Winter Stars: an elderly mother, an aging son, and life’s final journey

by Dave Iverson

Dave Iverson was a busy broadcast journalist recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease when he decided to do something he’d never quite imagined: He moved in to take care of his 95-year-old mom. Winter Stars is the moving story of their ten-year caregiving journey.

By the end of this decade, 74 million Americans will be over the age of 65, including every member of the Baby Boom generation. The pandemic prompted more Americans to consider caring for their parents at home, but as Iverson learned, the gritty, life-changing reality caregiving delivers requires more than good intentions. He didn’t know that his mom’s dementia would pose more challenges than his Parkinson’s. He didn’t know he’d be capable of getting so angry. He didn’t know that becoming a caregiver means experiencing love and loss, anger and insight—usually when exhausted and often on the same day. And he didn’t know that moving in with his mom would challenge and change him more than any other life experience.

For the vast number of families who are confronting —or will soon confront—a caregiving journey, Winter Stars offers an intimate, unvarnished portrait of the challenges, choices, and life lessons that lie ahead.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction

236 pages, Paperback

First published March 22, 2022

About the author

Dave Iverson is a writer, documentary film producer/director and retired broadcast journalist. Winter Stars: An Elderly Mother, an Aging Son and Life’s Final Journey is Dave’s first book. It tells the story of the 10 year caregiving odyssey he shared with his mom until her passing at the age of 105.

Dave has produced and reported more than 20 documentary specials for PBS, including the Frontline film, “My Father, My Brother and Me” which explored his family’s battle with Parkinson’s disease and Capturing Grace, which tells the story of what happened when a group of people with Parkinson’s disease joined forces with a legendary New York City dance company. He was a radio and television reporter and host for nearly 40 years, first at Wisconsin Public Broadcasting and then at San Francisco’s NPR affiliate KQED.

He is a founding member of the Michael J. Fox Foundation’s Patient Council and still dreams of running in one more New York City Marathon.

Dave and his wife Lynn divide their time between Oakland, California and Boothbay Harbor, Maine. They delight in spending time with their families and grandchildren.

Reviews

[Judy Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

WINTER STARS is an eloquently written and profoundly moving intimate memoir of the caregiving from an aging son and an elderly mother's final life journey. I enjoyed it immensely.

A busy, successful broadcast journalist recently diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, Dave Iverson decided to do something he'd never quite imagined. Within the pages of this stunning debut memoir, the author shines!

WINTER STARS is a moving story of his ten-year caregiving journey. At the age of 59, he moved in to take care of his 96-year-old mom. She ultimately lived to be 105 years old.

Dave's father had passed away with Parkinson's, and his brother was diagnosed and himself. As a baby boomer, he knew he could not put his mother in a home. Until age 96, Adelaide lived in her house independently since the 1950s and after her husband passed. She was very active and lived life to the fullest.

However, at age 96, when she came down with pneumonia, she decided to cut up her driver's license. She thought it was time, which gave her control of the situation. Adelaide did not want to die.

Adelaide thought there were two of herself.
The pretty and smart one who knows how to do things.
Then there's the bad side—the one who's ugly and stupid and can't do anything.
At times she does not know which one is present.

At age 101, she began the early stages of dementia. She had been a force, a former teacher, devoted spouse, mother of three, an avid reader, a sports fan, a loyal friend, and a powerhouse volunteer. When he decided to move in, he did not know many things about being a caregiver. He never expected to be for an entire decade before her passing at age 105.

TRIBUTE: As the author describes in this beautiful memoir, the journey affected him, humbled him, and reoriented him more than any other experience in his life. He also gives tribute to the remarkable women who accompanied him on this journey and those who changed his life and his mom's.

Like many of us who have been down this road with our aging parents and as baby boomers (myself),—we are thinking of our end of life as well. How do we want to be cared for when we no longer can on our own? Especially for those of us who are single and live alone and grown children are many states away with lives of their own.

CAREGIVING: Caregiving involves doing things you never imagined. There are decisions to make about home health care, insurance, cost, Medicare, skilled nursing, hospice, nursing assistants, plus the daily challenges of caring for an elder similar to a young child. But changing diapers for an adult mom, with trips to the bathroom, dressing, doctor visits, medications, feeding are all part of the daily tasks and cooking and cleaning. There is so much to learn and it often feels like a crash course.

