Aging Books

This book was recommeded to me by someone who know I was careing for an elder parent. Lucky for me my father doesn't experience the rages the writers does. While my father doesn't experience rages he does have some of the other issues the writer deals with. Her experinces can be discribed as maddening but she tells her story and relates her experiences with a touch of humor; although I'm positive they were funny at the time.

If you are starting to deal with an aging parent I highly recommend this book.

This is a great book for anyone dealing with parents with dementia or alzheimer's disease. Although my dad does not experience the rage that Jackie's did, this book helped me understand that there are many of us going through the same stuff and we can help each other! This book is easy to read, FUNNY, frightening, and engaging. The tips for dealing with her parents are very helpful and the resources section at the end is great. Thanks for writing this book!

The situation is one that many of us just beginning to think about enjoying retirement find ourselves in. We work years and years and just when we think it is our time to rest a bit, wham, our parents get this awful disease. This book is riveting. I would put it down because I was so angry with Jake, then just a minute later pick it up again. I have to admit that I really ended up hating Jake and I blame Mariel for not protecting her children from this maniac. The author forgives, but I don't think that I would be as gracious or as good a person and be able to forgive. And I'm just talking about the behaviors prior to the onset of the disease.

The part of the book I didn't like was the writing style. The author lapsed into movie or song dialog or variations on a title. It was nearly every other sentence and became quite distracting early on. I suppose this is due to her involvement in the entertainment industry, but yes we got that the first 10 pages.

There are some very good resources and specific question and answers at the end of the book. It provides a good starting point for those just now entering this crazy world of eldercare.

I'm not sure this book needs another review as the majority of readers all agree this is an amazing journey of hope,depair and unrelenting love by the author towards her parents. Jackie,despite having her own health problems,continues to fight with and for her parents as they all negotiate the health care maze concerning dementia. I can't imagine NOT giving up with all that the author went through to assure her parents of the best care possible. But she continued to use her humor and love for her parents to marshall all efforts to find answers to her father's illness. This book highlights how extreme measures are sometimes needed to receive the proper diagnosis and treatment. For many in this situation if the finacial assets were not available,as in many cases, the elder relative might languish without the necessary health intervention. The Physicians guide in the back is a wealth of information in and of itself. Many thanks to Jackie for this riveting journal.

After reading this book I learned I was not losing my mind. I was frustrated dealing with my difficult parents & in-laws. The book helped me to understand what was happening to them and gave me the knowledge to seek the appropriate support and intervention. Although my elderly family remains difficult, I am much better equipped to deal with them.

This book enlightened me and really got to me, much more than I expected. I was delighted to read about the life of a 102-year old african american man from the south, as I am a 30-something white woman from MT. He has a lot to teach us, and a lot to remind us of and has a way of doing so that makes us thankful for what we have. George Dawson is a gem and I am pleased that someone took the time to put his story on paper. What a great book!

Even though this book was published six years ago, the message of "Life is so good" is timeless. It is a window into a world that we are all a part of, but some of us rarely see. Truly memorable! Dawson sees literacy as an incredible gift and he in turn gives the reader numerous ones in return.

Richard Glaubman's "Life Is So Good" is a real comeuppance for anyone whose outlook towards life runs along the lines of "I wish I had done X, but I'm too old to start now." Here's a man, George Dawson, who learned how to read at age 98. As a USA Today review aptly summarizes, "Dawson has become a literary hero, a testament to the power of perseverance." First-time author Glaubman expertly fleshes out Larry Bingham's award-winning 1998 Fort Worth Star-Telegram short story.

Dawson's tales of life in the Jim Crow-era South, his unquenchable work ethic, and his travels throughout North America make for compelling reading. Here is a man who was never given a shot to read when he was younger - economic circumstances forced him into full-time manual labor at a very early age. Despite significant hardship, his optimism and sense of self-worth never waver. The title really sums it up well here. Glaubman's final words from Dawson are "Life is so good and it gets better every day."

As other reviewers have noted, Chapter 1 of this book could stand alone as among the best short stories you'll ever read.

I like the memoir because George Dawson never gave up his dream to read and write. George was born in the late 1800's. His parents were not slaves, but his grandparents were once slaves. George was raised in Texas. His family was poor, and he never attended school. Georges started working at a very young age, drawing water from the well each morning for the house. George worked alongside his father in the fields. The work was hard, so was their life. They had to watch what they said and went in fear of the K.K.K. Twelve year old George went to work, and stayed with a white family to help out at home. His cousins came to live with his family because their parents died, so George was needed at home. George left home at twenty-one and worked in Tennessee building levees. It was two years before he returned back home.

