"The Glass Seed" -- An Alzheimer's Book that Touches the Heart

In this unique Alzheimer's book, Eileen Delehanty Pearkes reflects on her mother's descent into Alzheimer's disease. "The Glass Seed: The Fragile Beauty of Heart, Mind, and Memory" is a beautifully written account of the author's experience as a long distance caregiver, whose mother has suffered from Alzheimer's for several years.

This is not a caregiver manual; instead, it is one woman's interpretation of Alzheimer's disease as it was lived through her mother. The book shows how every story of Alzheimer's is important, and how every person's life -- no matter how ordinary -- is really extraordinary. In a bittersweet way, Alzheimer's disease highlights this realization.

The author travels from British Columbia to California several times a year to visit her mother and witness her gradual decline. She demonstrates that Alzheimer's affects family members even when they live faraway. When she's not visiting, Pearkes reflects on her mother's history and how it meshes with cultural traditions to create a sense of wholeness about her life's journey.

My favorite passage in this book is when Pearkes describes the time she was having dinner with her parents -- her mother with Alzheimer's, her father with cancer -- and her father sweeps up her mother into a joyful dance in the kitchen. It was as if they had traveled back to a simpler time, when they danced more often. It brought tears to my eyes.

Some readers may become impatient with the more abstract reflections about mythical and anthropological links to the author's experience, but the passages directly dealing with her mother's illness are profound. For example, while pondering the implications of memory and recognition, Pearkes asks, "If a mother does not recognize her daughter by name or face, does it matter that the daughter has come?" and "If memories cannot be shared, do they cease to exist?" These are worthwhile questions to ask, although they may not have definitive answers.