Genre: Memoir
Publisher: Atria, 2012
Pages: 336
Rating: Highly Recommend
Synopsis: Lisa Niemi and Patrick Swayze were married for thirty-four years. When they first exchanged vows, Lisa promised to be with her husband “till death do us part.” Worth Fighting For is a remarkably candid look at what losing a partner really entails—how to care for him or her, how to make it through each day without falling into despair, and how to move forward.
Lisa Niemi Swayze shares the details of Patrick’s twenty-one-month battle with Stage IV pancreatic cancer, and she describes his last days, when she simply tried to keep him comfortable. She writes with heartbreaking honesty about her grief in the aftermath of Patrick’s death, and she openly discusses the challenges that the years without him have posed.
While this is an emotionally honest and unflinching depiction of illness and loss, it is also a hopeful and life-affirming exploration of the power of the human spirit. Like The Year of Magical Thinking and A Widow’s Story, this book is both a tribute to a singular marriage and a celebration of the healing power that each day holds, even in the most difficult of circumstances.
Review: I have a stack of 15 books at home and knowing that I probably won't get through all of them before my final class in my master's program begins I have to pick the ones that seem the most interesting and focus on them.
I read the book jacket and the synopsis and I just wasn't sure if this one would make the cut, but I decided to read the first chapter and see if it was any good. (I still contend that in most cases if a book doesn't have me hooked on page 1, it's probably not going to get any better.)
I was reeled in, hook, line, and sinker by the end of page 1 and had to keep reading. It was almost midnight (I have a rule to not read after midnight - no book or ending makes 3 or 4 hours of sleep worth it the next day). I read through Chapter 3 and reluctantly put the book down for the night.
Lisa's writing style and conversational tone are perfect for a memoir. Plus, I had loved Patrick Swayze since Dirty Dancing and just recently re-watched that movie for probably the 5,000th time.
Can't believe I almost let this one go without reading it. If you love a good memoir, this one won't let you down.
PS - Expect to cry. It's impossible not to, and may we all be so lucky to find a love as strong as theirs.
I read the book jacket and the synopsis and I just wasn't sure if this one would make the cut, but I decided to read the first chapter and see if it was any good. (I still contend that in most cases if a book doesn't have me hooked on page 1, it's probably not going to get any better.)
I was reeled in, hook, line, and sinker by the end of page 1 and had to keep reading. It was almost midnight (I have a rule to not read after midnight - no book or ending makes 3 or 4 hours of sleep worth it the next day). I read through Chapter 3 and reluctantly put the book down for the night.
Lisa's writing style and conversational tone are perfect for a memoir. Plus, I had loved Patrick Swayze since Dirty Dancing and just recently re-watched that movie for probably the 5,000th time.
Can't believe I almost let this one go without reading it. If you love a good memoir, this one won't let you down.
PS - Expect to cry. It's impossible not to, and may we all be so lucky to find a love as strong as theirs.
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