A review by kerisreads
Where the Light Gets In: Losing My Mother Only to Find Her Again by Michael J. Fox, Kimberly Williams-Paisley

5.0

This one broke my heart and healed it at the same time. Kim's mother had primary progressive aphasia (PPA) - the language variant of frontotemporal degeneration (FTD.) My father has the behavioral variant. (bvFTD) I grew up loving Father of the Bride, so it was incredibly surreal reading about Kim going through a similar wild ride with her mother about the same time I was on my own journey with my father: a painful path to diagnosis, lack of awareness and understanding, and impossible care decisions that attempt to honor both the dignity and safety of all involved. It is difficult to put into words the painful ache of grieving someone who is still alive, but Kim does it beautifully. She says she wrote this memoir in hopes that it would help someone else. Well, it definitely helped me: reminded me I'm not alone and gave me a resource to recommend to friends and family who want to better understand what a journey with FTD entails. Just knowing a book like this exists is a comfort! I will definitely be revisiting it as my own family's FTD journey continues.