I have a strong mother, who comes from a strong mother. And my mom Teri Leonard Michaud just published her first book! It's based on her tough childhood, which was defined as much by her father's alcoholism and broken promises as it was by her mother's tenacity and fierce determination to raise six kids into good humans.
Recognizing that this is a professional networking platform, here's the thing: my grandmother Rita's early marriage and motherhood were shaped by religious dogma and cultural norms, like the need to work full-time in an era when many women didn't. She needed an apartment lease, a bank account, and a car, none of which she could get without her husband's signature. She peeled him away from the local bar to get those essentials to earn a living and raise her family.
This story is wrapped up in housing, finance, land use, and transportation decisions from bygone era that still determine how and where we live, and spend our time and take-home pay.
With a high school degree, my grandmother worked her way up as a single mom, from part-time switchboard operator, to administrative assistant, and eventually (well past the timeline of this book) to the sidewalk inspector in the Engineering Department for the Town of West Hartford.
Work has always been a big part of my identity. This book helps me understand some of that DNA, and beyond that, is an amazing story. I'm so proud of my mom. And my grandma.
Where Are All the Kids? is available on Amazon or your local book seller. #workingmoms #singlemoms
Strategic Planning Consultant, Sustainability Designer; Historian of STEAM Urban-Regional Infrastructure Systems
3moThanks for addressing transportation planning questions and concerns that not enough people bother to think about: transit equity = dignity.