At the same time, try your best to be patient with lack of sleep while up multiple times during the night while still working with a full-time career, a life, and a disease of your own. With ten years of this, there are financial burdens, loans, and other considerations.

Adelaide had "staying" power. Each time she got an infection, she seemed to bounce back. But felt trapped and hated who she was becoming. No longer the person she was before. With letters from her husband and other treasure and memories of the past, and outings, Iverson knew he had to have more help. He needed balance to be his best when he was there.

SPECIALIZED ASSISTANCE: I loved the two generous women who helped care for his mom, Eileen and Sinai. If we all had two remarkable women like this at the end of our lives. Even one undergoing cancer treatments of her own was always there. And the help of hospice nurse Chris and others. These two women turned the old house into a home once more.

LIFE SUPPORT: As time goes on, there are also considerations about when to stop care. She did not want life support, but they still provided medications to help extend her life and quality of life. There always seemed to be more chapters.

With raw emotions, Iverson talks honestly of the struggles and decisions. His outlet was his work and his running.

"Running gives you the illusion that you're in charge of your body until your body lets you know otherwise. Caregiving, on the other hand, never offers that fantasy. Instead, it made me feel like I was driving a car that was careening down the highway with my seatbelt unbuckled and someone next to me grabbing at the steering wheel. Sometimes I wasn't even sure I was in the front seat."

You choose how to respond to certain challenges. The two women, Eileen and Sinai showed him caregiving was an exercise in acceptance. These two women who were immigrants taught Iverson that sometimes it's America's newest arrivals who offer the comforting embrace. At his lowest, the two provided him with a safe harbor.

A beautiful memoir told with compassion and love. I especially love the quotes at different ages and stages from Adelaide and the honest words of the son. I adored the ending with both women there to the end and even the special outfit tunic and pants that the women had specially made for her and the way they cleaned and dressed her with special care before the hearse arrived, allowing the family time with her. Who could ask for anything more?

Admirable, Dave Iverson's unselfish care for his mom. I cannot see either of my grown sons spending a weekend taking care of me, much less putting their life on hold and doing this for 10 years. A fortunate mom to have a son so caring. For this reason, I hope I can afford an end-of-life Doula!

I highly recommend this book! A fitting title and eloquently written. We all want to die with dignity and hopefully pain-free in an environment with people who genuinely care for you and give you the personalized attention that you can be honest with until the end. Our healthcare is not cut out to give this specialized care as to why so many have changed the plans for their loved ones.

NOTE: All royalties from the sale of Winter Stars go to support: The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, Dance for PD, and Avenidas, a San Francisco Bay Area Organization providing caregiver support.

DEDICATION: The book is dedicated to his mother, Adelaide, caregivers, Eileen and Sinai; and his wife, Lynn.

For the vast number of families confronting —or will soon face—a caregiving journey, Winter Stars offers an intimate, unvarnished portrait of the challenges, choices, and life lessons.

Also prior to reading WINTER STARS, I read an arc of the beautifully moving novel by Jessica Strawser also out today, March 22nd, THE NEXT THING YOU KNOW.

THE CAREGIVERS in Winter Stars reminded me so much of the End-of-Life Doula, Nova in Jessica's book. I definitely want a Doula. I think they are so special and if you cannot find an Eileen and Sinai, or a caring son, you will most definitely want a Doulas like Nova. I highly recommend both these books. One non-fiction and one fictional; however, they both highlight end-of-life journeys with one older and one younger.

A special thank you to Light Messages Publishing and NetGalley for a digital ARC. Thank you for the opportunity. I also purchased the hardcover copy for my home library.

Blog Review Posted @ www.JudithDCollins
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5 Stars
Pub Date: March 22, 2022
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[Tamara Evans · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Winter Stars: An Elderly Mother, A Aging Son, and Life’s Final Journey” is a nonfiction book focusing on broadcaster and filmmaker Dave Iverson’s experience care for his ninety-five year old mother diagnosed with dementia shortly after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at the age of fifty-nine.

