The Theft of Memory immediately draws you in. Jonathan Kozol writes of losing both of his parents over a period of many years. His father is a specialist in brain disorders with an impressive career, and he is an award winning writer and teacher.
The Theft of Memory meanders through the stories of both men's lives, mirroring the tricky way the brain tends to remember things. The book does not follow a chronological order, but instead touches on different events as they are remembered. He examines different aspects of his father's life as it relates to him, his mother, and his father's care givers at the end of his father's life. He does a wonderful job of showing the joy is father still experiences in life even as the memory of who he was is fading.
Jonathan addresses the difficulty in finding excellent medial care, and how hard it is to make the decisions facing many people caring for aging parents. Should a parent go into an assisted living facility? Is now the time to sign a DNR (do not resuscitate)? Can a parent be cared for at home? What happens when the money runs out?
This is a story about the complicated relationship between parents and children, and how no matter how long and full a life is, the difficulty in letting go. I would recommend this book to anyone with aging parents.
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