The Whole Fam Damily

Marcia Sweet, formerly head of the Douglas Library’s
Information/Reference Unit at Queen’s University, is currently an
Ottawa-based information consultant and freelance editor.

This story of a dysfunctional family and their dealings with social
workers, neighbors, and police takes readers into the world of welfare,
unemployment, drug addiction, and family violence. Written from the
point of view of the family’s freewheeling, super-liberal
“grandmother,” the book is surprisingly upbeat. Although it
occasionally strays into heavy-handed moralizing, The Whole Fam Damily
offers strong characters and colorful writing. The grim subject matter
is treated with an engaging mix of sympathy and humor.