....The Bookshelf

Book review by Norma Steinberg, MLS

RELEASED TO THE ANGELS

A Caregiver's Journey

"This morning I washed his hair at the kitchen sink. Then I brought him to the bathroom mirror and handed him his comb. I came back some minutes later to see him standing quietly, staring at himself in the mirror. It must have been one of those rare moments that he looked at his appearance. Patrick has kept his dark hair all these years, and although it has thinned somewhat with the passage of time, there are only a few strands of gray above, accented by more silver in his beard. He turned to me and with trusting innocence asked, 'Can you get me some more hair?’”-Released to the Angels

“God granted us memory so that we might have roses in December." --J.M. Barrie, 1922

Marilynn Garzione, in this slim volume of only 167 pages, holds your hand and gently guides you through the progressive stages of Alzheimer's Disease both from the patient and the caregiver's point of view.

The book is presented in 138 vignettes, each no longer than 2 pages. In a heartfelt and deeply moving manner, the author delivers poignant scenes from her family’s incredible journey and highlights authentic accounts of what to expect as the disease progresses.

Garzione educates and cradles the reader in the most loving manner, dividing her material into three stages of development–The Early stages: It Begins; The Middle stages: Living in the Now; and the Advanced stage: Letting Go.

Experiencing the loss of both her husband and her father to this dreaded disease has inspired Garzione to write this honest and compassionate volume and to be an advocate for Alzheimer's awareness and research.

More than five million Americans currently live with the disease. It is her hope that her book will provide support to those families….Marilynn Garzione is a recipient of "The Editors Choice Award" and is recognized as a "must read" by the Alzheimer's Association. Her Masters Degree was obtained at the Middlebury College in Vermont. Garzione has lived in Puerto Rico and Spain, and currently teaches at the New York State University at New Paltz, New York. She has written numerous articles for publications in the field of education. For more information visit www.releasedtotheangels.com

Steinberg is a retired librarian from the Grand Army Plaza branch of the Brooklyn Public Library.

Released to the Angels is available at Amazon.com