Ladysitting: My Year with Nana at the End of Her Century
Lorene Carey
Hardcover: 256 pages
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; 1 edition (May 7, 2019)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0393635880
ISBN-13: 978-0393635881
Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 1 x 8.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
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 complicated yet transformative 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 and the loyalty of caregivers. When Nana doubts Cary’s dedication, Cary must go deeper into understanding this complicated woman.
In Ladysitting, 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.
My Thoughts
This year, I elected to read more memoirs so I was happy to receive the gift of Ladysitting: My Year with Nana at the End of Her Century.
This well-written memoir provides a critical analysis of a family's history and a look at the life of a centenarian.
We see Carey's mind mapping of everyday interactions while providing an illustration of human growth, helped her observe and gather the information that assisted her in reacting to many of the situations that arose.
I soon became swept up in this story of interlinked lives.
In closing, I felt Carey's use of visible bodily actions to communicate open-hearted responses throughout the telling of this story were brilliant. This allowed me to recognize that Nana and family did not just shuffle through life, they paid great attention to what was going on at the moment.
About the Author
Lorene Cary was born in Philadelphia, PA, in 1956. In 11th grade, she enrolled in the formerly all-white, all-male St. Paul's School in New Hampshire. Cary tells the story in Black Ice, which reviewers have called “brutally honest” and “stunning.” Her first novel, The Price of a Child, fictionalized the story of a female fugitive from slavery and was selected in 2003 as the inaugural One Book, One Philadelphia choice. Cary’s other works include a girlfriend novel, Pride; FREE! Great Escapes from Slavery on the Underground Railroad, for young readers; and If Sons, Then Heirs, a family saga with love, land, and lynching at its center.
The founder of Art Sanctuary and SafeKidsStories.com has twice received the Provost’s Award for Distinguished Teaching at the University of Pennsylvania where she teaches Creative Writing. Cary wrote scripts for the videos at President’s House memorial on Independence Mall, and she has received the Philadelphia Award and six honorary doctorates.