NEA Big Read (Garner 2023) - SER

These books have been selected to accompany Roz Chast's graphic memoir "Cant's We Talk About Something More Pleasant?" They support topics related to the emotions, memories, and practical challenges of planning and preparing for aging parents’ final years.

Showing 1 - 8 of 8  There are a total of 53 valid entries on the list.
Book cover for "The 36-hour day"
Star rating for The 36-hour day
Description:
"For four decades, this guide has been the leading reference for those who take care of people with dementia. The new seventh edition reflects updates in the field, including discussion of working with home care aides, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, Huntington disease, and promising potential therapies such as electrical signaling and nerve growth factors"--
Book cover for "The art of dying well"
Star rating for The art of dying well
Average Rating:
5 stars
Description:
"A layperson's guide for positive end of life self care"--
Book cover for "Bettyville"
Star rating for Bettyville
Average Rating:
3.5 stars
Description:
"When George Hodgman leaves Manhattan for his hometown of Paris, Missouri, he finds himself--an unlikely caretaker and near-lethal cook--in a head-on collision with his aging mother Betty, a woman of wit and will. Will George lure her into assisted living? When hell freezes over. He can't bring himself to force her from the home both treasure--the place where his father's voice lingers, the scene of shared jokes, skirmishes, and, behind the dusty...
Book cover for "The end of your life book club"
Star rating for The end of your life book club
Average Rating:
4 stars
Description:
A profoundly moving memoir of caregiving, mourning, and love between a mother and her son—and about the joy of reading, and the ways that joy is multiplied when we share it with others.
“A graceful, affecting testament to a mother and a life well lived.” —Entertainment Weekly, Grade A

During her treatment for cancer, Mary Anne Schwalbe and her son Will spent many hours sitting in waiting rooms together....
Book cover for "The gentle art of Swedish death cleaning"
Star rating for The gentle art of Swedish death cleaning
Average Rating:
3.8 stars
Description:
In Sweden there is a kind of decluttering called döstädning, dö meaning "death" and städning meaning "cleaning." This surprising and invigorating process of clearing out unnecessary belongings can be undertaken at any age or life stage but should be done sooner than later, before others have to do it for you. In The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning, artist Margareta Magnusson, with Scandinavian humor and wisdom, instructs readers to embrace...
Book cover for "How to care for aging parents"
Star rating for How to care for aging parents
Average Rating:
3.5 stars
Description:

"The bible of eldercare"—ABC World News. "An indispensable book"—AARP. "A compassionate guide of encyclopedic proportion"—The Washington Post. And, winner of a Books for a Better Life Award. How to Care for Aging Parents is the best and bestselling book of its kind, and its author, Virginia Morris, is the go-to person on eldercare for the media, appearing on Oprah, TODAY, and Good Morning America, among many other outlets.

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Book cover for "In case you get hit by a bus"
Star rating for In case you get hit by a bus
Description:
"A step-by-step program for getting your life in order, so you're prepared for the unexpected. The odds of getting hit by a bus are 495,000 to 1. But the odds that you're going to die some day? Exactly. Even the most disorganized among us can take control of our on- and off-line details so our loved ones won't have to scramble later. The experts at Everplans, a leading company in digital life planning, make it possible in this essential and easy-to-follow...
Book cover for "Late migrations"
Star rating for Late migrations
Average Rating:
4.3 stars
Description:
"Beautifully written, masterfully structured, and brimming with insight into the natural world . . . It has the makings of an American classic." --ANN PATCHETT