Shaun Deeney
Shaun Deeney is a former journalist and Emmy award-winning film and TV producer, who has made current affairs programmes on social issues, including care. LOVE & CARE charts his first year learning to care for his mum who has Parkinson's dementia.
Twitter: @shaun_deeney
Biography
Shaun Deeney is a former journalist and Emmy award-winning film and TV producer, who has made current affairs programmes on social issues, including care. LOVE & CARE charts his first year learning to care for his mum who has Parkinson's dementia. Writing with raw honesty and humour, Shaun reflects on his own experiences of both love and care - as a son, a father, and a man – as he attempts to come to terms with the present reality and keep hope alive. A hugely timely publication, Love & Care touches on issues of ageing and care faced by many families around the world, which have been exacerbated by a pandemic that has seen 4.5 million people in the UK facing new care responsibilities, joining Britain’s existing 7 million-plus carers.
The book is based on the author's pilot podcast, also called ‘Love and Care’, that attracted praise from Nicci Gerrard, author of What Dementia Teaches Us About Love, Carers UK, and Caroline Raphael, manager of Radio 4’s Book at Bedtime for Pier Productions, who said: ‘This is a vital subject, a really strong voice, and hurrah, humour! Absorbing listening…’
The Dementia Action Alliance, Alzheimer's Support, Carers UK, Carers Trust and Alzheimer Europe are following Shaun's work.
Claudia Connal said of the announcement, ‘The past year has seen many of us taking on caring roles and learning to cope with the highs and lows that come with it. I was immediately drawn to Shaun’s story. We have fallen in love with Shaun’s wonderful prose -- the heartfelt descriptions of life with his mother, the touches of gentle humour and the wry observations. Love & Care is a book for our time. It is truly a celebration of our capacity to love in all its forms.’
Shaun Deeney said: ‘I desperately wanted carers to be seen as people with their own lives and tell the truth about care by writing openly about my own experiences and failings, both as a carer and as a man, but with a genuine sense of hope for the future. Because though there are challenges in learning to care there are also hugely valuable lessons in love.’
Books
Love & Care
by Shaun Deeney was published on 20th May 2021 in hardback, ebook and audiobook. The paperback was published in 2023.
Rights: World English - sold to Endeavour, an imprint of Octopus, Hachette
For language rights contact Rebecca Winfield rebecca@rebeccawinfield.com
For TV and film rights contact Meg Davis meg@ki-agency.co.uk