The book consists of a prologue, twenty-two chapters divided into three parts, epilogue, acknowledgments, and a blurb about the author.

In the prologue, the author, Dave Iverson, transports the reader to Fall 2013 and recounts visiting his one-hundred-and one-year old mother Adelaide as she begins to experience the early stages of dementia. Having always been close, Iverson moved back in with his mother after she experienced a bout of pneumonia and was unable to manage on her own. While acting as Adelaide’s caregiver, Dave is candid in sharing how the taking care of his mother led to sympathy for unknown number of women caregivers throughout the country. Dave ends the prologue by informing the reader that this book tells the story of his and his mother’s ten-year caregiving journey as well as highlighting the women who provided guidance and assistance during that time period.

Part one, “Setting Forth,” begins with Dave discussing his parents Bill and Adelaide’s life together with him as a professor and dean at Stanford University and her as a former teacher. Bill passed away at the age of eighty-two from Parkinson’s disease. Although Adelaide loved Bill, following his death, she is determined to move forward, living alone in their home Menlo Park and is active visiting family and volunteering in the community. Dave is surprised by how self-aware his mother is, especially when she decides to cut up her driver’s license at the age of ninety and chooses to rely on cabs and trains to get her wherever she needed to go. Dave lovingly discusses his mother’s favorite things such as Stanford baseball, basketball, and football games over a sixty-year span. Dave reminisces of when Adelaide became sick with pneumonia in 2007 as the major turning point in their lives. Following Adelaide’s sickness and slow recovery, Dave decides to move from San Francisco to Menlo Park to take care of his mother since he was single and had a flexible job.

As part one progresses, Dave shares how Adelaide informed him, his older brother Peter, and younger brother Paul of their Bill’s diagnosis with Parkinson’s disease via a letter in 1971. After the Parkinson’s diagnosis, Adelaide works to keep her and Bill busy and don’t share the diagnosis with their friends. Despite being told in his twenties that Dave and his brothers didn’t have to worry about getting Parkinson’s, his older brother Peter is diagnosed with Parkinson’s at the age of forty-eight and Dave is diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at the age of fifty-nine.

After a year of caregiving for his mother, Dave learns the importance of scheduling and worries about losing his independence to work commitments. As Christmas approaches, Dave notices that Adelaide has become less interested in the world around her, is struggling to use the walker and get to the bathroom in time.

After a urinary tract infection, Adelaide has a lengthy hospital stay and is then transferred to a nursing home. When Adelaide has a fall while at the nursing home, Dave gets new from a nurse who assisted Adelaide while at the nursing home. As Adelaide becomes more difficult with those trying to help her, Dave becomes angry and annoyed with her behavior. Frustration begins to overtake fulfillment and Dave soon questions whether he wants to continue serving as her caregiver. Over time, Dave’s caregiving community grows to include other home health aides who maintain contact with Adelaide even after no they are longer working for Adelaide.

Part one ends with Dave establishing family bonds with the various professional caregivers and feels comforted, valued, and deeply care for Adelaide. The longer Dave cares for Adelaide, the more his professional career transforms leasing him to create a film called “Capturing Grace,” which focused dance performance involving those with Parkinson’s, their caregivers, and professional dancers.

Part two, “Still Here,” begins with party preparation and celebration for Adelaide’s one hundredth birthday held at the Stanford Golf Course restaurant. Dave soon accepts that caregiving is not a linear experience and begins to cope with bursts of anger at Adelaide by beginning long distance running and eventually ends up running in the New York City Marathon on behalf of the Michael J. Fox Foundation four times.

As part two progresses, Adelaide shares with Dave that she feels that there’s two Adelaides, one who’s smart and one who can’t do anything. Despite not being affectionate with children or dogs, after Adelaide turns one hundred and one, she begins to wave at children and dogs but begins to talk less. Dave learns to appreciate the moments of strangers acknowledging and interacting with Adelaide’s wave or verbal greeting. When Adelaide turns one hundred and two, Dave is bewildered when she makes it known that she wants male attention and Lynn (Dave’s partner) has a hurtful encounter with Adelaide.

