The Memory of All That

“[A] beautifully told, heart-rending story . . . . Anyone caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s or another dementia should find valuable lessons and inspiration here.”

—Robert B. Santulli, MD, author of The Emotional Journey of the Alzheimer’s Family and The Alzheimer’s Family: Helping Caregivers Cope

“[A] drama of a passionately committed relationship transformed by suffering and grace. Ultimately, Mary MacCracken shows us, the true triumph of the spirit is found in the resolve to love more fully in the face of certain debilitation and death. I was haunted by this poignant memoir.”

—Alicia Hokanson, award-winning author of Perishable World and Mapping The Distance

“A roadmap for sustaining love in the face of inevitable loss for any of us. Mary MacCracken is a skilled storyteller who knows how to turn this tale of wrenching heartbreak into a surprisingly uplifting memoir.”

—Jan Maher, award-winning author of The Persistence of Memory and Other Stories, Earth as It Is, and Heaven, Indiana

“A moving account of one couple’s vibrant loving relationship, their courage in facing Alzheimer’s, and their fierce unwillingness to abandon any moment of shared happiness before the end. This poignant narrative also offers ways to handle the problems and difficult decisions faced by caregivers and their families.”

—Nancy Dubler, LL.B, author of Alzheimer’s Dementia: Dilemmas in Clinical Research and Ethics on Call: A Medical Ethicist Shows How to Take Charge of Life-and-Death Choices

“The Memory of All That is a generous and stirring memoir. MacCracken’s gentle prose recounts her husband's decline into Alzheimer's and the toll it takes on them both. Her story, however, is not framed as tragedy but as a chronicle of married love—with no small share of laughter. Readers facing a similar journey will welcome this book with relief and hope.

—Christine Hemp, author of Wild Ride Home: Love, Loss, and a Little White Horse

"Mary MacCracken's book, The Memory of All That, is a love letter to her husband who had dementia. Here but gone; no longer as he used to be. Ambiguous loss, it's called, with both "upwelling sadness" and "scraps of joy." In a world of loss right now, we can find solace in MacCracken's beautifully written story about love and purpose.

—Pauline Boss, PH.D Author of Loving Someone Who Has Dementia: How to Find Hope while Coping with Stress and Grief and The Myth of Closure: Ambiguous Loss in a Time of Pandemic and Change