Review: I will Never Forget by Elaine C Pereira

 Elaine C. Pereira is a retired school occupational therapist who worked with special needs children. She earned her bachelor’s degree in occupational therapy from Wayne State University and later completed her master’s degree. Pereira and her husband Joseph live in southeastern Michigan with their cat, Snoopy, and two big dogs, Bailey and Maddee. Together Pereira and her husband have five adult children; Joe’s three sons and Elaine’s twin daughters, five young grandchildren and a teenage granddaughter. Life is good again.

I Will Never Forget is the exquisite portrayal of the author’s talented mother, Betty’s, extraordinary and humorous journey through dementia. Through superb stories of Elaine’s childhood, including her controversial name, tales of smoking dragons, and a near paralyzing accident, her mother’s wonderful character is revealed. As their mother-daughter relationship evolves, Elaine referees her mom’s uncharacteristic verbal assaults and masterful Houdini-like disappearances. Elaine relishes in Betty’s dazzling visions of her own mother and then witnesses her mom’s stunning rally to take control of her own destiny. Finally, Elaine accompanies her mother down her one-way journey as her brilliant mind is slowly destroyed by Dementia’s insatiable appetite for brain cells.





My Review:

Pros: This is the kind of book that draws you in. It intrigues you at first, but soon it has you by the heart and you almost don't want to know what happens but you have to read on. A book written with so much passion and love that, even if you've no experience with dementia, you become a lot closer to understanding the point of view of someone who does.

Cons: It made me cry. Not necessarily a bad thing, but definitely an unusual experience for me as far as non-fiction goes.

Movie Potential: Yes, I can definitely see this as a film. Most books of this genre feel like they would be made-for-tv lifetime movies. But I could see this one in theaters.

Writing style: Passionate. Poignant and soft, gaining volume and speed at times and slowing down to a contemplative pace at others. Fantastic.

Format: hardcover

Overall rating: 5/5