Summary
Summary
A "courageous and singular book" (Andrew Solomon), Memory's Last Breath is an unsparing, beautifully written memoir -- "an intimate, revealing account of living with dementia" ( Shelf Awareness ).
Based on the "field notes" she keeps in her journal, Memory's Last Breath is Gerda Saunders' astonishing window into a life distorted by dementia. She writes about shopping trips cut short by unintentional shoplifting, car journeys derailed when she loses her bearings, and the embarrassment of forgetting what she has just said to a room of colleagues. Coping with the complications of losing short-term memory, Saunders, a former university professor, nonetheless embarks on a personal investigation of the brain and its mysteries, examining science and literature, and immersing herself in vivid memories of her childhood in South Africa. "For anyone facing dementia, [Saunders'] words are truly enlightening . . . Inspiring lessons about living and thriving with dementia." -- Maria Shriver, NBC's Today Show
Author Notes
Gerda Saunders emigrated to the United States from South Africa in 1984. In 1996 she received a PhD in English from the University of Utah, where she later served as associate director of the Gender Studies Program. Saunders is the author of the short story collection Blessings on the Sheep Dog . She has spoken with the BBC and The Huffington Post about living with dementia, and is the subject of a series of short films being produced by VideoWest and featured on Slate .
Reviews (2)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Saunders (Blessings on the Sheep Dog) writes bravely about her early-onset dementia diagnosis, and nicely bridges the intensely personal experience of her failing mind with examinations of neurological science. Saunders, who emigrated to the U.S. from South Africa in 1984, includes "Dementia Field Notes" sidebars throughout the book that record ever-worsening daily struggles. These stand in contrast with the main text, in which she explores the essence of self, identity, and memories. Her evocative writing shows her to be a researcher and craftswoman, and to the reader her faculties seem undiminished. Saunders reflects on more than 60 years as a life-affirming dividual, an anthropology term that acknowledges that deep connections come from communal bonds continually established throughout a lifetime. She writes about her loving family life in her formative years as a white South African during apartheid, the cross-cultural experience of a new life in the U.S., and the challenges of parenting and academic life. Saunders draws on all of these experiences to guide readers through a primer on neuroscience, the unreliability of memory, and even the place of humans in the cosmos. Her discussion of whether and when to pursue assisted suicide is smart and does not diminish the hopeful voice of a self-described "Doña Quixote" as she fights her mental descent with dignity. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Faced with unspeakable loss, some may act out or give up. Saunders chose to write. After she was diagnosed at 60 with dementia, she left her career in academia and embarked on writing about her experience in a last stand of the mind. Those writings evolved into this deeply emotional and humbling memoir. From her childhood in South Africa through her family's move to the U.S. and her mother's own struggles with dementia, Saunders recounts a rich, full life before her illness began stealing her memory. In poignant journal entries, she captures the intrusion of dementia into everyday life getting lost, enduring dangerous mishaps in the kitchen, losing the thread of a conversation while speaking, and having trouble getting dressed. The impact of these losses on Saunders, an academic prone to liberally using literary quotations and classical references, is palpable. While she explores the fragile nature of memory and researches neuroscience, it is her personal experience, presented in a work of breathtaking defiance, that marks how dementia steals one's self.--Thoreson, Bridget Copyright 2010 Booklist