The Last Year of the War

The Last Year of the War by Susan Meissner   400 page


Susan Meissner’s latest novel, “The Last Year of the War” is set against the backdrop of World War II, but it could easily be written about today’s plight of immigrants around the world.

Elise Sontag Dove is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. She knows the dark pall is rapidly descending upon her, taking everything—and everybody---she has loved. Before it’s too late, Elise wants to find her friend, Mariko, whom she hasn’t seen since their families were housed near each other in an American-government sanctioned internment camp in Crystal City, Texas, in 1943-1944.

Through a series of fortunate events, Elise locates her friend who is now living in San Francisco. Will her disease rob her of her friend before she can see her again?  Elise doesn’t know, but it’s urgent that she see her as soon as possible.

As Elise makes her way to meet her friend, she recalls growing up in Davenport, Iowa. Her parents had emigrated from Germany twenty years earlier. Although they were registered aliens, they had never applied for citizenship. They always thought there would be time. Davenport, Iowa, is not exactly a hotbed of Nazi sympathizers, but fear of the German war machine is racing across America. Suddenly, Elise’s father, Otto, is arrested and sent to an American-government internment camp. Elise is stunned but not quite as stunned as when her friends and their parents begin to shun the Sontags.

Otto requests, and is granted, relocation to a family internment camp in Crystal City, Texas. There she meets the Japanese-American girl, Mariko. The two become best friends, planning a future move to New York to become journalists after the war is over and they turn eighteen.

That dream dies when the families are pulled apart. Elise and her family are sent back to Germany while Mariko and her family are sent to Japan. Neither country is a welcome place in the middle of a world war. The girls are forced to stop having contact with each other, but Elise has never forgotten her friend.

“The Last Year of the War” is a fascinating look at fear of people who might be different than you and the unbreakable bonds of friendship. The dueling timelines, one of my favorite plot structures, is well done. I would estimate that ninety percent of the book takes place from 1943 on, which gives readers an opportunity to get to know Elise as she was before the Alzheimer’s begins to rob her.
It does drag a bit in the middle. That is the reason “The Last Year of the War” receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

The Seasons of My Mother: A Memoir of Love, Family and Flowers

The Seasons of My Mother: A Memoir of Love, Family and Flowers by Marcia Gay Harden       Audio Book: 8 hours, 34 minutes      Hardback Book: 336 pages       

Bittersweet book written by actress, Marcia Gay Harden about her life  from growing up at home with her parents and siblings, later going into her mother’s bout with dementia and the toll it is taking on both of them.    She speaks so lovingly about her mother, she jokes about her father’s default word that he emphasized nearly every sentence with and certainly every conversation with several times.   Funny at times but always told with just a bit of melancholy.  From their early life living in Yokohama, Japan while her Dad who was a Naval Officer was stationed there during the Viet Nam War and the family went with him.    Her Mother left alone with the 5 Harden children looked for outlets for her creative streak and settled on Ikebana or the ancient Japanese art of flower arranging and became so proficient at it she gave lectures on it and taught classes.   Just before the Alzheimer’s kicked in, Marcia’s mother, Beverly had been planning on doing a cable tv show with Marcia on gardening and flower arranging she named, “Down the Garden Path.”   The two women were excited about the project then that hateful memory dissolving thing came to be and took the present memories away left no concept of future only stray memories from the past that could be brought out bringing smiles and nods even though Beverly no longer knows who Marcia is.   A journey through 2 gifted people’s lives told with joy, regret, sometimes with anger but always with love about a very present and all consuming beast that threatens all of us but the lucky few.   May medical science find a way to stop this disease from taking over the minds and lives of the elderly and even some not so elderly.   This book will bring tears to the eyes, there is such a deep longing to embrace what was and bring it back but Alzheimer’s is not forgiving and will not release those caught in its clutches.   Marcia Gay Harden says, “I just want my Mom back.”   How gut-wrenching that someone can be so lost in their mind, yet, be right in front of you.   It rips your heart out to know this person you love and would do anything for is asking for your help as they realize they are losing control of their faculties and it kills both you and them to know there is nothing you can do about it.    Like watching a drowning victim go down for the third time, yet, you are too far away and cannot free them nor help them return to shore.   My heart goes out to her and her mother.

