Lauren Kessler, author and director of the University’s graduate program in literary nonfiction, held a reading and signing Tuesday evening for her latest book, “Finding Life in the Land of Alzheimer’s: One Daughter’s Hopeful Story.”
In the Knight Library Browsing Room, Kessler discussed her experience with the disease. Kessler worked for an Alzheimer’s care facility for 4.5 months and her mother passed away of Alzheimer’s.
“One of the greatest lessons I learned is that people are more than the collections of their past,” she said. “This disease is terrible, but it also enriches you – allows you to live in the moment.”
Kessler said working for the care facility was the hardest but most fulfilling job she’s ever had.
“It was a soul-satisfying job. It was a wonderful feeling, walking into a room and everyone smiles,” said Kessler. “I left every day knowing I had learned a little more of what was human.”
The epigraph of her book and something she has learned through her experience is a quote by author Alice Walker: “This is the true wine of astonishment: We are not over when we think we are.” Kessler said this exemplifies how she hopes stereotypes of aging and of people with Alzheimer’s will change. “They’re not just empty vessels. They’re real people with real human emotions,” said Kessler.
Her book also shows the clash of two subcultures: those suffering from Alzheimer’s and those with low-income jobs who work for the facility.
“My fellow workers were extraordinary,” said Kessler. “The amount of energy they brought to the job every day amazed me, and it was most likely the easiest thing they did in their day.”
Her book has reached those who have been touched by the disease, and Kessler includes the e-mails she receives in her book. Eugene local Candy Snook, 56, said she was drawn to the article after reading about it in The Register-Guard.
“It felt like she was speaking to me; it felt like she was speaking for me,” said Snook, whose husband suffered from early-onset Alzheimer’s. “It’s confirmation. It’s comforting to hear because what she is saying is someone else’s reality.”
Laura White, book event coordinator for The Duck Store, has done many events with Kessler, and said she enjoys working with her. White said everyone can relate to this book, which is her favorite of Kessler’s.
“I’ve recommended Kessler’s books to a lot of different people,” said White. “I know that when someone reads it they will have found exactly what they are looking for.”
Kessler has written four other narrative nonfiction books. Those titles include Clever Girl, The Happy Bottom Riding Club, Full-Court Press and Stubborn Twig. Stubborn Twig, a classic American story of Japanese immigration, is an Oregon Book Award winner.
Journalism graduate student Michelle Theriault is one of Kessler’s students who attended the function. “I came to support her, but I was also interested to hear her talk about aging in general,” said Theriault. “Having that experience, she has a unique perspective.”
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