The new meaning of family in an age of estrangement

The new meaning of family in an age of estrangement

The following is an excerpt from Families We Lose: A New Explanation for Family Estrangement by Rin Reczek and available August 18 from NYU Press. As society becomes more polarized around political and cultural beliefs, family estrangement has received increased attention. Going no contact with a parent, sibling, grandparent, or other extended family member is often portrayed as a sign of the further fraying of society or as a result of selfish …