Collect the beloved newspaper comic strip that chronicles the saga of the Patterson family in real time, over three decades, in this definitive edition. The Patterson family drama continues in this penultimate volume in the series. Elizabeth begins her teaching career when she graduates from university and moves to the fictional Indigenous town of Mtigwaki in northern Ontario, Michael’s writing career shifts gears when he goes freelance but finds it isn’t easy to manage when their second child is on the way, and April enters her teenage years, starts high school, and forms a garage band called 4Evah. Meanwhile, Elly and John begin the process of retiring when Elly sells Lilliputs. For Better or For Worse continues to delight readers of every age in this saga spanning four generations of Pattersons! Collecting every strip from May 4, 2003 to July 29, 2006.

Collect the beloved newspaper comic strip that chronicles the saga of the Patterson family in real time, over three decades, in this definitive edition. The Pattersons must weather a host of tumultuous changes as the strip enters the 21st century—Elizabeth moves in with her boyfriend, Michael and Weed move to Toronto, Elizabeth moves in with her boyfriend, and Michael and Deana get married and anticipate the birth of their first child. Plus, the Pattersons step out of their comfort zones when Elly buys a bookstore, Elizabeth starts a teaching job, and April forms a garage band! More laughs, tears, heartache, and smiles from Lynn Johnston as she takes her strip into the 21st century! Included are every comic strip from January 2, 2000 to May 27, 2003.

"The feisty warm-hearted "mum" has long figured as a symbol of the working class in Britain, yet working-class history has emphasized male organizations such as clubs, unions, or political parties. Investigating a different dimension of social history, Love and Toil focuses on motherhood among the London poor in the late Victorian and Edwardian years, and on the cultures, communities, and ties with husbands and children that women created. Mothers' skills in managing the family budget, earning income, and caring for their children were critical in protecting households from the worst hardships of industrial capitalism, yet poverty or the threat of it molded intimate relationships and left its imprint on personalities. This book is also a case study demonstrating the larger argument that the concept of "motherhood" is more socially and historically constructed than biologically determined. Shaky household economics, pressure toward respectability, the close proximity of neighbors, the precariousness of infant and child life, and little chance of better lives for their children shaped the work and emotions of motherhood much more than did the biological experiences of pregnancy, birth, and lactation. This beautifully written book, embellished with Cockney slang and music hall songs, addresses fascinating questions in the fields of women's studies, labor history, social policy, and family history."--pub. description.