Literature Annotations
 |
DeBaggio, Thomas |
| Genre | Memoir (207 pp.) |
| Keywords | Caregivers, Catastrophe, Communication, Death and Dying, Dementia, Depression, Doctor-Patient Relationship, Family Relationships, Grief, Human Worth, Illness and the Family, Illness Narrative/Pathography, Individuality, Medical Research, Patient Experience, Survival |
| Summary | This memoir is DeBaggio's first-person account of his early experience of Alzheimer's disease and its effect on his life and the life of his family. The book is a collection, in loosely narrative form, of the author's diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer's; brief excerpts from his journal; excerpts from the medical literature on the disease; and memories from his past that he wants to commit to paper before he can no longer recall them. He documents his struggle simply to write the book, as it becomes more and more difficult to sustain thoughts or find the words to express what he wants to say. |
| Commentary | The author's description of his struggle (and that of his wife and grown son) are compelling and moving. The book would be easily excerpted for classroom use; his and his wife's encounter with the neurologist who makes the Alzheimer diagnosis is particularly instructive, as are the passages dealing with how his family and friends cope with their own emotions. |
| Publisher | The Free Press/Simon & Schuster |
| Edition | 2002 |
| Place Published | New York |
| Annotated by | Dittrich, Lisa R. |
| Date of Entry | 08/20/02 |
| Last Revised | 08/31/02 |