While Dave is away in Maine for a two-week vacation, having left Adelaide in the care of a trusted group of professional caregivers, soon he is called and told to end his trip sick Adelaide’s is terminally ill, her time to live is coming to an end and to have a hospice team sent over to Adelaide’s house. Although Adelaide is diagnosed with another urinary tract infection and is given a terminal diagnosis, she manages to survive with the help of antibiotics.

As Adelaide continues to live after hospice in brought into the home, Dave is surprised to learn how many services hospice provide but feels depressed at the prolonged wait for Adelaide’s last years on earth. Dave soon realizes his annoyance at Adelaide still living in more about him than her and to a degree, he’s tied his life resuming after her life has ended. As her dementia worsens, Adelaide begins to conflate the identities of family members and mistakes Dave for her husband.

Part two ends with Dave coming to the realization that he is getting older and he feels weary at returning to Adelaide’s house. It is only when talking to a friend when he becomes aware of his unusual circumstances of taking care of his elderly mother as an aging white guy, and begins to understands that despite having white male privilege, in caregiving, this privilege isn’t useful. In the end, Dave accepts that he can no longer be the primary caregiver for Adelaide and the community of female professional caregivers step into help him return to the role of son.

Part three, “Last Call,” Dave feels lightened by being able to step back from caring for Adelaide without stepping away from her completely by having help by a community of caregivers. By being able to not be the primary caregiver for Adelaide, Dave is able to deepen his relationship with Lynn and focus in coordinating the finances to sustain her care. After research government assistance options, visiting nursing homes, and getting an offer for personal care from one if her caregivers, Dave comes up with a patchwork solution to keep Adelaide in her home by paying the professional caregivers less, moving Adelaide to a nursing facility, renting out her house to fund her long-term care, and pulling money from his savings. As Dave prepares to begin his patchwork solution, he receives an unexpected offer from Adelaide’s lifelong friends which allows her to stay home, receive the care she’s become accustomed to as well as help Dave pay off debts incurred from mortgaging her home to pay for her past long-term care.

As part three progresses, surprising things occur such as a broken furnace and Adelaide outliving hospice care. As Adelaide continues to live past the hospice timeframe, she is soon having to have hospice recertification every three months to keep being eligible for the service. The book ends with Dave’s getting married to Lynn, Adelaide passing away at the age of 105, and a her leaving behind a legacy that impacts all who knew her.

In the epilogue, Dave shares life four months after Adelaide has died as well as his wife Lynn’s diagnosis of stage three breast cancer. Despite begin diagnosed with breast cancer, Lynn feels grateful for the ability to tackle what comes next and maintains a positive outlook on life. Lynn and Adelaide’s former caregiver find a common ground in experiencing breast cancer. Dave ends the book by expressing that although his mother was fortunate to be able to afford quality health, the United States as a whole need to work harder to make sure that quality health care and elder care should be available for everyone and not be a matter of birthright or bank account.

As I finished reading the book, I appreciated how transparent Dave is sharing in his experience caring for his mother as well as expressing how caregiving effected other aspects of his life. This book was wonderful is providing an inside perspective of caregiving and gives insight including, fighting the urge to be always be right when interacting with an aging parent, and being proactive in obtaining more help than one needs. Caregiving leads to David becoming aware of such issues as how hard it is to be a caregiver, how hard it is to navigate in a world when English isn’t your first language or your skin is brown. I also liked the excerpts from Dave’s conversations with Adelaide as well as journal entries written during his caregiving experience. Despite both mother and son having diseases that can become debilitating, it was uplifting to read how their love for each other acted as a buoy during dark times.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

UGH I loved 🥺 My Parkinson’s patient recommended this to me and I am so happy I read it. Short at 150 pages and sheds light on topics that people do not talk about yet it is a big part of life. You will cry but I would recommend this to anyone.

[Susie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful memoir of a son taking care of his feisty energetic mother to her death at age 105. She was really a force of nature! Eloquent, touching and thoughtful insights into caretaking and the effects of caretaking on the caretaker as well as the importance of having support.

