Preorder Rewards for The Dignity of Dependence!
Commissioned bookmarks and a sneak peek at the text
Today is my birthday, so, in fine, Hobbit-y tradition, I’d like to offer a present to all of you.
On October 1st, The Dignity of Dependence: A Feminist Manifesto will be released by Notre Dame University Press. I’ll be speaking in NYC on Oct 2nd, and in DC on Oct 7th, with more dates and cities to come.
The central claim of this book is that no one can live up to the false ideal of “autonomy” but this lie about what human beings are hits women harder, earlier, and more intimately. A world that welcomes women tells the truth about our mutual dependence.
It’s been a pleasure to see the book in the hands of some early (sometimes very early!) readers as people prep reviews.
And I wanted to have something special to share with all of you. Other Feminisms has given me a space to think about these topics in a sustained way, with thoughtful interlocutors. And some of you have helped sponsored the babysitting and the “no” to other work that gave me the time to complete the book.
I’ve commissioned two special bookmark designs from Grace Russo for readers who preorder the book. Each has a quote from The Dignity of Dependence on the back, and the preorder reward comes with a small sneak peek of the book. I knew I wanted Grace to do the art ever since I profiled her approach to mending and maintenance for Plough.
To get the special pre-order bookmarks:
Preorder the book! (Currently 40% off from ND Press with code: 14SUM25).
Use this form to upload a picture of your preorder of The Dignity of Dependence.
(If you already preordered, but lost your receipt, email me at leah.libresco+preorders@gmail.com)
Print your bookmarks, and feel free to send me pictures of them out and about in the world :)
I’m so grateful for your support, your stories, and your sustained conversation.
Happy birthday to me, indeed!
Ordered!
When my mom had a bike crash and broke her pelvis, I thought I'd be in the perfect position to be helpful to her, as a stay at home Mom who lived a short walk away. But I found that as a mom of a jumpy toddler (not helpful around painfully broken bones), I actually couldn't come over unless there was someone else to watch my daughter. My brother, who was single at the time and could sometimes work remotely (and who could walk to work nearby), moved in with my mom for six weeks. He could be there during the day most days and overnights and I could come after my husband was done with work for the evening or when I had babysitting. My sister came to visit for a week to help too, but then had to go home. I was so glad my brother and my mom had both moved to the same city where I lived (after much encouragement from me). If my mom had still lived a few states away when she crashed on her bike, I don't know how we would have taken care of her. After a full recovery, my mom is back to biking over 1200 miles a year.
My mom is so capable and active, being dependent, even temporarily, is really hard. She recently had dental surgery and wasn't supposed to drive or bike for a week or two during recovery. I came over and we watched The Chosen and did puzzles and after two days of that, my mom was super bored and wishing she could go on long bike rides with her biking group again.
I look forward to reading your book!
Late happy birthday, and congratulations on the book being ever closer to being released. Are you going to be able to make an audio book version?