The Memory of All That: A Love Story about Alzheimer's

(Paperback)

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From the award-winning bestselling author of books about autistic and learning-disabled children, Mary MacCracken, comes an engaging memoir of love, marriageand Alzheimers. Braving divorce to be together, Cal and Mary help each other overcome setbacks in their work. Cals inventions are increasingly successful; Marys first book is published to much acclaim, followed by three more. It seems nothing can stop them.

Then Alzheimers strikes. Always a fighter, Cal vows to beat his disease, while Mary finds ways to sustain their loving life together, devising ways to help Cal as he falters. She herself is helped by good doctors, social workers, and many friendsa whole community of care.

Still, all the support in the world cant stop Cals decline. He goes missing at night, flees his daycare program repeatedly, and must finally go to a memory unit. But even then, he and Mary share bits of happiness. In the end, they fail to beat Alzheimers. Yet their story is also one of triumph, as their love persists all through and beyond their battle.

Poignant and inspiring, The Memory of All That is a beautifully written love story that offers guidance and comfort to those dealing with dementia, or any of lifes challenges.

Reviews

2022 Sarton Book Award Finalist for Best Memoir

Amovingandfrankremembranceofloveandloss.
Kirkus Reviews

[A] beautifully told, heartrending story . . . Anyone who has with a loved one with Alzheimers or another dementia should find valuable lessons and inspiration here.
Dr. Robert Santulli, author of The Emotional Journey of the Alzheimers Family and The Alzheimer's Family: Helping Caregivers Cope

The Memory of All Thattells a compelling storyof a marriage tested to the fullest by the ravages of Alzheimers;it is the drama of a passionately committed relationship transformed by suffering and grace.Ultimately, MacCracken shows us, the true triumph of the spirit is found in the resolve to lovemorefully in the face of certain debilitation and death. I was haunted by this poignant memoir.
Alicia Hokanson, award-winning author ofPerishable Earth andMapping the Distance

A road map for sustaining love in the face of inevitable loss for any of us. Mary MacCracken is a skilled storyteller who knows how to turn this tale of wrenching heartbreak into a surprisingly uplifting memoir.
Jan Maher, award-winning author ofThe Persistence of Memory and Other Stories,Earth as It Is, andHeaven, Indiana

A moving account of one couples vibrant, loving relationship, their courage in facing Alzheimers, and their fierce unwillingness to abandon any moment of shared happiness before the end. This poignant narrative also offers ways to handle the problems and difficult decisions faced by caregivers and their families.
Nancy Dubler, LLB,Affiliated Professor, Division of Medical Ethics, NYU Langone Medical Center andauthor of Alzheimers Dementia: Dilemmas in Clinical ResearchandEthics on Call:A Medical Ethicist Shows How to Take Charge of Life-and-Death Choices

A generous and stirring memoir about Alzheimers, framed not as tragedy but as a chronicle of married love. Readers facing a similar journey will welcome this book with relief and hope.
Christine Hemp, author of Wild Ride Home: Love, Loss and a little White Horse

MacCracken writes with honest poignancy in beautiful prose. . . .[This book] will help anyone who is dealing with Alzheimers . . . [or is] interested in learning more about the disease and its profound effect on families.
Shawn LaTorre, StoryCircle Book Reviews

The Memory of All That is a love letter to Mary MacCrackens husband with dementia. Here but gone; no longer as he used to be. Ambiguous loss, its called, with both upwelling sadness and scraps of joy. In this current world of loss, we can find solace in MacCrackens beautifully written story about love and purpose.
Pauline Boss, PhD, author of The Myth of Closure: Ambiguous Lossin a Time of Pandemic and Change and Loving Someone Who HasDementia: How to Find Hope while Coping with Stress and Grief

Author Bio

Mary MacCracken, an internationally best-selling author, has written four books about her work with autistic and learning-disabled children: Circle of Children, Lovey, City Kid, and Turn-About Children. Her books have been published in fourteen countries and the first two were made into movies for television, starring the actress Jane Alexander. Mary spent her last years with her husband, Cal, an inventor with eighty patents, at Kendal at Hanover, a Continuous Care Retirement Community in Hanover, New Hampshire, and the decade after his death writing about their experiences dealing with his disease.