[Beverly Thorn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a decades-long story of love – for the author’s mother, brother, wife, and extended family, both biological and by association. Dave Iverson recounts his long trek caring for his mother beginning in her mid-nineties and lasting almost until her 105th birthday. That is not the common expectation, to say the least! Furthermore, white men doing the caregiving is not the norm. Dave's memoir is even more startling when we learn that Dave has Parkinson’s disease, and although he has managed it extremely well, Parkinson’s is, after all, a degenerative neurological disease. Dave's father died of Parkinson’s, and by the time of publication of the book, his brother had also succumbed to the disease. Dave has done much to contribute to the good in terms of public recognition and support for Parkinson’s Disease, including being the founding member of the Michael J. Fox foundation’s Patient Council and making two superb PBS frontline film documentaries, My Father, My Brother and Me, and Capturing Grace. But this book focuses on his caring years for his mother and includes the rewards as well as the challenges we all face as caregivers -- not the least of which is that life keeps on coming at us, even in the throes of the emotional, physical, and financial drain caregiving takes. I’m so glad he comes to terms with the need for self-care at the same time he continues giving care. And, as he aptly points out, he was one of the lucky ones because he had the financial means to provide the care his mother needed. So many other caregivers are simply out of luck and get no help. Dave epitomizes grace as he faces the challenges of multiple-year caregiving. It is a heartwarming read and a window into a true heart.

[Connie Simonton · Rating 5 out of 5]

My grandma has Parkinson’s disease, she is about 75 years old it was detected 7 years ago. Right now it’s getting more difficult to live for her, because of stiff muscles she can’t even move. L-dopa and carbidopa medicines are given, but won"t give much relief. She can"t eat food and the skin is damaging forming ganglia. I thought this might be the last stage and the medications she was given did not help at all, so I started to do alot of research on natural treatments, I was introduced to Health Natural CentreU.S and their Parkinson’s Herbal Protocol. She started on the Parkinson’s Treatment last year, her symptoms gradually diminished including her Tremors, Body Weakness and Muscle Pains. Reach them at healthnaturalcentre.org , She is getting active again since starting this treatment, she is able to walk again ( down the street and back ) and able to ride her treadmill again! God Bless all PD Caregivers. Stay Strong, take small moments throughout the day to thank yourself, to love your self, and pray to whatever faith, star, spiritual force you believe in and ask for strength. I can personally vouch for these remedy but you would probably need to decide what works best for you.

[Elisabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this staggeringly beautiful book, Dave Iverson describes his quick decision to move in with his 95 year old mother to help her. She ends up living 10 more years. He needs and benefits from a lot of wonderful helpers during her last decade, he learns a lot about himself and about the mind and body at the end of life.

"One of caregiving's more difficult, but ultimately more rewarding, challenges is to recognize the truth that lies below what is said, to try to place yourself inside the other person's reality and then look outward onto what must be an unfamiliar and unsettling new terrain.
To focus on what someone is experiencing rather than what they are saying is no easy task-one I would fail at for a very long time. But there are moments when a new reality cracks open, when a dark river parts and we're offered a deep truth-one we would not have the privilege to see were we not in that person's presence and in their world."

"Iverson, someday you're going to learn that the only way you can coast in life is downhill."

"It was never OK he said, to hurt somone you loved, and who loved you"

[Christine Chau · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully-written memoir of an aging son's lengthy final journey with his elderly mother. It's admirable and I appreciate Dave for writing this book with such honesty in raw emotions and challenges that he, as a son and a caregiver, was living through.

I learned a lot through Dave's journey. Highly recommended for those caring for an elderly parent and/or wondering what might lay ahead. With these things, while there is no telling what tomorrow might bring, the book gave me an idea about what I might prepare for - even if it's just to have something to prepare for to feel a sense of control and to have a little more courage to face the unknown path ahead.

Thank you, Dave, for sharing your journey.

[Jayne Burnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many thanks to Net Galley and Light Messages Publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.
A beautifully written account of a man who has Parkinson’s but is a carer for his elderly mother for 10 years. His mum is 96 when he starts this journey and she lives to be 105. She is a wonderful character full of life and wants to continue living.

This is a heartfelt read, full of emotions, difficult decisions, Love is felt in this story every day, the authors love for his mother, the professional woman who help him with her care, everyone’s commitment.
There are topics which we often don’t want to think or talk about. A thought provoking read.

