of the researchers she profiles. It is an accessible and readable opening to a larger conversation

Thanks to the publisher, the author, and Netgalley for my free earc. My opinions are all my own.

An interesting premise, but the writing was just not compelling. With a nonfiction book on this topic, it felt that it could have used more research and factual information as opposed to personal anecdotes.

Strauss offers an interesting take on caregiving - parenting and childcare, yes, but beyond that to include various forms of personcare - inviting readers to see community and community benefits in the care offered, given, and taken across generations.

I wasn't expecting this to focus almost exclusively on parenthood - which is a disappointment
This is clearly very well researched and has a good number of first hand accounts from current day folks to famous researchers. It however lacks the level of engagement that keeps me reading. Many points are brought up over and over and overall I didn't feel I learned all that much. Not the book for me, but for some it may be worth the read.

A really informative book about care work in the United States and world,

I loved the way Strauss mixes in stories of her own care work as a mother, daughter, and friend with real research into the history of care work, and its possible future. I appreciated the way that she explains social structures such as racism and patriarchy that devalue care work. She gives credit to Black activists who have been advocating for more infrastructure and compensation for care work. This is a very thorough book, and great for readers who want to learn more about feminism, care work, and societies and how they function. It's also a really engaging book that I would recommend to anyone who does care work (and at some point, isn't that most of us?). I hadn't thought as deeply about why men could benefit from care work until Strauss talked about how it helped men bond with their children and families more, and therefore crime went down. I'll be thinking about this book for a long time.

Thank you NetGalley for the digital ARC of this book.

I enjoyed this take on shining light on the undervalued strength of caring. The author brings up how being motherly and nurturing is frowned up before entering motherhood. Then through her experience explains how after motherhood priorities change drastically. A new purpose found in being nurturing and caring.

Overall, I think that was a beautiful read. Exploring the relationship between care recipient and caregiver opened my eyes to the significance of their role. I’ve always loved the circle of life aspect of caregiving which I think this book highlighted well.

When You Care by Elissa Strauss is a very insightful book. I work at a resident home and I’m about to take care of my aging mother. This book was very helpful as I prepare and work. Thank netgalley for giving me this opportunity.

I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley.
This includes a history of care, politically and through literature as well as the author's own experiences with care. It really does happen to everyone on the planet. We need care when we are young and often when we are older. We spend the years in-between caring for others. This book also shows the positive outcomes of being a caregiver which is often overlooked. Our world would be a better place if we valued caregiving like we should.

As will likely be true for many who decide to pick up Elissa Strauss's "When You Care: The Unexpected Magic of Caring for Others," I'm currently sitting smack dab in the middle of a season of life impacted by caregiving.

In my case, it was a mere 2+ weeks ago that I found myself in a local hospital facing serious surgery secondary to my diagnosis of bladder cancer. While my surgery seemingly went well, within a few hours post-op it became clear that there were some complications and over the next ten days I'd spend time in the ICU over the course of my ten-day hospital stay.

As an adult living with spina bifida far past the time anyone expected me to survive, this is just the latest challenge in a life that has been filled with medical complications.

Yet, despite all these challenges the truth is most of my adult years have been relatively stable. While many express surprise, I work full-time. I own my home. I drive.

The truth is I've been rather passionately, and somewhat embarrassingly, avoidant of interdependence. I spent 10 years working in the mental health field, specifically crisis intervention, before detouring my way over to the government side of things. While people always expected me to need care, the truth is it somehow became my brother, who passed away two years ago due to pancreatic cancer, who needed the most support in daily life.

Yet, here I am. As my cancer complications intensified and it became clear that bladder removal along with an ostomy would be the solution most likely leading to a good result, I announced with great clarity "I need my village."

Indeed, less than two weeks post-op? I need my village.

It would be hard to read "When You Care" without thinking of those areas of one's life impacted by caregiving whether it's parental, siblings, professional, natural supports, or any other of a myriad of situations that would qualify as caregiving.

Weaving together historical anecdotes, social research, and a vibrant and engaging personal testimony, Strauss has brought vividly to life a manifesto of sorts about the unexpected magic of caring for others and, yes, also being cared for by others.

A friend of mine just left my home after several hours of "caring" for me through physical assistance, housecleaning, organizing, strategizing, and supporting my return to wellness in multiple ways. My friend, a Seattle resident, took advantage of her employer's flexibility and decided to stay with family here in Indiana to have better proximity to help support my recovery. As someone with only an 80-year-old father alive, the term "family of choice" is one that has dominated my life and one that my friend lives out beautifully.

With "When You Care," Strauss doesn't offer simple answers yet paints a rather beautiful portrait of caregiving and its vital role in our culture. She doesn't sugarcoat the issues at hand, though in some ways she does simplify it rather magnificently. From looking at the role of paid caregivers to looking at our culture's view of caregivers to even examining men and caregiving, Strauss crafts a narrative here that is relatable, well researched, and remarkably compassionate. She destigmatizes both giving and receiving care and makes us feel her own transformation even as she encourages ours.

Yes. I am most definitely more impacted by "When You Care" because of where I am currently at in my own life. As I returned home, a home that I would have sworn was fully accessible, I suddenly realized because of these new health issues I actually had mobility issues in this place I call home. In other words, I feel "When You Care" deep within my bones because I'm living it now on a seriously intimate level.

Capturing both the universality and intimacy of caregiving, Elissa Strauss has crafted an engaging and informative "must read" for anyone who believes, as I do, that among our most basic of societal obligations is to simply care for one another.

A different journey through the history of "caregiving. I appreciated the view of the material provided- inclusive and whole.

I loved this book. It truly spoke to me as a woman, feminist, and elderly caretaker. But I think this book will equally speak to any caretaker regardless of sex or political orientation BECAUSE caretaking is a universal need and role within society. As a caretaker I feel very isolated and lonely in my role because in my life experience in the US, we rarely see examples or (positive examples) of caretaking other than parent/child. I feel like it's hidden from view rather than appreciated and or supported. I will recommend this book to anyone and everyone I know who cares for another human being. Thank you so much to Net Galley for sharing this wonderful book with me.

As a professional working in the field of brain injury, caregiving has recently become a very hot topic. Elissa Strauss' inspiring read gives faces to the countless caregivers that make our world turn, while sharing all of the researched benefits to being a caregiver. So often caregiving is a thankless job, which is why I love the positive spin through When You Care.