BOOKS
Fridays With My Folks
Originally first published in 2019. Second edition coming in 2026.
“Ageing, failing health and the looming reality of once-distant death are not exactly the most cheering of subjects, but Amal Awad makes it an engaging, reflective and salutary read … A snapshot of things as they are now, and a personal, poignant tale.”—The Age
Amal Awad’s life changed when her father was diagnosed with kidney failure.
It was a shock to see the impact it had on him, both physically and mentally, and the way the side effects trickled on to those around him. Work had always made him feel whole, and retirement was a challenge. On a mission to help her father and support her mother, Amal began spending every Friday with her parents.
“‘My parents have their complex stories. How long have I diminished their pathways as being less complex than mine? They often speak to me in Arabic. I reply in English. How long have we spoken two different languages and how does that make them feel?’ What gives this book its heft and power is not facts and figures but this blunt personal insight.”—The Australian
She saw the gaps in discussion around ageing and sickness. Amal’s personal experiences prompted her to explore how Australians are ageing, how sickness affects the afflicted and those around them, and what solutions exist when hope seems lost. So many people are similarly navigating a new reality – weeks dotted with doctor appointments; conversations that deplete and reveal at the same time; reshaped family relationships.
Amal speaks with doctors, nurses, an aged care psychologist, specialists, politicians, ageing people living alone and others in a retirement village, to gain insights and to consider solutions. At a time when ageism and health is high on the public’s radar, what we’re not always talking about is how to deal with the anxiety, depression and overall challenges that come with someone you love facing their mortality and a decline in health.
“[Awad] includes expertise from health care professionals and lawmakers … documenting their struggles with genuine heart. What becomes clear in Awad’s research is society’s clear discomfort with ageing, and how it is framed as a failure in our youth-obsessed society. An admirable strength of Fridays With My Folks is the strong personal thread, which connects readers to Awad’s father, a Palestinian migrant and ambitious adventurer.”—Books & Publishing
Fridays with My Folks shares heartfelt, honest stories that will help others who are in similar positions. People who are having to reorient themselves when the boat has taken a battering and they have to take a new direction. This book stems from personal experiences, but it expands to a much wider, more universal discussion about life, suffering, coping and hope.
