Description
Book SynopsisHartog tells the heartbreaking stories of how families fought over the work of caring for the elderly, and its compensation, in a time before pensions, Social Security, and nursing homes filled this gap. As an explosive economy drew the young away from home, we see how the elderly used promises of inheritance to keep children at their side.
Trade ReviewIn this gem of a book, Hartog reveals the human drama of growing old and dependent, and the enduring dilemma in mixing love and economic need. -- Martha Minow, Dean, Harvard Law School
Hartog brilliantly illuminates the central role that law has played in shaping Americans' ideas about getting old. Poignant, funny, and analytically razor-sharp, this is a groundbreaking book. -- Dylan Penningroth, author of
The Claims of Kinfolk: African American Property and Community in the Nineteenth-Century SouthWith empathy and captivating style, Hartog, a superb historian, offers a memorable analysis of changing family struggles over inheritance and care. -- Viviana A. Zelizer, author of
Economic Lives: How Culture Shapes the EconomyThis is a disturbing book, in the best sense--a transformative book. With unique sensitivity and ingenuity, Hartog tells a profound story about the meaning of inheritance and what one owes and is owed as a member of a family, making brilliant history of seemingly eternal human predicaments. -- Amy Dru Stanley, author of
From Bondage to Contract: Wage Labor, Marriage, and the Market in the Age of Slave EmancipationA page-turner with Dickensian overtones. -- Fred A Bernstein * New York Times blog *
Aside from the history of development in this area of law, the book offers a social and cultural history of families caring for their elder members. This book will be of interest not only to those interested in estate law but also students and researchers of gerontology. -- C. Ross * Choice *
