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 - 20 of 26  There are a total of 53 valid entries on the list.
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 "The beauty of what remains"
Star rating for The beauty of what remains
Average Rating:
5 stars
Description:
"As the Senior Rabbi of one of the largest synagogues in the world, Steve Leder has learned over and over again the many ways death teaches us how to live and love more deeply by showing us not only what is gone, but also the beauty of what remains"--
Book cover for "A beginner's guide to the end"
Star rating for A beginner's guide to the end
Average Rating:
4.8 stars
Description:
"The first-ever soup-to-nuts practical guide to preparing for death, from how to talk to your children about your will, to how to hack the hospice system, to how your survivors can pull off a great eulogy. Think of this as What to Expect When You're Expecting to Die"--
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 "Chicken soup for the soul"
Star rating for Chicken soup for the soul
Average Rating:
5 stars
Description:
Navigating eldercare can be overwhelming, especially when dealing with dementia. You'll find what you need in these pages, with great advice from families who have been there, done that!
Book cover for "Connecting in the land of dementia"
Star rating for Connecting in the land of dementia
Average Rating:
5 stars
Description:
"Finding the connection with a loved one afflicted with dementia is a challenge millions of people face: One in ten Americans has a family member with Alzheimer's, and one in three knows someone with the disease. This book offers care partners practical, hands-on ideas for meaningful, creative activities they can do with their patients, family members, or friends who have dementia. It also includes creative tips for busy care partners, offering quick...
Book cover for "Dancing with elephants"
Star rating for Dancing with elephants
Average Rating:
5 stars
Description:
Based on the popular blog of the same name, Dancing With Elephants includes insightful interviews with chronic disease experts Toni Bernhard, Lucy Kalanithi, and Patch Adams. Sawatsky's landmark book provides support that only a fellow traveler down this road can offer. If you like touching stories, mindful wisdom, and a touch of irreverent humor, then you'll love Sawatsky's life-changing book.
Book cover for "Downsizing the family home"
Star rating for Downsizing the family home
Average Rating:
5 stars
Description:
"It's a rite of passage almost no one will escape: the difficult, emotional journey of downsizing your or your aging parents' home. Here, nationally syndicated home columnist Marni Jameson sensitively guides readers through the process, from opening that first closet, to sorting through a lifetime's worth of possessions, to selling the homestead itself. Using her own personal journey as a basis, she helps you figure out a strategy and create a mindset...
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 "Fifty things that aren't my fault"
Star rating for Fifty things that aren't my fault
Average Rating:
3.5 stars
Description:
"From the iconic creator of the "Cathy" comic strip comes a collection of funny, warm, and wise essays in the style of Nora Ephron and Erma Bombeck, centered around the particular challenge of caring for aging parents and growing children, all while trying not to lose oneself in the process. As the creator of the "Cathy" comic strip, Cathy Guisewite found her way into the hearts of readers over 40 years ago, and has been there ever since. Her deeply...
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 "Going into town"
Star rating for Going into town
Author:
Average Rating:
5 stars
Description:
"For native Brooklynite Roz Chast, adjusting to life in the suburbs (where people own trees!?) was surreal. But she recognized that for her kids, the reverse was true. On trips into town, they would marvel at the strange world of Manhattan: its gum-wad-dotted sidewalks, honey-combed streets, and 'those West Side Story-things' (fire escapes). Their wonder inspired 'Going into Town,' part playful guide, part New York stories, and part love letter to...
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 "How to say goodbye"
Star rating for How to say goodbye
Average Rating:
5 stars
Description:
"As artist-in-residence at the Zen Hospice Project Guest House, Wendy MacNaughton experienced firsthand how difficult it is to know what to do when we're sharing final moments with a loved one. In this tenderly illustrated guide to saying goodbye, with a foreword by renowned physician and author BJ Miller, MacNaughton shows how to make sure those moments are meaningful. Using a framework of "the five things" taught to her by a professional caregiver,...
Book cover for "I'll be seeing you"
Star rating for I'll be seeing you
Average Rating:
5 stars
Description:
"When her parents began to age, Elizabeth and her siblings are placed in the difficult position of taking over more and more supportive roles and tasks. They fix their parents' home, negotiate finances, eventually weather the back and forth of will they or won't they move into a nursing facility--finally they do. Berg ... takes readers through navigating the emotional and physical challenger of guiding parents through the final stages of life"--Publisher...
Book cover for "Knocking on heaven's door"
Star rating for Knocking on heaven's door
Average Rating:
3 stars
Description:
"An exquisitely written, expertly reported memoir and expose; of modern medicine that leads the way to more humane, less invasive end-of-life care based on the author's acclaimed New York Times Magazine piece. This is the story of one daughter's struggleto allow her parents the peaceful, natural deaths they wanted and to investigate the larger forces in medicine that stood in the way. When doctors refused to disable the pacemaker that caused her eighty-four-year-old...
Book cover for "The last ocean"
Star rating for The last ocean
Average Rating:
5 stars
Description:
"Diagnosed with dementia, Nicci Gerrard's father John continued to live life on his own terms, alongside the disease. But when an isolating hospital stay precipitated a dramatic turn for the worse, Gerrard ... recognized that it was not just the disease, but misguided protocol and harmful practice that cause pain at the end of life. Inspired by his memory to seek a better course for all who suffer with the disease and those who love them, Gerrard...
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
Book cover for "Mothercare"
Star rating for Mothercare
Average Rating:
5 stars
Description:
"When a mother's unusual health condition renders her entirely dependent upon you, your sisters, caretakers, and companions, the unimaginable will become daily life. In Mothercare, Lynne Tillman writes an honest and straightforward account of doing the impossible: handling her mother as if she were a child; navigating the unnavigable medical world, and confronting her own emotions regarding a suddenly, forever changed relationship to mother and care....
Book cover for "My parent's keeper"
Star rating for My parent's keeper
Average Rating:
5 stars