Where's my Mother's Leg?: A Dark Comedy

by Dan DiStefano

A humorous view of what really happened after you dropped mom off at the nursing home.“If you can't find the humor working in a skilled nursing facility you'll go home every night wishing vodka came out of your shower."Ned Russo thought he had it all. Lovely home in Pasadena, a beautiful ex-wife who didn’t hate him, a charming daughter at UCLA that adored him and a cushy job with a fat salary he earned as the administrator of one of the premier nursing homes in Los Angeles. He even had a giant office that overlooked the pacific ocean. But, as a wise man once said, “things change.”Ned got fired. It took ten minutes for reality to suddenly hit him squarely in the face. There was the mortgage and tuition for his daughter, the car payment and of course his alimony. So Ned took the first job he could find. It would just be temporary. It would also be a far cry from breezy Santa Monica. It was situated in the bowels of LA’s Koreatown. But his job at the Central City Convalescent wasn’t just a step down for Ned, it was more like falling off Mount Everest and landing on the roof of a Sherpa’s hut. Ned’s journey and re-education in how the other half lives is a funny look at life in that nursing home down the block or that place where Grandma now resides or perhaps where you might end up.

Be kind to your children, they’re going to pick out your nursing home!About the AuthorA former television writer, Dan DiStefano is now a nursing home administrator. He began sharing these stories about life in a nursing facility with his friends. He was urged to put these stories into a book, and it's title stems from a true story!

Genres: Fiction

310 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 15, 2020

Reviews

[Lauren Rosano · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book begins when a skilled nursing facility administrator in a cushy role at a sparkling facility loses his job, and ends up as an administrator in a poorly-funded nursing home in a less desirable area of a city. I really enjoyed the anecdotes in this book. I liked following the storyline from the measly and tough beginnings of the new facility as Ned made changes to improve the functioning of the facility and the quality of life of the patients and staff. I felt Ned was a little full of himself, or maybe it was that the author was overly proud of Ned?? I liked Ned, but I was annoyed by how he was written. I also thought the dialogue was a little bit stilted at times, and that there were a lot of repetitive descriptions. For example, we were given a full run-down of the physical description of basically everyone introduced (race, looks, and age, and typically the way age was described was using the phrase "deep into his/her [60s, 70s 90s, etc.]". I thought the descriptions were sometimes inappropriate, like referring to a woman's lips as "delicious" I think it was...Anyway, the writing overall was the drawback of this book. The storyline itself and the hilarious interactions with patients were spot on for me. It just felt like it was written by a regular person who had no background in writing (which is fine, but it shows).
Overall, enjoyable. 3 stars. I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Christine Allison · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was very frustrated with this book overall. The main character, Ned, was written as though he was this great administrator but the book started with him getting fired from his nicer administration job. If he was so good, why wouldn’t he have proved himself at the first job. This is the essence of what’s wrong with this book. The writer wants us to believe this guy is everyone’s hero, yet he’s been married twice, never sees his daughter, consistently cons the system, and drove his nemesis to a breakdown. I was particularly offended by situations where he put a stethoscope around his neck and lied about being a doctor to cut the line at a restaurant. The tone of the book is also very misogynistic throughout. He woes a woman on a few dates, finally sleeps with her in a whole “fireworks” scene, then we never hear a word about her again.

The next problem is with the writing and editing of the book. The writing was very simplistic. It was almost like reading a screenplay. There were also many editing errors. There was a lot of description about trivial things that didn’t matter, and comments about how other characters were feeling inside, which Ned would never have known.

Overall, I would not recommend this book and would not read this author again.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75
This was written by my friend's brother so I didn't expect it to be that good but I really enjoyed it. Parts were very funny and overall story touching.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where's my Mother's Leg? is about a nursing home, the administrator, staff and patients who live there. The topic of nursing homes is serious, depressing and sad but this story brings out the funny day-to-day happenings, along with the seriousness and will have you laughing at the wild and crazy things that go on daily, along with the trials and tribulations.

Ned had a cushy administrator job at a swanky LA nursing home that was more like a fancy retreat spa. Unfortunately, that job was lost and Ned finds himself in a low income facility that has been run into the ground by a burned out head nurse. Violet hates Ned on sight and devours new administrators as fast as they come through the door. No one is going to change her domain, no one is going to clean it up or make it profitable. No one is going to tell her what to do. She sets out to destroy him.