Somebody I used to know: a memoir

Somebody I used to know: a memoir by Wendy Mitchell   259 pages

Wendy Mitchell had a busy job, juggled many responsibilities, kept track of every detail, raised her two daughters on her own and on the weekends, went running and also climbed mountains. Then one day, she noticed she felt a little . . . foggy. She couldn't remember details the way she had. She fell for no reason when she was running.  What was happening was early-onset Alzheimer's at age 58.

In this book, Mitchell shares about her cognitive decline but also about what she has learned not only about Alzheimer's, but about how she can make adjustments and still live independently. While the diagnosis was scary and unknowable, Mitchell was determined that she could figure out how to outwit the disease as long as she could.  Seeing her condition as a gift and a way for her to educate others about, Mitchell has spent time educating caregivers, doctors and other people living with dementia, ceaselessly determined to reduce the stigma surrounding Alzheimer's.

I found this book to be a really good read. It's a little scary to imagine what Wendy Mitchell is up against but it's an incredibly uplifting and inspiring story. It's fascinating to read about how she approached her situations, making adjustments, adjusting those adjustments, and figuring out ways to deal with situations.  She very much understands that each day can be one of different challenges and some of them new and pretty daunting. However, her attitude of meeting these challenges head-on is inspiring. 

Trust No One

Trust No One  by Paul Cleave   342 pages

From the start, we are following crime writer Jerry Grey’s fairly quick decent into Alzheimer’s.  Prior to this diagnosis, and parallel denial, Jerry wrote books about evil men committing brutal crimes against women. As his declining grasp on reality intensifies, he starts confessing to those crimes, claiming they are not fiction, but based on acts he committed. The chapters alternate between the past and the present, between the lucid and irrational states of mind, while Jerry struggles with trust – can he trust his memory? His family? His friends? His caregivers? The law? I was fascinated by the premise of a crime writer’s inability to differentiate between his own reality and the lives of his characters; ultimately, the weak conclusion compromised the concept and disappointed, not because I figured out who done it, but because my sense of justice wasn’t appeased.

Posted By:   Regina C.  

The End of Alzheimers

The End of Alzheimers: The First Program to Prevent and Reverse Cognitive Decline by Dale E. Bredesen, M.D.        Audio Book: 9 hours, 22 mins.       Hardback Book:  320 pages      

