MinnPost: Toth blends a little black humor with a lot of love

Review of NO SAINTS AROUND HERE by Susan Allen Toth.

No Saints Around Here by Susan Allen TothNo one likes to think about it, much less talk about it, but chances are good that we’ll end our lives helpless and under the complete care of someone else. We just have to hope that person is someone kind or someone who loves us.

When writer Susan Allen Toth found herself taking on the role of caregiver for her husband, who suffered from Parkinson’s disease and later, dementia, she was determined to keep him in the Minneapolis home he designed, surrounded by the things and people he loved. But as his condition deteriorated, caregiving became more difficult. Physically demanding, emotionally draining, and costly, the duties began to wear her down. So naturally, for this author of seven previous memoirs (including “My Love Affair With England”), she found solace in writing. “No Saints Around Here: A Caregiver’s Days” (University of Minnesota Press) chronicles the realities of a largely hidden part of life.

Published in: MinnPost
By: Amy Goetzman