Ned has an uphill battle in this terrible work environment, where kitchen staff dress like auto mechanics and serve beige food, smells are unbearable, patients are in poor condition, staff morale is lower than low, and Dept. of Health violations are many. Ned struggles to make changes, help staff and patients, while Violet waits for him to fail with help from her corporate friends.

This story takes us on a hilarious journey with Ned and his new staff. It was real, funny and true to what is seen in similar establishments. I wish they all had a "Ned" on their side! Nursing homes are necessary for so many reasons and when a beloved family member has to be placed in one for round the clock care, it's devastating for family and the patient. Even daily visits cannot be 24 hour visits, so good caring staff, clean safe surroundings and decent, healthy food is so very important. This story was heart warming and brought back so many memories for me as a caregiver of my dad for 10 years.

[Pooriya · Rating 3 out of 5]

In my opinion, this was a great story about relationships, routines, and all aspects that are related to humanity. Even though it was the first book that was written by the writer, I believe that it was such a strong and neat fiction for the writer's debut (I assumed that by searching the name of the writer on the internet). Storytelling and characterization were done in a smooth way. In addition, substories within the main story made a nice atmosphere that increased the desire of every reader to continue reading. Furthermore, I think it has a very simple language which is suitable for readers whose English is not their mother tongue and also fantastic for people who want to improve their English. However, this could be a disappointment for native people. Readers could find certain great situations for getting to know about American culture especially their medical environment, the lifestyle, and personal problems of its staff.
Nevertheless, despite all the strength and grace of the story, it has some shortcomings, for instance, readers get confused about the date of the first character who disappeared from the middle of its substory. Or raises this question which is why the writer points to the first ex-wife of the main character only in a short paragraph without any other mention, and of course sometimes it gets tedious due to really unnecessary and long descriptions. Also, it has a few formatting and grammar issues that do not make nuisances.

P.s: I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[margo wheeler · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, ignore the title and the subtitle. The book is better than either will lead you to believe.
Next, this book is for those who love to explore a world, a career, about which they know little and wish they knew more.
Last, this a great book for those who are bored with the Fire/Cop/Hospital gamut.
All of us have had some experience with "rest homes" but have not thought about how they are run. The author clearly knows this business but also knows how to write characters with heart and depth. He creates a world with plenty of shades of gray, depth of character, feelings that are rich and real. There is humor but I would not call it dark. In these days of hate and rage he writes characters who are not truly evil, they are flawed.
The book is not perfect, nothing is. I think there's a bit too much action , as there simply cannot be this many major events in such a short period of time.
I also love the depiction of this part of LA and especially its restaurants. It is all accurate. I've lived there. Note: I was sent this book to review.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually found this pretty refreshing and amusing. I have been reading a lot of depressing and/or heavier stuff this past month so this was a nice change of pace. I thought it might be more of a downer because it is set in a skilled nursing facility and anyone that has experience with those knows those are not the happiest places on earth. However this was pretty upbeat and was structured as a series of vignettes (that mostly worked) tied to the overarching plot of seeing if the new administrator will win his battles with upper management and the entrenched head of nursing. Some bits were pretty funny and I actually laughed out loud. It was well thought out as well. The means by which the administrator overcame most of his obstacles were clever and I can imagine a natural born salesman getting away with most of them in real life. Though I was given a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review I probably would have selected this to read anyway.

[Rose Grabowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was definitely a dark comedy as promised. It was set in a skilled nursing facility and told the story of a newly hired administrator who was trying to increase the profitability of the facility as he was ordered to and make it better place for patients and employees as he wanted to. It is told in a series of daily incidents that occurred there. Because I worked in a long term care facility for so long I enjoyed it very much and found it highly relatable. Those not familiar with the nursing home setting would learn much about how they work. Very entertaining, well done. I received a review copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Andrea Eckelman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the story this book told was great - the characters were interesting and complicated, the setting was interesting and different and it was truly a dark comedy. I read the book on my Kindle though, and found that it needed editing. There were places where punctuation was missing, and a lack of complex sentences that I found distracting from the story. This was disappointing to me, because I did enjoy the story and found it different from many of the books I have read.

