Like a Second Mother: Nannies and Housekeepers in the Lives of Wealthy Children (Paperback)

by Barbara Blouin (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
These children saw their nanny as a "second mother." Asked one: "Am I black inside, like my beloved nanny?" -- Nanny News, September, 1999

We must address the questions raised by this book - how we parent, how we work, and how we love. -- Tracy Gary, founder of "Changemakers." June, 1999

Product Description
This collection of oral histories, memoirs and photographs was compiled to honor loving caregivers of children. There is no other book of its kind. The author interviewed over 40 adults who grew up in wealthy families and who feel immense gratitude to the nannies and housekeepers who gave them love and nurturing -- always from the heart. Many of these caregivers have passed on; however, the current generation of nannies also has plenty to say about the family contexts in which they are working. Eight previously unpublished short memoirs are included.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 313 pages
• Publisher: Inheritance Project/Trio Press; 1st edition (July 5, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0969919565
• ISBN-13: 978-0969919568
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,043,979 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book will touch your heart, October 30, 1999

By A Customer

If you are a nanny, or if you work with children in a private home in any capacity, or if you ever had a nanny, this book will touch your heart. It is so encouraging to know that the love nannies have given to their charges has a lifelong impact on them. Thank you Barbara Blouin for a book that affirms the special relationship between a nanny and the children she cares for.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Valuable for people raised by maids and nannies, October 17, 1999

By A Customer

As someone who got more mothering from the live-in housekeeper than from my own mother, I found this book to be affirming and interesting. Most of the book is made up of personal memoirs, some based on interviews with both the caregiver and the now-grown child. There are also brief chapters discussing some of the issues raised, such as the difference in race or class between the caregiver and child. The only disappointment was the lack of a bibliography for further reading.