Excellent book on how to prevent or reverse the ravages of Alzheimers Disease.    The third deadliest disease in America, Cancer being number1 and Cardiac Arrest being number 2.     Fascinating study of things we can do now to prevent the onset of Alzheimers, things we can do to slow it if it has already started and please God, let this information reverse the disease in its tracks for those dear people already suffering with it at every stage of decline.    Oh what a terror that Alzheimers is.    I watched it take my Aunt away from us by degrees over 8 years from the stage where she was cognizant of losing control of her actions, “Help me, I can’t stop myself,” when she kept going around and around the table at a family reunion trying to pick things up compulsively  as if she thought she had to pack up everything obsessively.  So I walked around with her and gave her some napkins to put out and said, “How about you put these out for everyone?”   To about 6 months later when her daughter was talking to her sister about her and I’m thinking to myself, “why are they doing that?  She is right here and hears everything they are saying as if she wasn’t even there.”  My Aunt looked up at me and said, “They think I’m crazy but I’m not.”   I felt so sorry for her.    She deteriorated to the point she couldn’t walk at times, like she stiffened up and couldn’t think how to relax her muscles.   She kept thinking people who were long passed away were coming over or she needed to go to them or she would think her grown kids who have grandchildren of their own were babies and she wanted to go over to her mother’s to get them.   I always went along without disagreeing with her and just diverted her attention to something else.   Her daughter would get frustrated with her and say, “ (whoever’s name) is dead.  They’ve been dead for years.   You know that.”    And even though she might say the same thing several times about the same people, I saw the deep despair and shock come over her whenever she would be told someone she thought she would be going to see or thought they would be coming in the door any minute – were dead.    It was like she lived her grief over and over and over every time.   That was heartwrenching and an eye opener to show the true monster that is Alzheimers.   It goes beyond forgetfulness to gut wrenching pain to finally it is like the person is lost within themselves and eventually loses their ability to discern the words they want to say to eventually losing their ability to speak altogether.    They become almost childlike in their responses either the joy of an infant showing in their eyes to tantrums and some folks even lash out physically in angry outbursts they no longer have the ability to understand clearly nor express what they are feeling that upsets them.    It is the most devastating thing to be unable to help them because they are slowly losing all comprehension and its like they are being pulled away from you and you are helpless to hold on to them.   Like watching a beautiful rose wither away before your eyes and try as you might, you can’t bring it back.    Dr. Bredesen has done extensive research, testing, studies and has arrived at the following conclusions:  Alzheimers isn’t one disease but three.     It is a shrinking of the brain caused by inflammation in the veins in the brain and he suggests taking supplements of vitamin B1 and B12, Folic Acid, Vitamin  C,D,E, K2, Resvertitrol, daily.   He  recommends getting keytone strips to test yourself on a regular basis and more simply recommends no sugar at least 3 hours before bed and preferably cutting as much sugar out of our diets as possible instead going on a low carbohydrate diet.    He says exercise is absolutely essential and says long periods of sitting are detrimental.   If only small amounts of exercise, walking, etc. can be done it is still better than not doing anything.   We should stay away from toxic chemicals completely.    We all need to get at least 8 hours of sleep a night and 9 if possible.   Sleep is very important.   He also says we must practice stress reduction this is important to the healing process.   He fears not enough is being done to counteract the effects of Alzheimers due to financial gain for its treatment, political figures use the topic as a ploy for appealing to masses but haven’t done much to help cure it in any way and don’t support medical research enough unless they are campaigning as many dollars are raised from those on the other side profiting from the proliferation of things as they now stand.     He also suggests we use filters on any electrical equipment in our bedrooms and says no one should have t.v. or computers in their bedrooms at all.     Diet-wise he stresses keeping hyrdrated throughout the day but tapering off in the evening so that once asleep we won’t be awakened to make numerous hasty trips to the bathroom due to needing to urinate.   Like sugar, not much liquid should be ingested the last 3 hours before bed.    He said foodwise there are green light, yellow light and red light foods to be mindful of.   Red light are avoid at all cost foods:  Sugar, Bread, Pasta, Rice, Cookies, Cakes, Candy, Soda, Glutten, Diary, processed foods, tuna, shark swordfish and pineapple.   Yellow Light foods to have in moderation are:  Corn, squash, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, beans, berries, wine, coffee, grass fed beef, pasteurized chicken,  white and red potatoes, and peas.   But, Green Light foods we can indulge to our hearts content Dr. Bredesen says.   Green Light foods are:  Mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, green leafy vegetables, Lettuce, Kale, Spinach, Wild Caught Fish:  Salmon, mackerel, herring, sardines, anchovies, Probiotic foods like sauerkraut and kimchi, jicama, leeks, Sweet Potatoes, rutabagas, parsnips, green bananas, herbal tea, green tea and black tea, and last but not least, onions and garlic.    There are so many tips, and good information in this book it is worthy for all of us to read as Alzheimers isn’t just hereditary disesase but a dietary and lifestyle one as well.   Good for you, Dr. Bredesen!   Oh and on that no sugar thing, he does at least give us sweet lovers one reprieve – ice cream made with coconut milk.   Though he cautions we should also keep track of our insulin levels while admitting that blood test strips aren’t cheap.    He is thorough and has two websites he lists in the book:  www.drbresdesen.com

 and www.mpicognition.com

     Fascinating and my prayer is life-saving.   Good on you, Dr. Bresdesen.   He is also on Facebook, I noticed.   One of the many bright stars at UCLA.

We Are Not Ourselves

We Are Not Ourselves by Matthew Thomas
620 Pages


The book follows the life of Eileen Tumulty racing through the 1940's and 1950's as she grows up in Woodside, Queens.  As you are reading you start to worry about what the book is going to cover as we get through the first 25 years of Eileen's life in 100 pages.  When Eileen meets Ed Leary, the pace of the book starts to slow down and examine the lives of the pair and their son Connell.  After Ed turns 50, it become apparent that there is something seriously wrong with him and it seems that all the hopes and dreams Eileen had for her and her family are in jeopardy.  


On one hand, the book was written very well and I though that Thomas captured the true essence of families and the American Dream.  However, I found myself disliking all of the central characters, especially Connell and that detracted from my overall enjoyment.