Marcos Perez – författare

The true story of a man whose life is transformed when he takes an unlikely caretaking job for a disabled 87-year-old who is more than he seems. Marcos’s friends used to describe him as a happy family man, a successful graphic artist, and a joyous ukulele player. But then, he lost his marriage and his job, and nearly lost his newly outed transgender son to a suicide attempt after a violent attack by classmates. Marcos receded into a darkening depression as job applications went unanswered and bills piled up. An inability to afford his son’s medication raised Marcos’s anxiety to a breaking point. Desperate, he silently opened himself up to whomever or whatever might be listening and asked for help. The answer he got back from the universe was clear: “Just do the next good thing.” The next morning, he received the email that would change his life. The subject line read simply, “Help our friend Joe.” When Marcos clicked on it, he was surprised to find it was a job offer as a home caregiver to a remarkable 87-year-old named Joe Sabah.This book chronicles the inspirational true story of an old man near the end of his life who found a new friend and offered a lasting gift of 10 life-changing lessons for Marcos to share with others who still need to find their “next good thing.”

The true story of a man whose life is transformed when he takes an unlikely caretaking job for a disabled 87-year-old who is more than he seems. Marcos’s friends used to describe him as a happy family man, a successful graphic artist, and a joyous ukulele player. But then, he lost his marriage and his job, and nearly lost his newly outed transgender son to a suicide attempt after a violent attack by classmates. Marcos receded into a darkening depression as job applications went unanswered and bills piled up. An inability to afford his son’s medication raised Marcos’s anxiety to a breaking point. Desperate, he silently opened himself up to whomever or whatever might be listening and asked for help. The answer he got back from the universe was clear: “Just do the next good thing.” The next morning, he received the email that would change his life. The subject line read simply, “Help our friend Joe.” When Marcos clicked on it, he was surprised to find it was a job offer as a home caregiver to a remarkable 87-year-old named Joe Sabah.This book chronicles the inspirational true story of an old man near the end of his life who found a new friend and offered a lasting gift of 10 life-changing lessons for Marcos to share with others who still need to find their “next good thing.”

¿Qué quieren los piqueteros? ¿Cortar calles, complicarle la vida al resto, vivir a costa del Estado? ¿Van a las protestas manipulados por sus referentes? Cada vez es más común escuchar opiniones como estas en la esfera pública. Recuperando trayectorias personales muy diversas y reveladoras, este libro muestra cuán poco sabemos de las verdaderas motivaciones que llevan a los piqueteros a incorporarse a una organización y a permanecer en ella a lo largo del tiempo incluso si no siempre coinciden con su línea política y si a duras penas les permite sustentar a sus familias.A partir de una investigación con foco en la vida cotidiana de los y las militantes de base, Marcos Pérez nos cuenta que muchos usan su activismo no para evitar el trabajo duro, sino para recrearlo. El atractivo de la participación radica, justamente, en que conlleva costos y sacrificios. En un contexto de desindustrialización y desempleo, la mayoría ingresa a un movimiento por necesidad, venciendo sus propios prejuicios y sentimientos de vergüenza. Lo que varios encuentran allí es la posibilidad de reconstituir las rutinas perdidas del empleo asalariado en las fábricas y el sentido de consistencia y respetabilidad asociado a lo que consideran más valioso: el merecimiento debido al esfuerzo, la autodisciplina, el cumplimiento responsable de horarios y tareas. Si los hombres garantizan la seguridad en el barrio y las manifestaciones, o trabajan en la construcción, las mujeres sostienen comedores, guarderías y talleres de costura o de cocina. Y todos están atentos a la puntualidad, el ausentismo, la productividad.¿Qué tienen los piqueteros en la cabeza? constituye un aporte original y lleno de matices para entender a uno de los actores más relevantes de la política popular en la Argentina, y ayuda a pensar cómo, ante la incertidumbre económica, los sectores más vulnerables no necesariamente adoptan agendas reaccionarias.