Really lovely. I had heard about Scott Simon's tweets during his mother's last days, but never got around to reading them. Now I'm glad I waited, because I wouldn't have wanted to miss out on the fuller story of her life and their relationship that he presents here. Very well done. ( )

This was a perfect audio book for Mother's Day month. Scott Simon reads his own account of his mother Patricia's last days in his wry, soothing, NPR voice. Such a treat! Pat, 84, went into the hospital for a blood test and never left. This sounds dramatic, but she had already battled lung cancer, had part of a lung removed and thought she was in the all-clear. She just hadn't been feeling well lately and wanted some answers. She never got them officially from her doctors, but the reality was her body giving up. I lost track of time -- but I think it was about a 2 week span that Scott sat vigil at her bedside, telling stories, jokes, reminiscing, singing songs. What a dedicated and touching relationship. Pat was by no means a "saint" -- by the accounts included here, she would be described as "colorful" euphemistically. Wife to 3 husbands, paramour of many more, but a completely dedicated mother as she raised Scott without a husband in his most formative years. She held fascinating jobs -- showgirl, shopgirl, all in the spirit of the greatest generation and the Chicago references are fun and fitting. What comes through most is the lessons she taught her son: how to take life (and death) on your own terms, valuing the people around you (including all her nurses and doctors), finding the joy in the hard times, and sticking together. He intersperses tweets he shared from the hospital room in 2013 -- which alone give an idea of what a special woman Pat was and what a special relationship they shared. I don't know if the paper copy contains pictures, but Simon painted them vividly in his description. It was an honor to be a third party witness to the situation and to receive the story Simon wanted to tell. ( )

Simon writes as he interviews and speaks. It's easy to hear his voice in the words he writes about the most difficult task of working through the death of the ones closest to you. His mother and her acquaintances are interesting characters, and the story is personal, yet at the same time a commentary on being human and living life.

NPR’s weekend edition reporter Scott Simon has written a moving tribute to his mother that was inspired by his viral tweets sent from the hospital during her last days. This is a memoir with lively stories along with the sobering experience of coping with a beloved parent’s death. ( )

Good story about NPR host growing up in Chicago as the son of a divorced mom ( )