Some are lighthearted, some are stranger than fiction, but one thing these 10 books all have in common is that the authors examine the roles and relationships of those who work in one of the world’s oldest professions: nannying. From a behind the scenes peek into life as a celebrity nanny to personal essays and interviews with nannies and the adult children they cared for, if you’re looking for insight into life as a nanny, check out one of these 10 books.
A Spoonful of Sugar by Brenda Ashford (2012). A rare glimpse into the life of a qualified Norland Nanny in wartime England, this true-life story of Nurse Brenda is full of funny and heartfelt stories that make you feel as if you’re standing right beside her.
You’ll Never Nanny in This Town Again: The True Adventures of a Hollywood Nanny by Suzanne Hansen (2006). A behind the scenes look into a life of nannying for Hollywood’s A-List. A few chapters in readers quickly learn why all that glitters isn’t gold.
Just Like Family: Inside the Lives of Nannies, The Parents They Work For and the Children They Love by Tasha Blaine (2010). An intimate look into the lives of three very different nannies, this book explores the complex relationships between nannies and parents, and the tremendous impacts they have on families.
And Nanny Makes Three: Mothers and Nannies Tell the Truth About Work, Love, Money and Each Other by Jessika Auerbach (2007). An examination of the mother, nanny, child love triangle brings insight from both nannies and parents on the complex relationship they share.
Like a Second Mother: Nannies and Housekeepers in the Lives of Wealthy Children by Barbara Blouin (1999). An honest look at the impact nannies have on the children they cared for. Interviews with nannies and the now grown children they looked after reaffirm the special bond nannies and children share.
Searching for Mary Poppins: Women Write About the Relationship Between Mothers and Nannies by Susan Davis and Gina Hyams (2007). Through 24 essays women explore the complicated relationship between mothers and those they hire to help raise their children.
The Perfect Stranger: The Truth About Mothers and Nannies by Lucy Kaylin (2007). Written from a journalist’s perspective, the joys and struggles of the nanny and mother relationship are intimately studied.
Shadow Mothers: Nannies, Au Pairs and the Micropolitics of Mothering by Cameron Lynne Macdonald (2011). Interviews with both American born and immigrant caregivers give insight into the social, cultural, and relational tensions that exist in the mother and nanny relationship.
The Little Princesses: The Story of the Queen’s Childhood by Her Nanny by Marion Crawford and Jennie Bond (2003). First published in 1950 and rereleased in 2003, the original nanny diaries explores one nanny’s plight to raise royalty while attempting to show them a bit of the ordinary world.
White House Nanny: My Years with Caroline and John F. Kennedy by Maud Shaw (1966). A look into the childhood lives of John and Caroline Kennedy from the perspective of the family’s live-in nanny, Maud Shaw.
From books to reality television shows, and documentaries to the big screen, the public’s fascination with nannies continues. While these books focus on real-life nannies, some certainly do real life fiction.
No comments:
Post a Comment