Life is So Good is a story about George Dawson's dreams of receiving mail, learning to read and write at the age of ninety-eight, and his work ethic. I can relate to George's hard work and his work ethic. I beleive in hard work and doing it right the first time.

This book is sad and tells of struggles he had to go through. It is not easy reading at first because the chapters jumped around. But overall, it is a good book to read.

"Life is good just like it is"(233). "Don't worry about what someone else thinks. Just do the right thing and take pride in yourself"(214). The owner of this optimistic way of thinking toward life was George Dawson, the grandson of an African American slave, who worked hard his whole life but was illiterate until he turned 98 years old. From the time George Dawson was a young boy, he learned the importance of hard work from his father and gave up going to school to help raise his younger siblings since he was the oldest son of five children. Dawson felt that school was only for children, and he was never aware of adult education classes until he attended an ABE (Adult Basic Education) program. He was ashamed of his illiteracy, but no one around him knew it, not even his children, until Dawson told them. When signing a sheet, he had to mark his name with an X.

Dawson grew up in South, Texas, where there was a prevalence of strong racial discrimination. As a grandson of an African American slave, he suffered social injustices his whole life, including racism and poverty, but his cheerful view of life was the key to his mental and physical health. Dawson's wholesome life philosophy despite a racist society was transmitted to him from his father who taught him how to get along or deal with white people without friction; this was a realistic and functional survival skill. However, throughout the book, strong racism was well represented in every story and left me feeling sad and angry.

Nevertheless, their family worked hard so they could make enough to feed the family. Moreover, he left home to travel and work for about nine years here and there, not only inside the USA, but also in Canada and Mexico. These experiences away from home let him become acquainted with the ways of the world. During his lifetime, Dawson did not waste his time and tried as best as he could in any situation and he did not lose his warm heart nor fall into any misbehaviors under difficult circumstances.

He married four times and had seven children, but he sent all his children to college; for his life, he had always valued the importance of education. He had lived in three different centuries, from the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 21st century. His life's journey in education as a member of the labor class and minority is a prime example of the American history of adult education in the 20th century. Interestingly, he traced back in memory to important social events or movements by looking at old photos or listening to past historical stories. Because he could not read the newspaper, he received the news from other people or the radio. His excellent memory enabled him to become literate in an ABE program at the age of 98 years old.

All through the book, I learned many actual philosophies of life. I thought that every ethnic group has its own specific life style, but I am reminded that the basic philosophy of life is not different between different races or classes; Dawson said that "...Every colored man had the same talk with his children: how to get along, how to survive in this world" (202). His philosophy was that, "A man is born to die. You got to keep that in mind and don't do no wrong" (257). This thinking was not new, but hearing these advices have produced a profound sense of meaning for me. He also said that, "You have no right to judge another human being,"(12) and "People forget that a picture ain't made from just one color. Life ain't all good or all bad"(233). He did not complain toward social injustices but kept his composure illustrated by his ability to keep calm. For example, when he was gardening for a white woman, he refused to eat a meal she served when he discovered she provided the same food to her dog.

However, I think that many parts of his optimistic perspectives towards social inequality were influenced by his illiteracy and non formal educational background. Without education, he was unable to articulate his human rights and desire for social reform. Criticisms directed towards social injustice were out of his realm of concern.
"I want for people not to worry so much. Life ain't going to be perfect, but things will work out" (246). "I guess the heat doesn't bother you people. You're fortunate that you can just keep working"(209). These positive thoughts were the cause of his long life; this book was published when he was 101 years old.

The school started at nine, but he got up by five-thirty and made his lunch, packed his books, and went over his schoolwork. He had always gone to school early and had not ever been late for three years since he began to attend the adult education program. When he turned one hundred years old, Dawson could read on a third-grade level.
I would definitely recommend this great book for any student over ten-year old children to let them know the importance of education, the value of literacy, and the sadness of a distorted social and racist environment. I also would like to recommend it to older generations who have been afraid of learning something at their age. I already handed this book to my teen-aged child with a brief explanation.

