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Ladysitting

Audiobook
Nonfiction: Memoir
Unabridged   7.25 hour(s)
Publication date: 05/07/2019


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Ladysitting

My Year with Nana at the End of Her Century

Available from major retailers or BUY FROM AMAZON
Audio CD ISBN:9781684570560
Digital Download ISBN:9781684570577

Summary

In Ladysitting, Lorene Cary captures the ruptures, love, and, perhaps, forgiveness that can occur in a family as she bears witness to her grandmother's 101 vibrant years of life.

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Product Description

Lorene Cary's grandmother moves in, and everything changes: day-to-day life, family relationships, the Nana she knew—even their shared past.

From cherished memories of weekends she spent as a child with her indulgent Nana to the reality of the year she spent "ladysitting" her now frail grandmother, Lorene Cary journeys through stories of their time together and five generations of their African American family. Brilliantly weaving a narrative of her relationship with Nana—a fierce, stubborn, and independent woman, who managed a business until she was 100—Cary looks at Nana's impulse to control people and fate, from the early death of her mother and oppression in the Jim Crow South to living on her own in her New Jersey home.

Cary knew there might be some reckonings to come. Nana was a force: Her obstinacy could come out in unanticipated ways—secretly getting a driver's license to show up her husband, carrying on a longtime feud with Cary's father. But Nana could also be devoted: to Nana's father, to black causes, and—Cary had thought—to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Facing the inevitable end raises tensions, with Cary drawing on her spirituality and Nana consoling herself with late-night sweets. When Nana doubts Cary's dedication, Cary must go deeper into understanding this complicated woman.

Reviews/Praise

Cary's knack for re-creating scenes and voices—especially that of Nana herself—is remarkable.” —AudioFile Earphones Winner

“Carey is a true storyteller and we, the listeners, eagerly sit at her feet waiting for the next story. Her wry sense of humor will not only have the listener in stitches but will infect the heart with her obvious deep love and respect for her grandmother.” —Booklist Audio

"Carey is a true storyteller and we, the listeners, eagerly sit at her feet waiting for the next story.” —Booklist

“A candid and sensitive memoir…Thoughtful reflections on pain, love, and family.” —Kirkus Reviews

Author Bio

Lorene Cary is the author of the memoirs Ladysitting and Black Ice, three novels, including The Price of a Child, and one book for young readers. She founded Art Sanctuary and SafeKidsStories.com, teaches at the University of Pennsylvania, and has written a one-act opera of Ladysitting. She lives in Philadelphia.