The Blogging from A to Z April Challenge is for bloggers who wish to participate by publishing a blog post every day in April except for Sundays. Each blog post will focus on a letter of the alphabet. For example April 1 will be A, April 2 will be B and on it goes. By the end of April, a blog post for every letter of the alphabet will have been posted.
Summary
A very touching, while also very funny account of the author’s experience of handling and dealing with problems attached to ageing parents. Told in the form of comic strip and cartoon and using family photos and documents to tell the story. The themes in this book would be common to many readers, and are issues that many struggle with – ageing and infirm elderly parents leaving their family home to live in an institution, and all the feelings and dramas that brings.
My Thoughts
This is an incredibly touching, while also humorous, account of two lives coming to a close while their only child struggles with doing all she can for them, and at the same time honoring their long lives. The writing is beautifully personal, emotional and very moving.
Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant is a beautifully presented hardcover book in cartoon form. Many of the cartoons and drawings are ‘laugh out loud’ funny while at the same time, heartbreakingly sad.
Recommendation
This book was recommended to me by a friend, and I’m so pleased to have had the opportunity to read it. Since reading it, I’ve also dipped in and out of different sections at times. It’s possible to delve into small sections and still enjoy and indentify with the trials of trying to do the best by ageing parents.
It also made me wonder about my own children and how I could make my ageing easier for them. In my opinion this book is ‘must read’.
“A touching, unflinching, darkly hilarious account of her mother and father’s physical and mental declines, their deaths within two years of each other, and her anxious, loving exertions to ease their passages…..Memorial services seek to provide consolations and perhaps a glimpse of guidance for speaker and mourners alike. Chast’s rich graphic elegy, at once subversive and sustaining, offers both’ – Dan Wasserman, The Boston Globe.
#1 New York Times Bestseller
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
About The Author
Roz Chast grew up in Brooklyn. She has been a cartoonist for the New Yorker since 1978 and has written and illustrated many books.
Published by
Have you read this book. If so, I’d love to hear your thoughts. I promise to always reply to comments made in the section below.
Jennifer's Best Bookish Blog 
Jennifer, Sounds reading this and enjoying the cartoons would give people with older parents a break as they try to “manage” the situation best they can. I shared the post with a closed group I belong to on Facebook as even today one of the group mentioned the trials of having aging parents.
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Fran you’ve made my day. I’m really glad the post was useful for you
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This sounds like an interesting book. And in cartoons, you say? This can actually be a very sensitive subject for most. So I wonder how they did it through cartoons.
Anyway, good thinking to plan ahead for your old age. Also, I would say, maybe talk about it in advance with the kids. Prepare them mentally, so to speak.
Find my post for today @ How to Create Amazing Content to Grow Your Business? The Simplest 5-Key Content Creation Strategy
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What I love in themes like this is coming across books I’d never have known about otherwise. Thank you for sharing :).
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I so want to read this. Thanks. I knew I wanted to come back to your site! I just signed up…
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A delicate subject, one which, so far, I’m managing to avoid in that my ageing mother is really not too bad. A nice approach, this book.
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So far I haven’t been troubled by this issue either, and hope not to be for a long well. My mother is also in quite good health for her age. Thanks for visiting
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Thanks for returning. I’m so pleased to have you sign up also. Will visit you.
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I love coming across the different themes on AtoZ. Some that I would never have thought of.
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I agree that it’s important to talk to the family ahead of time before this issue crops up. I’m sure this book would help to broach the subject
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This one sounds like a must-read for me …very familiar right now.
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I was amused that she has also written a book called “what I hate from A to Z”….a theme for another year? 🙂
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That made me chuckle too Pauleen. Always on the look out for a theme 😂
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