Those of us who are literate and highly educated people do not know the difficulties of illiteracy, but it is a shameful secret for many illiterate people. I think that illiteracy is mentally as debilitating as poverty. As a non-native English speaker, I have a similar sense of shame in many situations as Dawson might have had; this feeling is well synthesized into the story. This easy to read, meaningful, and impressive book kept me reading non-stop from the beginning to the end.
"Life is so good and it gets better every day" (260). I always would like to remember this philosophy of life.

This book is full of clear, common-sense talk, just the thing I needed when I bought it. Dealing with an aging parent can be tricky in the best of circumstances, and at worst can threaten the whole family structure. The level-headed advice in this book can help to keep things on track, and can help family members to develop the best plan for dealing with their particular situation, as it did with us.

I did a "speed-read" of the book in the 24 hours before a family conference. I did note a fair amount of repetition of ideas in the book, but that is not necessarily a bad thing: if you're reading just the chapters that seem most relevant, then that's where those ideas need to be mentioned. One bonus: reading the book made it clear to me that I need to be doing some elder planning for myself, and with my own children, to make things easier for them later.

"Am I doing the right thing?" Every adult child of a family member requiring eldercare asks this question. The Complete Eldercare Planner will help today's busy caregivers with medical, financial, and personal issues by condensing hours of research into a concrete plan of action. In one volume, readers will learn about emergency preparedness; how to tell when your elder needs help; talking about sensitive subjects; sharing the care; long-distance assistance; money and legal matters; health and wellness; insurance; housing; safety; transportation; maintaining quality of life; aging with a disability; death and dying; and more.

This carefully designed guide also presents material in an unusually accessible way, with dozens of checklists, step-by-step mini-planning guides, lists of low-cost/free resources, website index, questions to ask with places to write down answers, spaces to record elder's vital medial, financial, and personal information, and more.

7-22-05 -- Recently I found myself along with 3 other siblings and spouses thrust into new uncharted waters in a totally new season of our lives. Suddenly and without any training we were and continue to this day having to take care of my aging parents. I for one will freely admit that as a child I was never trained, prepared, nor exceptionally gifted to undertake such a task. It is just not the type of thing that you can ever really get to a line and say ready...set...go...and do it very well. Elderly health care in 2005 does not always afford us the luxury of any long preparation either emotionally or financially.

Suddenly unmercifully and usually without warning you hear over the phone in the midst of a busy American routine those words you dread. It's Cancer, a stroke, or replacement surgery, just minor or major operations which means weeks of homecare and hospitalization's, etc., You are suddenly no longer swinging a few bats warming up in the on deck circle there in safety at a bit of distance. But you find yourself thrust into the batters box. You are no longer the stand by just in case fill in player who dressed for the game just in case you would or might be needed. But suddenly with a phone call, you find yourself thrust without any prior warning into the batters box. You are to take charge with 3 others voices and votes, your parents primary healthcare.

Now, if you call a frantic call for "HELP" in the middle of the night when just the week before things were okay a warning, well then, you're doing better than we were. You find yourself suddenly up at the plate with bases loaded, two outs, bottom of the ninth your teams behind 3 runs. To top it off you're facing a 94mph fastball pitcher who also throws a mean slider called the reality of life. You have never been good at hitting these kinds of pitches. Much less being the homerun hitter the team needs at this moment and are all looking to you now for. Then you hear through your wife there is a book available on just such a thing. It allows you to calmly and logically check out all of your options. It tells you in simple language just how you go about walking through this difficult mine field you've been thrust into without training or any real prior warning. It tells you how to do this without losing your mind, your family unity, and most of all your parents dignity.

I found myself literally reading the pages of Joy's, "Elder Care" wonderful "How TO" book on the plane going headed to Florida. I was then going there for my Dad's 80th B-day party as well as a visit to help out for 10 days at my elderly parents. Little did I know then, that I would see those 10 days turn suddenly into 46 long and hectic days I ended up spending there. Little did I realize as I paged through this how to book on Elderly Care that it would be like a daily Bible to me. I was literally reading a chapter ahead of the events as they unfolded in the next days. It was giving me the answers to question I had not yet asked, but found myself doing so in the next days to follow.

As a former Eagle Scout, USMC SGT., Police Officer, Business owner, 20 years as a Lay Minister and being Happily Married to the same woman for over 26 years now, I'd received lots and lots of great training. Even you will have to admit that this background covers a lot of diversified and really good training. But nothing, absolutely nothing, but my Faith prepared me emotionally, physically, or all of us financially for the events that would suddenly and totally unwelcomed show up in the middle of the night. They just seem to attack you without ceasing on these issues when it's "Your Mom or Dad."

