Starting in Our Own Backyards: How Working Families Can Build Community and Survive the New Economy

“As Ann Bookman eloquently tells us, the struggle isn’t just to accommodate our work and our families; it’s also to be active citizens in our communities. How successfully we manage all three will determine the shape of our nation and the future of our children. This is a deeply thoughtful and perfectly timed addition to one of the most important discussions of our time.” — Robert B. Reich, Professor of Social and Economic Policy, Brandeis University, former U.S. Secretary of Labor and author of The Future of Success
“Starting In Our Own Backyards paints a beautifully realistic portrait of the busy work and home lives of today’s middle and moderate income two-wage-earner and single-parent families. At the same time, the book can be read as a graphic sociological analysis of contemporary urban and suburban communities and workplaces.” — Herbert J. Gans, Robert S. Lynd Professor of Sociology, Columbia University and author of Democracyand the News
“With insight and clarity, Bookman portrays the lives of working Americans as they strive to combine work, parenthood, and contributions to their communities. She adds considerations of community to the work-family debate and brings the realities of work and family to the ongoing debates about U.S. civil society. This book is a must-read for participants in both discussions.” — Theda Skocpol, Victor S. Thomas Professor of Government and Sociology, Harvard University, and author of DiminishedDemocracy
“A very welcome addition to the research on working families. By offering a new definition of community and by illustrating how essential communities are to surviving and thriving, Bookman has moved the field of work and family life forward.” — Ellen Galinsky, President, Families and Work Institute, and co-author of Ask the Children
“The stories of the people here are both unique and universal. This book is a must read for scholars and citizens concerned with working families, with civic engagement, and with the challenges of contemporary living.” — Phyllis Moen, McKnight Presidential Chair in Sociology, University of Minnesota and author of It’sabout Time
“Ann Book tackles the intransigent problems of middle class working families from a new perspective-that of the community. Starting in Our Own Backyards is an insightful study and a fresh look at an old problem.” — Louise Lamphere, Distinguished Professor of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, and co-editor of Situated Lives

“The clarity and realism of this book makes it an excellent addition to the work-family literature.”

— Anthropology of Work Review, Vol. XXVIII, No. 3

Ann Bookman is Executive Director of the MIT Workplace Center. She is a social anthropologist and author of a number of publications on women’s work, work and family issues, unionization, and family policy. Bookman has held a variety of teaching and research positions and has also worked in government. As a presidential appointee during the first term of the Clinton administration, she served as Policy and Research Director of the Women’s Bureau at the U.S. Department of Labor, and as Executive Director of the bipartisan Commission on Family and Medical Leave. She is co-editor of Women and the Politics ofEmpowerment.