[Catherine Roberta · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was diagnosed 2011. i was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. My symptoms progressed quickly. Soon i was having difficulty breathing, swallowing and even walking short distances. With the help of Health Herbs Clinic natural herbs I have been able to reverse my symptoms using diet, herbs, which i feel has made the most difference. The Parkinson’s natural formula immensely helped my condition, it reversed my Parkinson’s. my slurred speech, then the tremors, and mobility gradually disappeared, even my handwriting is getting better visit their website at health herbs clinic people are suffering from this horrible disease due to lack of information.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a 70 year old daughter caring for her 98 year old father for some 10+ years I found "Winter Stars" very helpful and validating. Finally, here is someone who understands and has been there! Most people look at me totally clueless because they've never come close to doing what I'm doing. I've done what Eileen and Sinai did too, enjoyed it and was good at it. It's very different when it is your own parent and is pretty much 24/7. Thank you, Mr, Iverson, for creating some comfort and understanding for me and others in similar circumstances. I highly recommend this book.

[Sindhu S · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a hard book to read, probably because just four months have passed after the death of my father, who was bedridden for a long time.
Although my mother was his primary caregiver, my brother and I were actively involved in almost all aspects of his care. Like Iverson, my mother and I had to deal with our medical problems.
My father did not have dementia. He was 20 years younger than Iverson’s mother. Also, we did not seek or receive any outside help, financial or otherwise.
Regardless of the differences, we also faced many challenges, underwent many changes, and experienced a gamut of emotions. I could relate to Iverson’s account. It is sensitive, wise, humble, and honest.
I liked the way he describes the women caregivers who helped take care of his mother. His references to the caregiving situation may pertain to the US. However, it makes you think more seriously about it, especially given the rise in the geriatric population the world over.

Note: Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Audreygold · Rating 4 out of 5]

A poignant book about caring for a elderly parent for 10 years -- 95 to 105! Dave writes with love, compassion, humor, frustration and grace. I appreciate how much he valued the caregivers that helped him with his mom and think how fortunate he was to find them. Only 150 pages so I encourage you to read this little gem.

[Barbara Hugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

A detailed realistic account of what it is like for a child caring for an elderly parent. Reveals shortcomings of our current health care system. I particularly like the emphasis on the compassion of immigrant health aide and our Need to encourage their coming to our country and supporting and honoring their work.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very moving. It does not surprise me that Dave was first a filmmaker as I keep having flashbacks to various scenes of a film that I could swear I watched. But no, it was a beautifully written memoir and tribute that I in fact read in two sittings despite my cats persistent head butting cries for attention. Could not put it down.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nearly read in one sitting...highly recommended for anyone with an aging parent, anyone who is a caregiver or may become one. Iverson paints an honest picture of his life as the engaged adult child, but where this short book really shines is his loving portrait of the women that cared, hands-on, for his mother during her very long goodbye.

[Ken Beare · Rating 5 out of 5]

Startlingly insightful and brutally honest, Winter Stars is a sensitive story of unfolding self discovery and personal growth. Don’t miss it. I plan to read it for a third time.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hard to choose the right words to describe this book given the subject matter. Extremely honest, well written, and heartfelt.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous. Insightful, helpful, relatable. Very well written and spot on. So glad I read.

[Brandon Will · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a caregiver, this can be hard to read at points--but is well worth it, re-grounding and reminding us of our purpose.

[Steven K. Bagwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some books bury you in superfluous detail while others overwhelm you with empty platitudes and generalities. Winter Stars does neither. Its trademark is telling detail that either advances narrative, reveals inner character or both.
The book sets out to provide a case study in the inner workings of caregiving from the perspectives of the various participants. In doing so, it rises to providing a case study in human interaction itself — a more ambitious undertaking.
Author Dave Iverson paints a full picture, with all of its rough raw edges. He doesn’t spare anyone, even himself, when interactions among his characters play out in unwelcome ways. That imbues his words with an indelible mark of authenticity.
As an added bonus, the writing is vivid and precise and the story line is tightly framed. The result is a book that promises to resonate with a broad cross-section of the reading public.