Thank you Joy, for the time it must have taken you and the wealth of information this book contains. I personally know that it was truly a Godsend at a time of crisis in our lives. It still today continues to guide us along these slippery slopes. But because of this well timed work of Mercy and Grace, we have maintained as a family, and continued to allow my parents their Dignity and somewhat their independence. I believe this book will help answer the question of the heart on elderly care and give you practical and timely information to steer you to through the minefields of elderly care life. You should have a copy on the shelf in your own homes and be reading it now, if your parents are near or reaching retirement age.

We waited and it caught us totally by surprise. But it didn't catch Joy by surprise...I personally believe that she was obedient to the Spirit of God to produce this work for a time such as this. Our generation will Thank Her one day I believe for her unselfish actions in writing this Elder Care "How To Bible" for the uniformed. The Word of God says that "...my people perish for a lack of knowledge..." I believe that this book is full of knowledge that will help us all in our moments of crisis and bring life and health to all who read it.

Thanks for listening to my lengthy review and a very special Thanks to You Joy. You just keep on writing Joy and we will keep getting filled with the great knowledge we all need and can practically use for our loved ones. God Bless you and again... Thank you from our families hearts to yours.

God Bless You,
David D. Spaulding

For those who have been, or will be, managing the health and financial welfare of your elderly parents, this book provides very helpful and detailed guidelines on how to do this with tact and compassion, as well as providing numerous resources. I ordered copies for all of my siblings. Best resource I found on the subject.

My mother in law needs so much care and we had no clue on what to do. We bought this book and we bought the 36-Hour day. We are completely sure now that we are making the right choices because of the tips in both of these books. I recommmend this book highly.

I found this book to be extremely informational in helping me understand the way my body reacts to hormones. Highly reccomended read for every woman.

Recent articles in the Los Angeles Times have pointed out that pollutants discharged and mixed in the Pacific Ocean are so great, even in this diluted state, some male fish are developing eggs. This book and the companion titled "What your Doctor Might Not Tell you About Pre-menopause by Lee guides you on how endocrine pollution is effecting us and what to do about it. My doctor told me ten years ago that all his women patients that turned forty must read this book to be prepared when our bodies start to go through the change into menopause. I am now 51 and I'm back to buy another updated copy as menopause has hit me hard. My current M.D. put me on emergency medication of anti-depressants and I know this book will provide me with the tools to get off of them and get my heath back! This is the book that will teach you how to protect yourself so you don't get breast cancer (now one in 8 women), cysts, fibroids, etc. Anti-depressants do not protect you from this kind of pollution, they only treat the symptoms. Doctors were bombarded from drug companies that wanted to sell their patented fake hormones. Thousands of women died from these drugs and so now many doctors are afraid of any kind of hormone therapy. Natural hormones protect the body, which we need now to counteract estrogen based pollution. You can not afford to do nothing. Four of my family members got estrogen based cancers and none of us had the genes to predispose them for these cancers. Because these natural hormones can't be patented there is no big money to do the double blind studies nor is there anyone beating down doctor's doors to educate them. The doctors that have taken up the cause for natural hormone therapy do not have the high cancer rates in their patients as is found in the general population. Over ten years of experience is proof enough for these M.D.s to go against the norms as pushed by pharmaceutical companies.

This book is very helpful for anyone that is going through the change of life. I learned a lot from it.

Natural Hormone Balance for Women by Uzzi Reiss MD

This is currently one of the best books for women who want to know about natural bio-identical hormones for the menopausal symptoms of night sweats, hot flashes, insomnia, weight gain, and foggy mind.

I met Uzzi Reiss at a medical meeting a few years ago, and he mentioned his new book during conversation. After returning from the meeting, I read Suzanne Somers' book in which she mentioned that Uzzi Reiss had been one of her doctors during her long odyssey to find bio-identical hormone replacement. As a gynecologist with a large clinical practice in Los Angeles, Dr. Uzzi Reiss has accumulated a considerable amount of knowledge and experience using natural hormones for women, and Dr. Reiss is one of the few physicians willing to share this knowledge.

