Card catalogue data
Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant? A Memoir by Roz Chast (New York: Bloomsbury, 2014)
Categories: Biography; humor; caring for aging parents; cartoon
Format: Hardback from library
Pages: 228
This is the first book I read in August, and the 18th for 2016.
Bottom line
With humor and pathos, New Yorker cartoonist Roz Chast shares the ups and downs of caring for her aging parents in the best way she knows how—through the medium of cartoons.
About the author
Roz Chast grew up in Brooklyn and has illustrated many books, but she is probably most famous for being a New Yorker cartoonist since 1978.
Why I read this book
Gretchin Rubin recommended this quirky book and as I looked into it, it seemed just right for me at the time. Having cared for my parents into their eighties and nineties, and still caring for Dad at 93, it really hit home. The cartoon format helps a difficult subject go down more easily. I identified with so much in this book, it felt somewhat cathartic to read it.
Favorite quote
My father chain-worried the way others might chain-smoke.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Most of us at some point will have to deal with the challenges of our aging parents. If you’ve been through this already or are going through it, you’ll want to read this book. It’s an easy read and will make you laugh, but it will also help you feel less alone.