Memory's Last Breath: Field Notes On My Dementia

"I know what you’re thinking. A memoir about dementia? So depressing. But trust me on this: Gerda Saunders doesn’t wallow in her mental slippage. Instead, she writes with clear-eyed honesty and, yes, humor about living with early-onset microvascular disease. She lays out her intent in what she calls her Dementia Field Notes, sprinkled throughout the book: “No whimpering, no whining, no despair. Just the facts.” Interspersed with vignettes about her mental decline are vivid memories of Saunders’ childhood in South Africa. The contrast brilliantly illuminates the gulf between memories richly preserved and memory lost."