Reiss's book provides a practical guide for the safe use of natural hormones, and answers the following questions:

1) When to use natural hormones, when to not use them
2) The difference between unsafe patented synthetic hormones, and the safe natural hormones.
3) Why natural hormones are safe.
4) What route of administration is best, pills, gels, creams, drops, etc.
5) What are your possible responses to each hormone in terms of how you will feel.
6) How to monitor our response and adjust your hormone dosage individually.
7) How to work with your doctor to adjust your hormone dosage for optimal effect avoiding hormone excess symptoms.

Regarding hormone testing:

Dr. Reiss uses blood testing for baseline hormone levels, however, he says: "The heavy reliance on normal-range readings is nothing less than a tragic, medical addiction"

Dr. Reiss's approach:

After a routine history and physical exam, baseline blood hormone levels and a pelvic sonogram, treatment is started at a relatively low hormone dosage, adjusting upward as needed. For the adjustment phase, Dr. Reiss empowers his patients with the knowledge to adjust their individual hormone levels. This is done based on symptoms of hormone deficiency or excess, clearly described in detail in his book, which serves as an educational tool for his patients.

Separate chapters are devoted to Estrogen, Progesterone and Testosterone with very detailed descriptions of symptoms of hormonal deficiency and hormonal excess. Dr. Reiss does not discuss thyroid, leaving that for other authors. Also, there are only limited comments about adrenal fatigue and the problems associated with low cortisol.

A major strength of the book is that Dr. Reiss provides exact hormone dosages and route of administration for his Los Angeles patient population. However, as a matter of practical experience, I have found his starting estrogen dosage somewhat on the high side of the scale for my area of the country, so I would caution the reader about that. Also, Dr. Reiss does not explain why he changed the standard formulation of Tri-Est (10/10/80) to a different unique formulation of Tri-Est gel (0.25E1/ 0.75E2/ 2.75E3). According to most large national compounding pharmacies, the most common formulation is Bi-Est in 0.625 mg to 1.25 mg dosage with (20 E2 / 80 E3) formulation.

In any event, these minor flaws are outweighed by the many strengths of the book which empowers women to learn about natural hormone balance. I applaud Dr. Reiss for providing a valuable public service with a book that should be in every woman's library on natural hormone replacement.

Jeffrey Dach MD

Next to the Bible, this is the most useful book a woman will ever use!! I've been following the recommendations of Dr. Reiss for over a year now (I just turned 41) and I feel like myself again.
For many years I argued with my PCP that I wasn't depressed, his position was that I was still having my period so my hormones were just fine. After talking with a friend about how I felt, she referred me to this book and a FNP that specialized in women's hormones. After all the tests were run, I was diagnosed as having pre-mature menopause due to an excessively stressful lifestyle.
I have always been very health conscious - eating healthy, working out, etc..., but my life of go, go, go finally caught up with me. Since starting the BHRT the excess weight has easily gone away, my skin looks great, I have energy. So many people have noticed and complimented me asking what am I doing differently. Thank you Dr. Reiss for giving me my life back! I was too young to feel that old!!
If you are a woman of any age - buy this book and buy several for your friends.
If you are a man with a woman in your life - read this book, it will give you a tremendous understanding of what your woman is going through as well as give you insight about your own hormones.

With so many helpful reviews, what more could I possibly add? Healthy at 100 is much more than a book about longevity. It's a challenge to not only change your perspective on your own health, but to make a difference in our own communities, and our family. John Robbins will take you into the seemingly heavenly world of the Abkhasians of the Caucasus Mountains, the Vilcabambans of Ecuador and the Hunzans of Pakistan, and then jerk you down to earth with a mission. Haven't read about the China Study or the Okinawa Study? John will get you up to speed.
A must read for anyone he is even remotely concerned about a better quality of life.

I'd give this title 5 stars if he wasn't so darn wordy and repetitive. Very useful information and lots of data to back everything up.

The supposed mainstream medical professionals have us all hyped into believing that a pill here and there will cure everything that ails us, and that many of the diseases we suffer from in this day and age are a result of it's just "the way it is". John Robbins, from analyzing those populations who have an extraordinary number of elders shows this is just not true. Over and over he documents cases whereby these elder populations suffer from none of the common diseases such as heart disease, cancer, etc. but, when the Western world knocks on their doorsteps in the form of unhealthy foods and ideas, the number of disease-free occupants takes a nose-dive.

It is very obvious it is our diet and lifestyle that causes these diseases, not the "it's just the way it is" and attack it with a pill doctrine.

A whole section of the book is devoted to feel-good things such as family and friends and purpose making a difference in how long people live as well.

