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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
A loving tribute to the author's mother and how books were a vehicle for them to talk about anything and everything.
This book was so heartwarming and inspiring, and you can never go wrong with people who just love books!
This story was incredibly sentimental and yet matter-of-fact. I enjoyed reading about how this family came together in a time of trial.
I think this is worth a re-read. For a book lover touched by cancer . . . so many perfect moments. Cancer books can be so consuming but this one really gave voice to the hardness and softness of the cancer experience. The author's mother was a fascinating woman. Her life and her volunteerism were inspiring.
I finished this book with a list of books I want to read (the Schwalbe's have good taste!) This memoir and all the books discussed are a beautiful living testament to a mother lost.
I finished this book with a list of books I want to read (the Schwalbe's have good taste!) This memoir and all the books discussed are a beautiful living testament to a mother lost.
Touching and thought-provoking, and a reminder of the importance of books and reading and kindness and love. Recommended.
*He was the smartest and best-read person any of us had ever know, but he wore his learning so lightly and had such curiosity about other people that he had the ability to make everyone around him feel smart and well-read.*
*She was, she said. Very sad. But she was also looking forward to being back in New York. "The world is complicated," she added. "You don't have to have one emotion at a time."
*"Everyone doesn't have to do everything," she told me. "People forget you can also express yourself by what you choose to admire and support. I've had so much pleasure from beautiful and challenging things created by other people, things I could never make or do. I wouldn't trade that for anything."
*This, I finally realized, was how Mom was able to focus when I was not. It was how she was able to be present with me, present with the people at a benefit or the hospital. She felt whatever emotions she felt, but feeling was never a useful substitute for doing, and she never let the former get in the way of the latter. If anything, she used her emotions to motivate her and help her concentrate. The emphasis for her was always on doing what needed to be done. I had to learn this lesson while she was still there to teach me.*
*He was the smartest and best-read person any of us had ever know, but he wore his learning so lightly and had such curiosity about other people that he had the ability to make everyone around him feel smart and well-read.*
*She was, she said. Very sad. But she was also looking forward to being back in New York. "The world is complicated," she added. "You don't have to have one emotion at a time."
*"Everyone doesn't have to do everything," she told me. "People forget you can also express yourself by what you choose to admire and support. I've had so much pleasure from beautiful and challenging things created by other people, things I could never make or do. I wouldn't trade that for anything."
*This, I finally realized, was how Mom was able to focus when I was not. It was how she was able to be present with me, present with the people at a benefit or the hospital. She felt whatever emotions she felt, but feeling was never a useful substitute for doing, and she never let the former get in the way of the latter. If anything, she used her emotions to motivate her and help her concentrate. The emphasis for her was always on doing what needed to be done. I had to learn this lesson while she was still there to teach me.*
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
The more I read this book, the more I disliked it. I don't like books about people reading books, but this was more about the author and his mom between her cancer diagnosis and her death. What really frustrated me was that he never mentioned his dad, what he was doing to help (other than going to treatments with his mom), or his siblings. He was too busy praising his mom, who was pretty high up on a pedestal, and what was going on in his life. Whenever his mom's health was mentioned, she was always so saintly. "I feel guilty for not doing this experimental trial, even though I'm stage 4 and am failing fast." That really made me angry. Maybe it's because I see my dad's health failing and hear all about how hard it is to be a caretaker from my mom. This book was a bit too rose-colored, and it got overly sentimental toward the end.
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
We each bring our own experiences & atttitudes to each book we read. Timing of when we read a particular story often plays a role in what we take away from it. It is interesting to read the sometimes differing, sometimes similar reactions to stories the author has vs. his Mom. For this book, I find myself about the same age as the author, having already read a dozen of the books mentioned throughout, & most importantly, w/ a mother whose lung cancer will most assuredly eventually steal her from us. At times I would have to set this book down bcz I could no longer read through my tears. The passage about the last dr. apt was especially hard. It left a lump in my throat & tears streaming down my face. But I really liked this book! It's a very moving tribute to the author's Mom, who he so obviously loves & respects. There are a lot of good book recommendations in it, too!
I really enjoyed this story and I added to my reading list as well! What an amazing life, well lived. Thank you Will Schwalbe for the glimpse in your extraordinary family.