As a book lover, I celebrate Read Across America Day (March 2) every year by creating my book list for the coming year and settling on the couch with my first pick.  I love this day because it is a reminder that although as a society we may crave the visual stimulation of TV, the movies or YouTube, nothing beats beautiful words in an engaging book (just read Pride and Prejudice – you will float away to another world on Austen’s delicious turn of phrase).

For those who may not be aware Read Across America Day was created to honor the birthday of Dr. Seuss, whose real name was Theodor Geisel.  And, what is even less well-known is that Dr. Seuss was a caregiver for his first wife.  For several years during perhaps his most productive writing phase when he penned The Cat in the Hat, How the Grinch Stole Christmas and others, Geisel’s first wife, Helen was suffering from several chronic illnesses including battling cancer.

While I know that caregivers have precious little time to read, I thought in honor of Dr. Seuss, our celebrated caregiver, I would put together my CliffsNotes for you on some caregiving books that I think you will enjoy and find valuable.

Caregiving Club’s 1^st Annual Reading List

I have to start my list with two celebrities that I have recently interviewed about their caregiving journeys:  Joan Lunden and Michael Tucker (who is co-caregiver to wife Jill Eikenberry’s mother).

Chicken Soup for the Soul – Family Caregivers – this book is part of the popular “Chicken Soup for the Soul” series, and will be available March 13.  The book is co-authored by Joan Lunden, a caregiver for her 93-year-old mother, and Amy Newmark.  It is a compilation of 101 short, inspirational stories from real-life caregivers.  Since each chapter is short you can read them easily or jump to the ones that are most interesting to you.  This is a similar but updated version of the 2004 book of the same title.

 

 

 

Michael Tucker and Jill Eikenberry have spent the last 39 years as co-stars both on-screen (TV’s “L.A. Law”) and off-screen.  Their most challenging roles happened a few years ago when Jill became caregiver to her mother with Mike by her side to keep her steady and provide the support she needed.  Mike chronicled their caregiving journey in Family Meals – one of the best books I have read on finding the “funny” in some not so funny situations of caring for an in-law with Alzheimer’s.  I highly recommend Family Meals to caregivers because laughter can be great medicine and I literally laughed out loud reading this book.  It is also a great book for spouses of caregivers – Mike’s example of being there for Jill and finding their entire family coming together in caregiving is not only poignant but also inspirational.

Although I have not yet read it, Mike’s first novel, After Annie, deals with the aftermath of a caregiving situation and arrives in bookstores and online March 2.  This novel should prove to be as entertaining and filled with belly-aching humor as his non-fiction work.

This beautiful book is written with the real and raw moments of a wife caring for her husband as he battles Stage IV pancreatic cancer.  Lisa Niemi Swayze lets us see her bravery and her vulnerability by writing in Worth Fighting For about the good and bad moments with actor husband, Patrick.  She does not dive into sentimentality but rather lets us see the reality of losing a beloved spouse.  She epitomizes one of my favorite quotes, “The art of living is the art of letting go gracefully.”

 

 

 

As First Lady of California, Maria Shriver continued her mission to lead a movement to empower women (and she has not stopped since leaving the governor’s mansion).  One of the most comprehensive but readable reports running the gamut of short real-life caregiver stories, research information and policy issues,  The Shriver Report – A Woman’s Nation Takes on Alzheimer’s, is a beacon in a country where we are still in the dark about a disease that will have tremendous impact on our society over the next 20 years.  Ten million American women are impacted by Alzheimer’s disease – either as the person diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or the caregiver for someone with the disease.   This report captures everything you need to know about Alzheimer’s with more tools and resources found at alz.org.

Rodney Peete, husband to actress and autism activist, Holly Robinson Peete whom I interviewed for my book, is best known for his amazing athletic skills on the football field.   His book, Not My Boy!  A Dad’s Journey with Autism, is written from the heart about fathers and sons.  The book chronicles Rodney’s learning to accept his eldest son R.J.’s autism and his eventual solutions to find a way to live in R.J.’s world.  Men represent 34 percent of all caregivers and this book showcases how men can be strong and caring at the same time.

 

 

Other caregiving books worth noting:

• Passages in Caregiving by Gail Sheehy is a 400-page comprehensive look at the stages of caregiving from this celebrated author
• Alzheimer’s Prevention Program by Dr. Gary Small highlights ways we can train our brains for better health
• A Bittersweet Season:  Caring For Our Aging Parents – and Ourselves by Jane Gross, New York Times “New Old Age” blogger writes about caregiving for her mother
• The Caregiving Wife’s Handbook by Dr. Diane Denholm writes about the impact to marriage when caregiving becomes the new normal
• A Mother’s Daugther’s Journey by Celia Pomerantz is a joyous journey about how music can transform a mother with Alzheimer’s and give hope to her daughter
• They’re Your Parents Too! by Francine Russo showcases the stress and strife that can happen when siblings do not agree on how to care for aging parents
• The Silverado Story by Loren Shook and Stephen Winner  is about the memory care center culture where love conquers fear

Next year I will be able to add my caregiving book to the list – a fascinating look at celebrities who have been caregivers to moms, dads, husbands, wives, siblings and other loved ones with lessons learned and tips from the stars on how to find your “me time.”

Happy reading!