The Things That Need Doing: A Memoir by Sean Manning

by Sean Manning

"You keep fighting, okay?" I whispered. "We're in this together. You and me. You're not alone. You hear me? "You are notalone."" 5:38 p.m. It was the precise moment Sean Manning was born and the time each year that his mother wished him happy birthday. But just before he turned twenty-seven, theirtradition collapsed. A heart attack landed his mom in the hospital and uprooted Manning from his life in New York. What followed was a testament to a family's indestructible bond--a life-changing odysseythat broke a boy and made a man--captured here in Manning's indelible memoir. "From the Trade Paperback edition."

Genres: Memoir

Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Jill Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sean Manning has written a memoir of his mother's last year of life, basically spent in full time hospital and then, at the end, hospice care. Susie Manning, a nurse, was felled by a heart attack and then developed cancer. Sean doesn't give her age, but I think she was probably in her late 50's when she died. A relatively young woman.

I don't know why readers choose to read a book like Sean Manning has written, but I know why he wrote it. Often, it seems, the long illness and ultimate death of a beloved family member or friend can best be dealt with by writing about it. Sean, a professional writer in his late 20's, tries to make sense of her illness and death and does so in a very lovely book, which captures the closeness of his relationship with his parents - who divorced when Sean was fairly young - and the closeness they had with each other. Love and caring doesn't always end with a divorce decree as the Mannings regard for each other shows in the way Sean's father cared for his former wife. He also writes about the problems in the medical system - fortunately Susie Manning had very good insurance and her care was pretty well taken care of, but as Sean points out, his mother was one of the fortunate few. But "good" insurance doesn't always preclude the difficulty that often arises in the assigning of payment for care ordered by a medical team.

I liked Sean's use of sports - both pro and amateur - in his story. A life-long Cavalier fan, Sean shared the love of basketball with his mother.

His is a memoir written with love and compassion.

[Read It Forward · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd like to quote Philip Patrick, Sean Manning's editor. This is just how I felt reading The Things That Need Doing: "The story is tragic. I cannot lie to you about that. I cried every time I read the manuscript and I read it many times. Sean and his mother, they won’t ever leave me and I don’t think they’ll leave you either. There is an indelible power to Sean’s story that insists you step out of our busy time to reflect on what matters." For more inside scoop from Philip, visit ReadItForward.com.

[Laurie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet book about a young man dealing with his mother's heart attack and subsequent lengthy stay in the hospital. Will likely resonate with anyone who has been in a similar position. Based in Cleveland, and contains lots of details about growing up there, so may be of interest to others who have done so

[Chelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very sad memoir of what a son does for his mother as she is dying of cancer and attempting to recover from a massive heart attack. Its gutwrenching to read at times and down to earth no flowery filler here.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! After watching and helping my mother to die, this was pretty powerful. It is a part of life and one we don't deal with very well, even though we should.

[Perkimom · Rating 2 out of 5]

I admire the author's integrity and courage in taking care of his mother, basically throughout his life but I didn't get into it as much as I would have thought.