Nothing complicated about the ideas in this book - just common sense once you've read the data. Ignore the almost daily studies that espouse this or that being good for you with contradictions galore. Time to get back to basics and use your head. Read this book and you'll be convinced.

John Robbin's book Health at 100 is one of the finest books I've read on living a healthy, vibrant life. Based on his own life experience and more particulary on the extensive research around the longest lived and healthiest, happiest people on the planet it is a must read for any person, at any age and stage of life, seeking sound,commensense input on living a healthy life. Very well written and engaging I was truely reinspired the whole book through. I have purchases copies for family and friends.

John's watershed book "Diet For A New America" was the catalyst, 20 years ago, for me becoming a Vegan Vegetarian. This is every bit as profound and compelling. John A Wood, Darlington, Western Australia

The first part of the book dealing with nutrition and exercise is unobjectionable, if a bit repetitive and rambling at times. Many people in the West could adopt a much more healthy lifestyle without too much trouble. But the part of the book dealing with love and happiness is straight out of the 1960's. Simply put, in the societies Robbins studied, where people live in isolated mountain and valley enclaves, people probably had little choice but to eat a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Furthermore, in their isolation they were able to live in relatively peaceful and simple societies, where love and fellowship were common. But the rest of the world does not, can not, and will not operate this way. The second half of the book contains simply too much politically leftist, feel-good gobbledygook. Good book on diet and exercise but four stars overall.

Although there is much to like about this book, there are also some glaring inconsistencies. While it may well be true that the healthy societies presented in the book live on plant-based diets with little animal protein or fat, other societies in which the population eats high proportions of fat from animal sources are similarly healthy but not mentioned. Robbins set out with his own prejudice and excluded research that did not coincide with his hypothesis. To conclude that a low-fat, plant based diet is optimal for everyone based on these few examples is by no means conclusive proof. Even in Okinawa, the population eats plenty of pork and uses lard in their cooking, something Robbins conveniently omits from his discussion.

Additionally, Robbins praises the Okinawa diet and the Asian diets in general for their high intake of whole grains. Yet he never gives us an indication of what these whole grains might be and how much is consumed. Actually, Asians eat white rice, often three times each day. There is a saying in Japan that "white rice is easier on the stomach." But Robbins makes no mention of the high intake of white rice in the typical Asian diet. So when he can't explain something that blatant, he ignores it.

I think it's time for Americans to stop looking for the magic bullet answer to their diet woes. We only need to look at our own history to see where we made a turn for the worse and correct our course. A mere century ago, we did not have an obesity crisis or epidemics of modern chronic disease. And at that time, we were NOT consuming a low fat, plant based diet. What's changed? Plenty.

If you want a very thoughtfully written, well-researched book that busts the low fat myths wide open, read Gary Taubes' new book, "Good Calories, Bad Calories." Robbins is one who has bought the low-fat myth hook, line and sinker, even when faced with his own contradictions.

The portions of "Healthy At 100" devoted to exercise and lifestyle are quite nice.

Brutally honest and told with heartfelt emotion, Mothering Mother is a great memoir dealing with the care of an ill, dependent parent. Witty, inspirational, relevant; we can all learn a valuable lesson about compassion from this story. Five stars

My Mother has Parkinsons and this book was so good I had to buy 4 more books for my 4 sisters to read. I felt like I wrote it myself.It was like reading what I do everyday,but coming from someone else, who went through the same siuation as my family is right now. I could not put it down and was upset when I was finished it.

Mothering Mother by Carol D. O'Dell is the author's story of caring for her 90 year old mother who suffered from Parkinson's disease with a couple of years of Alzheimers thrown into mix to keep things interesting. It's a great book and should be on every caregiver's bookshelf. Coincidentally, O'Dell lives here in Jacksonville. When she wrote about walking along the river to clear her head, I imagined she was just down the street. Feeling like we were neighbors who could wave to each other on the occasional outing, made her story even more recognizable somehow.

Not that it was difficult to believe what the author was saying. She wrote honestly, with both humor and candor, about a situation that was neither pretty nor easy. Amazingly O'Dell wrote her book while still raising teenage daughters and going to school herself. What I can't quite figure out is how she managed to care for and clean up after her mother day after day and still have the energy for normal things like shopping, attending church and making love to her husband. I think it helped that her husband was, without a doubt, her best advocate. I like to read about husbands like that.

