The contributors to this volume, who are predominantly African American, talk of the joys and difficulties of being both a professional social worker and a family caregiver. They provide a rare look at the emotional and organizational dynamics between individuals, couples, and families who provide care, and yet who are also committed to a full time career as a human service professional. The rich backgrounds of the contributors demonstrate the importance of age, ethnicity, gender, marital status, and gerontological expertise in the practice of family care. Readers will gain valuable insight into negotiating social service agencies and other institutions, and they will learn in what way a professional education prepares (or fails to prepare) a caregiver with the skills for successful intervention on behalf of a loved one. Essays recount care of individuals across the life span and situations in which multiple family members need care either simultaneously or sequentially.