Househusband

In The Kitchen Sink Papers: My Life As A Househusband, author Mike McGrady demonstrates he was a modern man long before his time. By modern man I mean a man who is not afraid to show emotion, does not equate household concerns or work to female, and understands happiness is not guaranteed by money, power or business success. While some men are made of such stuff in the modern era, few even considered any of these propositions nearly three decades ago when, in the midst of a successful career as a syndicated columnist, Mike McGrady gave it all up to become a househusband. Papers is an autobiographical account of this transition in his life, a period when many of his friend thought him insane, but McGrady argues he wanted a pressure-free life. The book is remarkable in its being ahead of its time where society's conception of gender roles is concerned. The book ends with a marriage contract that covers everything from financial details to child raising responsibilities. The duties and tasks of maintaining a household are shared equally by Mike and Corinne without regard to gender or traditional preconceptions of male and female genders, "Each individual is responsible for taking care of personal laundry. The entire laundry cycle-washing and drying-is to be done at one time. Clothes are never to be left in the laundry room" (McGrady 185).

Yet, the book is remarkable as well for it demonstrates how many of our preconceptions about

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