The similarities in our situations stop with the age of our respective parents, yet O'Dell wrote about my life. In fact, she nailed the business of parenting a parent. Watching the person who raised you cross a somewhat obscure line to become a childlike version of someone you once believed hung the moon is not for sissies. O'Dell paints a word picture with poignant detail. She wrote the story I'd like to write but lack the confidence and know-how.

Mothering Mother is Carol O'Dell's "humorous and heartbreaking memoir" in journal format through the last three years of her mother's life. This is not a fun or easy book to read. These are things we don't want to think about, but eventually have to, and it helps to have a guidebook, the benefit of someone else's experience and hard-won wisdom. It is the writer's gift to face challenges head-on; to write through the darkness for survival and sanity; and to share the adventure.

O'Dell is a naturally skilled and talented writer, with the ability to document her mother's decline and her own emotions and turmoil in brutal honesty, with often shocking detail, and yet, there is humor here, even at the worst moments, and love overall.

"If you are considering home care for an infirm or elderly dependent, Mothering Mother is a not-to-be-missed memoir and helpful "how-to." [I would say "how-to-survive."]

As children many of us see our parents as almost superhuman beings. In the best circumstances, parents are big, strong, and they take care of us - hold us when we cry, bandage our scrapes, and teach us how to ride bikes. They're always there and a time when they would not be probably never occurs to us.

For many young adults their parents are still nurturers, their childhood homes are still warm places, familiar rooms they visit. Even in those years they may not think that some day roles will be reversed - they will be the care givers for once independent parents who now need to be looked after. This is uncharted territory for most, and it takes a great deal of adjustment. Yet, we can learn from others such as the forthright narrative by Carol O'Dell which tells the story of how she coped and cried when she became the parent and her adoptive mother became a child.

While many offspring who are care givers may find a suitable nursing home or even day care for their aged parents, O'Dell took Noveline, her ill 89-year-old mother, into her home, a home the author shared with her husband and three daughters. The demands of her growing family were already a full-time job - caring for her mother was one more tremendous task.

The author realized that she was going to have to find additional strength from somewhere, and she sought it in nature. We read: "Water is my element, and this holy land that sits on the edge of the sea and sky touches something deep within me. Something in me knows that if I'm going to do more than just get through this, if I'm actually going to thrive, I will need nature to nurture me."

And thrive she did although there were total embarrassments, utter frustrations, and abject degradation. O'Dell spares the reader nothing in her candid picture of what it was like to have Noveline in her home during her declining days. Mothering Mother does not paint a pretty picture but an honest one, sometimes humorous, always inspiring.

Perhaps for Carol O'Dell her book, which is dedicated to her adoptive parents says it all: "Thank you for giving your home, your heart and your lives to a little girl with a fistful of seashells, hoping to belong."

She was given a home and she gave one in return.

- Gail Cooke

Ms. Ramin's book is a fun, informative and sometimes scary ride down memory lane. One part scientific research and another part a personal quest of what was happening to her, she does a fine job of balancing the two in an easy to read style. It helped me to understand certain aspects of aging. Well worth reading for some peace of mind.

This book is an extremely entertaining and informative look at how our brains function and what we can do to keep them doing so. I've bought numerous copies and given them to various 50+-something friends, all of whom have enjoyed the book as much as I did. Highly recommended.

This is a fascinating book by a fabulous writer, who has put her finger on a hot button topic for all of us approaching that age when sometimes obvious answers don't come quite as quickly and car keys become elusive objects.
I found the anecdotal and scientific passages illuminating, and felt some (cold!) comfort from the fact that so many of my 45-50+ peers are experiencing similar memory stops n' starts. My friends and family and I have definitely started to heed the book's practical advice given on how to boost and maintain memory efficiency. I would heartily recommend this timely publication to all those in the big group that it addresses, IF you can remember to buy it the next time you're on Amazon or in a bookstore! Write "buy" on a post-it note and stick it on your computer or in your wallet!
R.Sherman, Los Angeles

Being my self in the middle of the described problem, I have to congratulate the author for the analisis and proposed, if not solutions, as least means to support the disease, both by the subject and relatives of the subject. Luis Abenza

Carved in Sand has graced my "Top 10 List of Books to Read" and the stack on my nightstand for the past several months.
This past weekend, it made its way into my hands and I can't put it down! Solidly planted into my "fifty-something" years, my thoughts turn toward aging in the best of health and with dignity.
Memory loss and the inability to focus a big concern that hovers over many of us.
Your book is a gift.
One I plan to give to sisters, cousins & friends.
Jackie R.

