The Reluctant Caregiver: Missives from the Caregiving Minefields
by Joy Johnston 
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Not everyone is born a natural caregiver. One moment, digital journalist Joy Johnston is a cynical workaholic with an underwater mortgage. The next moment, she faces the responsibility of caring for her eccentric mother who's battling colon cancer, just six months after her father's death from Alzheimer's. As an only child, she has no choice but to slap on the latex gloves, and get to know more about her mother - and herself - than she ever imagined possible.The road from reluctance to show more resilience is bumpy and splattered with bodily fluids, but it also offers unforgettable lessons. Who knew you could learn how to change a colostomy bag on YouTube, or that hospice nurses like telling dirty jokes? Peppered with snarky humor, vivid observations, and poignant honesty, this essay collection will resonate with anyone drafted into a family health crisis. show lessMember Reviews
As with other reviewers, I was torn as to my impressions but overall had to concede a solid 4 stars. The author has an engaging writing style overall, though her cynicism put me off here and there as my personality tends to be mostly optimistic. I do like that she was brutally honest, that's hard to open yourself up like that to others. The background was nice but since the title showed the subject was about being a caregiver, I feel the balance between the back history and the caregiving was more of the former and less of the latter which is disappointing because as a caregiver I picked it up hoping to learn more of the caregiving part and how she dealt with it etc, though I would not expect her to write from my point of view, this is show more her book not mine, Lol. But, us caregivers love to be reminded that we are not the only ones and love to learn good tips on making it through. Overall though I did enjoy this book quite a lot. show less
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