The Last of His Mind — 2009 · Subscribe to new reviews feed (orange icon)

A Year in the Shadow of Alzheimer's

By John Thorndike

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“A brave, moving story of a son’s devotion to his dying father…. Thorndike’s prose is serenely beautiful and his patience in caring for an Alzheimer’s patient is extremely admirable. An affecting work of emotional honesty and forgiveness.”

Kirkus Reviews

“(O)ne has to admire the honest of the author who sets forth all his feelings, whatever light they may shine on his character. . . . One comes away from this book impressed by the author’s devotion to his father, and the art he displays in organizing and writing this poignant memoir.”

Ohioana Quarterly

“A beautiful book, this memoir reveals the painful chaos of Alzheimer’s, as well as the strength, faith and unexpected joys that come with caring for a loved one in his last days.”

Publishers Weekly

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Joe Thorndike was managing editor of Life at the height of its popularity immediately following World War II. He was the founder of American Heritage and Horizon magazines, the author of three books, and the editor of a dozen more. But at age 92, in the space of six months he stopped reading or writing or carrying on detailed conversations. He could no longer tell time or make a phone call. He was convinced that the governor of Massachusetts had come to visit and was in the refrigerator.

Five million Americans suffer from Alzheimer's, and like many of them, Joe Thorndike's one great desire was to remain in his own house. To honor his wish, his son John left his own home and moved into his father's upstairs bedroom on Cape Cod. For a year, in a house filled with file cabinets, photos, and letters, John explored his father's mind, his parents' divorce, and his mother's secrets. The Last of His Mind is the bittersweet account of a son's final year with his father, and a candid portrait of an implacable disease.

It's the ordeal of Alzheimer's that draws father and son close, closer than they have been since John was a boy. At the end, when Joe's heart stops beating, John's hand is on his chest, and a story of painful decline has become a portrait of deep family ties, caregiving, and love.


Picture of John Thorndike

John Thorndike is the author of two novels, Anna Delaney's Child and The Potato Baron, and a previous memoir, Another Way Home. He lives in Athens, Ohio.

A Swallow Press Book [Swallow Press Logo: swallow in flight]

ForeWord Book of the Year Award winner
The Washington Post: A Best Book of 2009
• A Publishers Weekly “Indie Top 20”
• 2010 Ohioana Book Award Finalist

Cover of The Last of His Mind

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248 pages • 5¼ × 8¼ in. • Hardcover: 978-0-8040-1122-8

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