In her book Group Living and Other Recipes, Lola Milholland recalls her childhood growing up in a communal home with its generous, welcoming vibe.
"People [would] go through the back door at my house because it leads directly into the kitchen," says Milholland. "My parents' friends were seeking conversation, and my parents seemed like they always wanted to have it. Though there wasn't a lot of money in our house, they knew how to make do with little. So it just was a place with a lot of interesting adults, maybe drinking a little too much, laughing a lot, trying to work through their own thoughts."
She continues to live in an old craftsman house in Oregon with her brother, her boyfriend, and a long-time roommate. Feelings of generosity and gratitude develop in group living situations, she says, as well as skills such as learning how to ask for space.
Milholland's mother also continues to model community living and questions why living independently is equated with adulthood. At 78 years old, she just welcomed a new roommate, still bakes with her 30-year-old sourdough starter, and gardens.
"Group Living and Other Recipes" reconsiders the idea of home and community. Photo courtesy of Spiegel & Grau.