Stepping Off the Edge: Learning & Living Spiritual Practice
The Harvard Ph.D. who dropped acid, dropped out and went to India in search of enlightenment. Your mother's nightmare. Your mother would be glad to know that Ram Dass hung in there, bringing comfort and light to people for the last 40 years. He has attained something worth attaining. I'm told by a friend that Ram Dass was at his most impressive last year, leading a seminar after a stroke that left him barely able to speak. He credited that stroke with teaching him humility. The hard way. A heavy hitter worth reading. Ram Dass writes from a Hindu/Eastern perspective, though he is a trained Western psychologist.

For a person who has read broadly over the years, this book might raise suspicions that it will contain little that is new. Certainly most of the ideas can easily be found elsewhere. But, this is a personal report by a fascinating man who represents an important take on our times. It's worth the read as well as enjoyable. About the time it seems we've heard it all before, the author makes a statement that causes us to sit up a little straighter and say "I've actually never thought of that before." It seems to me that is why we read.

It's been said that Ram Dass was "there" before everyone else. This statement holds true regardless of how you choose to define "there." He continues to show us the way in this, his first post stroke book. Let me quote from the book. "We struggle against the inevitable and we all suffer because of it. We have been trying to find another way to look at the whole process of being born, growing old, changing, and dying, some kind of perspective that might allow us to deal with what we perceive as big obstacles without having to be dragged through the drama of misery. Understanding that we have something-that we are something-that's unchangeable, beautiful, completely aware, and that continues no matter what, really helps."
Ram Dass practices what he preaches. He not only tells us the way, he lives it. That is why we trust him . He's always been ahead of his time. Now, regarding aging, changing, and dying, he still is. "Still Here" is a must read.

Exceptional book for those with a realistic view on mortality and aging. For those who have aging parents, a must have! To truly understand life and growing.....not only growing older, growing wiser.

Have you ever read a book and wished that it would never end? That is what this book was like for me. I got so much from it that I am purchasing another to give away to a friend.

Easy to order. Arrived on time.
A funny book for us old folks. I have ordered copies for my aging friends.

This is a great gift for all your friends turning 50!
Lets them know exactly what to expect in the coming years.
No one could say it better than Dr. Suess.

I first saw this book while visiting friends in a retirement home. When I got home I immediately ordered it from Amazon and placed it on my coffee table. If you are even on the verge of getting older, you will understand Dr. Seuss' adventure to the doctor's office, and appreciate the humor he injects concerning the many tests, etc. one sometimes must tolerate as we age.

The family has given this book to friends for years as a gift on their 60th birthday. It is a fun look at the aging process and brings laughter from all who have received the book. Usually we have the friend sit on our laps and we read it to them as we would a child. Great stuff..

What more can be said? There will never be another Dr. Suess. I'm never disappointed when it comes to Dr. Suess. And Amazon has great service, by the way.

I have read a lot of self help books over the years (I'm over 50) and this is the best one to come out in a long time. If you are at all unhappy with any aspect of your life or ready to make change for whatever reason, this book is a "must read". =)

As I read the case studies in this book, I recognized many of my peers who are in need of the resources that the author provides for developing a renewed personal passion for life. Anyone trying to energize the search for personal direction for the next life stage will appreciate the specific suggestions and examples. I have read this book twice already. Another book that I recommend is" The Five People You Meet in Heaven", and "He Never Called Again."

Her book is magic! Best of all, she is an author who genuinely cares about her readers! An amazingly kind and knowledgable person. Do yourself (and Suzanne)a favor and buy this book. You will absolutlely love it. I am a real fan of hers: you will be also if you read her books.

A dear friend of mine gave me this book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Dr. Zoglio does an excellent job of describing the keys to happiness. Long ago, I independently arrived at many of the same conclusions about happiness, but I have never been able to articulate them as clearly and simply as Dr. Zoglio does in her book. While reading it, I found myself underlining text and writing notes on almost every page. I have subsequently bought my friend her own copy and also bought copies for my two grown-up children with the hope that the book will "tickle" them, too.

I was a little disappointed in this book. I had expected something original and different. It seemed to be a summary of books I had already read. The ideas were good and there was nothing wrong with the book but it was nothing new. I really didn't find one idea that wasn't similar to something I had heard or read before.