Unhappy Families

Adam Ferner's short, engaging book explores the ethical dimensions of childcare in a world riven by conflict, inequality and the climate emergency. He argues that widespread attitudes towards biological parenthood contribute to these worsening crises and he examines the liberatory potential of foster-care and adoption.

Written in a clear and jargon-free style, the book is also informed by Ferner's extensive experience as a youth worker, child-minder and child support worker. He foregrounds the concerns of young people largely marginalised by society, and argues against the prevailing orthodoxy that hope is a necessary element of childcare. The book challenges us to look afresh at our everyday notions of parenthood, childcare and reproduction and to question the dominant ethos of the family.