*I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

To me this read more like a diary then a novel. The humor was often dark and the subject matter a bit bleak considering it's dealing with nursing homes and psychiatric patients. Overall it was an entertaining and easy read. There wasn't much character development, the characters were one-dimensional but entertaining enough. Ideally I would rate this 3.75 stars, it held my interest, and I enjoyed the restaurant descriptions. Not being that familiar with LA I wonder how accurate they are. Lol

I was provided an advanced copy of this book for free in exchange for my honest review.

[Esther · Rating 4 out of 5]

I briefly worked at a nursing home years ago and thought this would be a fun book to read. I really enjoyed Ned's development as he changed jobs and worked hard to improve Central City. I liked the glimpse into his personal life. To see that he enjoyed some of the finer things in life and sharing with others in his life, but I didn't feel that he looked down on the residence or staff. I know it is not a glamourous life.

I really rooted for Ned to succeed.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Amanda Kirshkaln · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

This book was a relaxing, entertaining read. There was some lack of character development that made it hard to connect with and follow all the characters. For example, Ned's ex wife appears multiple times but we never come to understand their relationship.

Some noticeable typos and grammar issues in book.

Note: I do feel this book would be hard for non medical people to connect with as the book didnt explain the roles of the characater. For example: what a CNA does.

I received this book in exchange for my honest revie.

[Linda Bendiksen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Team Ned

With a lot of dialogue and not much exposition,at times this read like a television show script. Nonetheless,I was quickly pulled into the madcap shenanigans at Central City Convalescent Hospital and was "Team Ned" all the way! I really wanted to see him turn things around. Read it yourself and see if he did! I very much appreciate receiving a review copy so I could share this honest review.

[Kathleen Glandorf · Rating 4 out of 5]

funny, sad and well written

My mother is in a skilled nursing facility and I bless those nurses everyday. The book touches on the absurdity of the situation as well as the heart and caring of the people who work there. The book made me laugh at times and lso wanting to cry. it touches on the reality of life from a fun/sad perspective.

I was frustrated by the typos and wish someone had proofread the book better.

[Sherrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where's my Mothers Leg?

What a good book this is a new author for
rme. Hospitals come in all sorts and sizes this hospital is funny with a mix of truth. Patients here are very complicated and some of them are just plain crazy. This book will give you insight about what could and very well happen in a nurses and doctors lives. This is a very well written and a good read. I read it all of the way thru in one sitting. The ending was leaving you to want more!!

[Norris · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Title Sucked Me In!

I didn’t really know what to expect when I began reading. But as I started getting to know the characters, it was easy to choose sides with the “battle” going on here. Towards the end some of the loose ends were tied up in unexpected ways. It was hard to put down at times because I wanted to see what was going to happen next. All in all, this is an entertaining and pleasant read. And, isn’t that one of the reasons we love doing it?

[Maki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a must read especially for people working in Nursing Homes. It’s relatable and funny. Definitely reflects day to day Nursing Home operation. It will make a good TV sitcom as it’s written around unique situations/episodes that only takes place in Nursing Homes. Looking forward to upcoming stories from the writer.

[robin williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

New look at nursing homes

The true story of life as an administrator of corporate run nursing facilities. Surprising facts that it's always the bottom line. You can be the best, the most caring and good at your job but if the dollar signs don't add up for the big wigs you are burnt toast.

[J. A. Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This mildly humorous read about one man's experiences running a derelict nursing home could have been much better with an editor. There are some charming characters living in the home and then there are a few that get shipped off due to their issues. I know of no nursing home that just allows people to come and go at will with no knowledge of their whereabouts.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. This book was provided to me for an honest review because I read The Big Finish by Brooke Fossey which also takes place in a nursing home. The story is sweet and the main character is such a good guy! I enjoyed the stories of some of the patients at the nursing home located in a poor area.

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The characters in and protagonist in the book are awesome. It is interesting to learn about how a nursing facility might operate. I am not sure what the true point of the book is. I enjoyed learning how Ned, the protagonist, solved his hospital's problems but the ending was a bit underwhelming.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delight

Ned has the perfect job in a posh nursing home until he gets fired. He's forced to take an administrator job at a home way on the other side of the tracks.
I enjoyed the writing and the honesty. It felt like Ned became human as the story progresses.
Thanks to Katrina for the recommendation.