Bobby Wonderful
An Imperfect Son Buries His Parents
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4.7 • 3 Ratings
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
His mother's last word was his name. His father's was "Wonderful." Together they inspired the title for this true story of love and redemption.
Bob Morris was always the entertainer in his family, but not always a perfect son. When he finds his parents approaching the end of their lives, he begins to see his relationship to them in a whole new light and it changes his way of thinking.
How does an adult child with flaws and limitations figure out how to do his best for his ailing parents while still carrying on and enjoying his own life? And when their final days on earth come, how can he give them the best possible end?
In the tradition of bestselling memoirs by Christopher Buckley, Joan Didion, and with a dash of David Sedaris, Bobby Wonderful recounts two poignant deaths and one family's struggle to find the silver lining in them. As accessible as he is insightful, Bob Morris infuses each moment of his profound emotional journey with dark comedy, spiritual inquiry and brutally honest self-examination.
This is a little book. But it captures a big and universal experience.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Morris (Assisted Loving), commentator on NPR's All Things Considered, takes an introspective yet humorous look at the final journeys of his critically ill parents. His story is hardly unusual among baby boomers; he says that 65 million Americans are caregivers, and "seven out of ten"of those 65 million provide care for someone over 50, hoping to help parents without neglecting the quality of their own lives. While trying to endure the concluding days of his mother, suffering from a blood disease, and his suicidal father, who faces heart surgery, Morris writes sensitively about his conflicts with his older brother, the medical complications of "comfort care," and the attempts to provide the "perfect ending" for loved ones. Long before the book closes on an upbeat note, Morris explores the many shapes of loss and grief, with a few mischievous asides and recollections punctuating the most painful event possible: "But that's how families cope with an unspoken letting go long before the actual death. It eases the pain of the final parting." Packing in more substance and smiles than are usually found in this genre, Morris has written a profound and timely chronicle.
