Before I Forget (BOOK REVIEW)
Before
I Forget
Love,
Hope, Help and Acceptance in Our Fight against Alzheimer's
by
B. Smith and Dan Gasby
Harmony
Books
Hardcover,
$25.00
336
pages
ISBN:
978-0-553-44712-5
Book
Review by Kam Williams
“Restaurateur, magazine
publisher, celebrity chef and nationally-known lifestyle maven B.
Smith is struggling at 66 with a tag she never expected to add to
that string: Alzheimer's patient... Part memoir, part caregiver's
guide, this work is a unique entry on the Alzheimer's shelf.
Crafted in short chapters
that interweave [B. and husband Dan's] narrative with practical and
helpful advice, readers learn about dealing with the day-to-day
challenges of Alzheimer's, family realities and tensions, ways of
coping, and coming research that may tip the scale, as well as
lessons learned along the way.
At its heart, Before I
Forget is a love story illuminating a love of family, life and hope.”
-- Excerpted from the
Bookjacket
Barbara
Elaine Smith was born on August 24, 1949 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
to Florence and William, a maid and a steelworker, respectively. The
darling, little daughter would grow up to do her parents proud,
embarking on a series of phenomenally-successful professional
careers.
She
started out as a model, becoming the first African-American to grace
the cover of Mademoiselle. The talented Renaissance woman parlayed
that success into endorsement deals and her own nationally-syndicated
TV show, "B. Smith with Style."
She
would also launch her own product line, publish a magazine and
several cookbooks, and open restaurants in Manhattan, Washington, DC
and out on Sag Harbor. With the help of her husband, B. built such a
formidable business empire that she became widely known as "The
Black Martha Stewart."
Unfortunately,
upon consulting a doctor a couple of years ago because of a nagging
forgetfulness, she received the devastating diagnosis of early onset
Alzheimer's. Although she and Dan have since reordered their
priorities, the two have steadfastly refused to allow the disease to
either crush their spirits or diminish their love for each other. As
B. puts it, "I'm still myself. I just can't remember things as
well as I once did."
In
"Before I Forget," she and Dan share their inspirational
message of hope while issuing a rallying a cry to the
African-American community which suffers from Alzheimer's at over
twice the rate of whites. The autobiography primarily focuses on the
last five years of B.'s life, although it does devote a few chapters
to earlier periods, including her childhood in Pennsylvania.
However,
the thrust of the book is to kickstart a frank conversation about
Alzheimer's from recognizing the warning signs, to identifying its
stages, to reciting lesson's learned thus far. Above all, the memoir
is a reaffirmation of a couple's undying love, as evidenced by Dan's
waxing romantic with, "I am so grateful for the honor and
pleasure of your company, and for the privilege of sharing your
life."
To
order a copy of Before I Forget, visit:
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