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I knew this book would tear me open and shatter me; it did. Each page, I felt like I would cry. In the last few pages, when she describes the last moments, I did. I am a hospice volunteer, and a family member of someone with Alzheimer‘s; I know this devastation personally. It is a hell I wish on no one; it (and any dementia) is the thief of all thieves. I will always support bodily autonomy in every aspect—MAID medical aid in death) is no ⬇️

In the past, I would have said that I was heartbroken. These days, I know better what “heartbroken” is and I‘m a little ashamed that I used to use it so lightly and foolishly, indulging in my own rich emotional life. What an idiot.

I encourage her, again, to talk to her daughters about her concerns and I know everything I am saying is pointless. Finally, I ask for her daughter‘s phone numbers, and Rachel cannot or will not give the numbers to me. She winds up in the care of one of her daughters, and she does not get to Dignitas, because that window probably closed two years earlier, and she will spend the rest of her life in a memory-care unit, and the best outcome I⬇️

Whether you are medical personnel, clergy, worried child, or hopeful spouse, you do know, even if you never say so, that this disease progresses as steady as winter, and the person who is still smiling that crooked, loving smile this year, even as they are unsure about locations, histories, appointments, and bills, will be unable to truly converse with meaning or engage in a relationship in a couple of years and will be unable to walk or ⬇️

I‘d rather die on my feet than live on my knees.

I don‘t want to end my life, he said, but I‘d rather end it while I am still myself, rather than become less and and less of a person.

Not only was this memoir of a woman who helps her husband die after his dementia diagnosis my June pick, I think this was my favorite book of 2023. #12Booksof2023 @Andrew65

We finally had our “blind date with a book” we purchased on vacation last month.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ My first real 5⭐️ read in awhile! I loved this memoir of a woman‘s journey to help her husband end his life after his Alzheimer‘s diagnosis. Specifically I loved the author‘s voice—she wrote with such a great mix of warmth and love and exasperation that now I want to ready any other memoir works she‘s written.

In this heart breaking audiobook Amy Bloom recounts her husband‘s diagnosis of alzheimers and his decision to research and pursue an assisted end to life. Ultimately this is a celebration of their love but also an insight into early stage alzheimers and the difficulty and grief of being a partner becoming a caregiver, and where and how they found support. Really good as an audiobook and narrated by the author.

This was a beautiful, sad memoir about Bloom‘s journey through the loss of her husband after an Alzheimer‘s diagnosis. I‘ve long been a proponent for assisted suicide and wish more people had the choice when faced with such a fork in the road.

#readingbracket2023 #nonfiction

Impulse read after hearing a short piece by Bloom on This American Life. Recommend this short memoir on audio read by the author. Bloom recounts how she and her husband navigated his Alzheimer‘s diagnosis, his decision to end his life on his own terms, which involved them traveling to Switzerland for legal assisted suicide. A beautiful snapshot of a loving marriage with all the complications between complicated people.

This isn‘t a book “you love” and yet…it‘s a book about the purest of love. I‘ve been trying to process this one for the last few days. It stays with you in a way that‘s hard to describe. It‘s very informative and I understand why it‘s part of #TimeMagazineTop100Readsof2022. Have Kleenex you‘ll need it.

I resonate with all the Litsy reviews on this book. More than a memoir about ‘accompanied suicide‘ — in a room like this one, in the suburbs of Zurich, because it‘s illegal everywhere in the US without a terminal diagnosis of 6 months or less — more than an account of a spouse with Alzheimer‘s, this is a depiction of a married couple whose sweet & gentle love for each other is stronger than the death that ultimately separates them ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book is my last one in 2022.
The information is helpful and the experience is candor. Although this is not a wow book, it‘s still worth your time.

This was a moving story about the writer losing her husband to Alzheimer‘s. Rather than a slow and painful death, her husband chose assisted suicide. This memoir explores the challenges of finding a place where this is possible and what it was like to go through it. 4/5

Although l read this a few weeks ago, this book stays with you. Like a loss of hope it dwells around you. This heartbreaking memoir about a couple that decide once the husband is diagnosed with a debilitating dementia to fly to Switzerland and end his life painlessly with Dignitas. Amy Bloom writes sorrow with great understanding its the story of a couple living while transversely dealing with the fates that come calling.
yet tells it as it is

I found this account of Amy‘s husband and his desire to end his life after his Alzheimer‘s diagnosis so raw and truthful and sad and joyful all at once. This book is nothing short of beautiful.

What a beautiful book. And an even better illustration of the intimacies of marriage. ❤️❤️❤️

When Amy‘s husband is diagnosed with Alzheimer‘s he decides he wants to die while he still himself. Amy supports his decision and after much research they find Dignitas an organization in Zurich that can help them. Living with her changing husband and managing the myriad details that need to happen to make Dignitas a possibility, she is also a loving and grieving wife. A raw and candid memoir that hit me hard .

Will you cry your eyes out? Probably. Is it worth it? Yes.

Bloom writes about the love of her life, and having to say goodbye to him after thirteen years of marriage. Unconventional because she‘s decided to support his decision for assisted suicide in Zurich before Alzheimer‘s claims his ability to choose.

Beautifully written. Thank you, @Amiable for the recommendation!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I imagine it was very cathartic for Bloom, but also this might just help other families who are facing similar situations. My heart goes out to her for the decisions she had to make, and ultimately supporting the man she loves, to choose to end his life on his own terms and timeline. Ultimately knowing how it will end, gave him strength, but also allowed his family to be part of this process with him.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Wow! What a deeply profound memoir. Listening to Amy Bloom write about her husbands diagnosis with Alzheimer‘s and then to cope with his decision to assisted suicide is as deeply personal a memoir I‘ve ever read. The humanity, grace and dignity throughout is mind blowing.

After Amy Bloom‘s husband Brian was diagnosed with Alzheimer‘s at the age of 66, he made the decision to “die on his feet, not live on his knees.” This is the account of how Amy helped Brian achieve his wish to end his life with dignity and grace through accompanied suicide with Dignitas. It‘s lovely and poignant and sad and also very funny. An excellent read.

#Nonfiction2022
Prompt: I‘m a Lover

BINGO x2