Under One Roof: Creating Harmony for Multigenerational Living

by Emily K. Graham, Angel L. Vargas, John L. Graham

Amazon Bestseller in Parent & Adult Relationships, Aging Parents, and Family Health
Explore the enormous opportunities and benefits of multigenerational living in this essential guide to the modern American family.

This inventive guide to multigenerational living arrives at a crucial time, as families cope with the stresses of a changing society and the tidal wave of baby boomer retirement. This book about the American family of today offers solutions, guidance, and assistance from three authors who bring their different experiences and expertise to this presentation of the challenges, realities, and benefits of multigenerational living.

Under One Roof explores the current state of the American family, including fast-rising life expectancies, the growing costs of elder care, the increasing need for childcare, the frustrating lack of affordable housing, and the new familial disconnectedness. In response, this timely book also examines

• designing communities and homes to accommodate a fast-graying America,

• the positives of elders providing childcare,

• handling relationships with aging parents,

• privacy, space, and communication issues within multigenerational living situations,

• the evolution of the American healthcare system, hiring home caregivers, increasing the ability to comfort in hospice, and

• dealing with the death of a loved one.

Under One Roof will bring you inspiration and exciting opportunities for invention as you and your modern American family tackle the challenges of the twenty-first century.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help

418 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 5, 2024

Reviews

[Beverly Reid · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this in Goodreads giveaway. Thank you for the opportunity to provide my honest review.

I AM in the target demographic to which this book is aimed. I have no experience in multigenerational cohabitation, my husband and I have one adult daughter (married) and they have our one granddaughter. I have to admit, having them living four+ hours drive away makes me jealous of people who get to see their grandkids daily.

I am not easy to live with, so I have no idea who i thought i was kidding work this fantasy where we could all live in harmony provided the house big enough. Based on the points this book makes (lots i didn't think of), the house would need to be city blocks long to even be a peaceful starting place lol.

Thanks for the opportunity to review this book. I likely will never need to put these ideas to test. But anyone in this situation or considering a similar one will do well to read it.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very detailed and comprehensive series of essays on seeking a successful experience in multi generational living. The current economy has increased the need for this option. It includes children continuing in the home after graduation or new jobs, children and grandchildren needing to come temorarily or long term, seniors who need assistance or cannot afford senior housing, and families who need a senior to help keep young children out of daycare. Many new homes are now built with this need in mind, with spaces for privacy and easy entrance. It's an old concept still in practice around the world. There are chapters to cover each situation with important issues to consider. There are troubleshooting ideas and even details about all the logistics fo building your own space.

It's a bit of an encyclopedia with some strong doses of advice. Pick and choose what is helpful.

[RACHEL · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to Goodreads as I won a Kindle copy of this book in a giveaway.

With two teenaged sons and a father with Alzheimer’s living with us I was looking for this to be more about the emotional aspects of sharing spaces and ‘getting along.’ The book included anecdotal interviews with families but did not delve into deeper conversations, if was more about logistics.

I skimmed through the middle that focused on the options for living together and home building. I can see this might be a better read in advance, in planning for living together but felt too much like reading a textbook for my needs. I also don’t like that the book was published in 2006 and 2013 under different titles. The authors claimed to have made updates and added a couple chapters but I believe I would be upset if I purchased this having read either of the previous editions.

[Steph · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book from Goodreads Giveaways in exchange for a fair review. I thought this book would offer insight or suggestions into my living situation. My husband and I live with my mother and have for about 6 or 7 years now. This book is actually geared towards either elderly parents needing to move in with adult children, or the adult children getting ready to move their parent(s) in. It’s very informative and a great resource for anyone in that situation. It deals with all the decisions and considerations you should be making before you join households. Definitely helpful in the decision making and planning stages, less so after the fact.

[Sofi · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Under One Roof: Creating Harmony for Multigenerational Living" by Emily K. Graham is an insightful and heartwarming guide that beautifully navigates the complexities of living with multiple generations under one roof. Graham's expertise and compassionate voice shine through each page, offering practical advice, poignant stories, and thoughtful solutions that make intergenerational cohabitation not just manageable, but deeply enriching. Her tips on communication, space management, and fostering mutual respect are invaluable. This book is an essential read for anyone looking to create a harmonious, supportive, and joyous multigenerational home.

[Mandy Botlik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not you target reader

I got this book in a give away through goodreads. I found that I was not the target demographic for this book. It is aimed at the boomer generation. I liked the well researched information but it also gave assignments to watch certain movies or view videos. If I buy a book on a topic, I expect the book to provide all information on the subject rather than giving assignments.

[JB · Rating 4 out of 5]

a lot of really good info

I received this book in a Goodreads giveaway. There is a lot of good information in this book and I have highlighted huge sections and will be referring to those sections in many years to come. Love learning new things and got that in addition to all the reference materials, tutorials and ideas. Great resource, enjoy!

[Julia Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from a Goodreads Giveaway. As someone who grew up on a multigenerational home and lost my nana I lived with about a month ago a lot of this hit home. I agree with a lot of the sentiments of the positives of multigenerational living. This book would be a great tool to any individuals considering this lifestyle.

[Kristy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides great insight into multi generational living. Hearing different points of view and being able to relate and understand what others are experiencing is incredibly helpful to our own situations.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book through a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Greenleaf Book Group for choosing me.

Although I wasn't the target demographic for this book I still found it interesting. It is full of interviews with people who are living in multigenerational homes that provide insight into what it could be to do it yourself at one point of your life. Through each of their perspectives you glimpse the pros and cons of multigenerational living and at least for me, I found myself reflected in these pages. Ever since my father passed away, my mother and sister have been living with me. Some of these stories resonated with me, some even gave me hope for what the future could be for the three of us in a multigenerational home. We're all going to have to face getting older, illnesses and disabilities at some point. I do appreciate the wealth of information that was provided and loved that the chapters although lengthy were broken up into subsections making it easy to read and follow along with the information.

The writing style and format of the book was perfect in my opinion. I also enjoyed the "homework" given throughout the book and the graphs and charts that accompanied the information as well.

It definitely gives you something to think about, and even if you don't end up living in a multigenerational home its still worth the read.

[Chapter Chirp (Jessica)]

“Under One Roof” by Emily K. Graham, Angel L. Vargas, and John L. Graham was an incredibly informative read on multigenerational living, how to make it work peacefully, and how many people do make it work. I liked how each chapter was broken down by separate topics under the umbrella of multigenerational living each with its own set of interviews, infographics, details, etc. I think the idea of multigenerational living is a fantastic notion and I would love to implement this in the future and this book gave me a lot of good for thought that I had never taken into account when thinking about this topic. The only thing I didn’t enjoy about the book is that the interviews could sometimes seem to go on and on making certain parts of the book a slog. Overall I think this would be helpful to anyone considering this way of life because there is a tremendous wealth of knowledge in this book.
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