And Good Night to All The Beautiful Young Women

A TALE OF STORM-RIDDEN, DEMENTIA-CHALLENGED
PARENT CARE TOLD WITH LAUGH-PROVOKING HUMOR!

A poignant look at what may await many of us: The care of an elderly parent with dementia. The author, in later middle age, cares for his father, a former FBI Special Agent with an extravagant sense of humor, but too often angry and combative. Many of the scenes are set in taverns that the old man, an alcoholic, longs or demands to visit for a "shot and a beer" at the end of a day out with his son, the author - himself an alcoholic but a non-practicing one. The book explores the relationship the two had as the author was growing up, a relationship clouded by his sense that he could never please his father, even into adulthood. Devoid of bitterness, the story is told in a clear and winning style with great sensitivity and remarkable humor that cushions sadness and lightens the overall mood. Parents and adult children will greatly benefit from this beautifully-written book, using it as a starting point for discussion of how parents want to be cared for if they sink into dementia, and parent-adult child relationships in general. Both enjoyable and even fun, it's a journey through irony and enlightenment that many "survivors" will recognize, thanks to the author's keen understanding of generational contrasts and familial ties. The dissonant feelings between father and son are humorously described with compassion and understanding.