Family: How the Human Need for Connection Forms and Shapes Our Lives

From the acclaimed author of Our Babies, Ourselves comes an illuminating and thought-provoking look at the nature of family across time and cultures. Family is the most ubiquitous and persistent human social group.Everyone across the world has a family, even if that family has been lost, broken, or transformed.Acclaimed anthropologist Meredith Small, author of Our Babies, Ourselves, examines the very roots of the family and why this particular type of connection is the bedrock of human interaction in all cultures-and how this understanding can help us navigate our rapidly changing world. Previous books about family are self-help books designed to start, build, or repair broken families.Family: How the Human Need for Belonging Shapes Our Lives is something different.Why do we form families? Why do people place such importance on their family relationships? And what is the reality of family life-does it live up to our expectations?What do families provide for each of us at all the stages