We 3 by Theresa Snyder
Quick description: Heartwarming, funny, and soothing to the spirit.
I’ve decided to start publishing book reviews on my blog to support independent authors. This is my first-ever blogged review!
How I found this book: I met Theresa Snyder on Twitter. When she followed me, she took the time to tweet a kind comment about my blog. So I made an effort to watch her tweets out of the stream of thousands that flow past me every day. I came to know her as a person of extraordinary kindness and imagination.
The marketing lesson here for independent authors is that you should make an effort to get to know your followers. It isn’t enough to just WHAM the follow button and hope for another followback to pad your metrics. Write the tweet that will be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
Theresa has a science fiction series about space adventurers, and a fantasy series about the dragon Farloft. I’m usually not very interested in the memoir genre, so I read the fantasy books first. But to my surprise, this memoir is my favorite of all of Theresa’s books.
Why I loved this book: This book reminded me of my childhood favorites- Laura Ingalls Wilder and Understood Betsy- because of the focus on the everyday lives of a loving family. It is full of touching details. For example, when I read how Theresa and her father worked for years on the garden so that the ailing mother could see her favorite plants & flowers from every single door & window, a tear came to my eye.
It doesn’t gloss over the tough parts of being a caregiver for aging parents- but the author’s graceful sense of humor carries her through it all. Even though the topic of the book is aging, I’d say the book is more funny than sad. Reading it was a really soothing, peaceful experience for me. The book distracted me from my worries and made me thoughtful about the things that really matter in life.
The idealistic aspect of this book: Even though caring for someone can be very difficult, it doesn’t have to be a burden or a chore. Every moment of life can be a gift, if only you choose to view it that way.
3 Responses
Charlotte, thank you for your kind words. It has been a challenge at times to care for aging parents for 18 yrs, but the rewards are boundless. I will never say, ‘I wish I had,’ when this is all over, because ‘I did.’
This sounds like a fantastic book for sure! I am constantly looking for books and resources to inspire me, motivate me and help me get the proper care and help that my parents need now as they are entering old age. I recently read a very helpful book called “Voice of Experience: Stories About Health Care and the Elderly” by a husband and wife team of experienced medical professionals. http://www.voiceofexperiencebrody.com
Taking care of an elderly parent or loved one can be extremely stressful and I was looking for any assistance I could find. This book uses a conversational tone to relay the stories and experiences of others going through similar situations. The book also offers useful advice and made me feel much better about the difficult decisions I had to face. I strongly recommend it to anyone, not only people who are currently dealing with a similar situation, as it is also great for future planning.
Hi Karen, Thank you for the referral to Voice of Experience. Sounds like it might be similar to my book “We 3.” I found many folks, mostly babyboomers, who were in need of advice on how to care for their aging parents. I think this is a subject a lot of us will be addressing in the future. I hope my book will be of assistance not only with the mechanics of caregiving, but also with the rewards one can experience in the process. – Theresa Snyder