Nancy Wesson

Enlightening, emotional, eye-opening, extraordinary book
Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2021
The author was first offered Belize for her Peace Corps Volunteer work, but ended up going to the north of Uganda at the mere age of sixty-four. Brave is an understatement, and I cannot imagine a more difficult assignment (although there are many war-torn areas in the world that would be tough). After the 20 year war which created millions of orphans and a generation of people who lost their way of life. HIV/AIDS was weaponized under Kony who also mutilated and killed thousands of people. How would it be possible to help the dire situation? So many needed so much help. Of the group of 46, 14 understandably left.

Yet, this amazing woman helped organize Peace Corps offices, libraries, project pillowcase for dresses, helping people get hearing aids, sponsoring a boy to attend school (and even remaining longer than two years as part of helping him), and sharing books in many situations. She accomplished so much more.

One story is about trying to buy one egg one day - a real trial. Going to the dentist required travel, leaving and returning through mud in the dark. Nothing was easy or routine. Everyday there was a new challenge. Returning home also was rough as she returned to changing technology and had no house at that time.

I have always wondered about the Peace Corps and this tells the truth about this person’s experience.

I was provided an ARC copy and opinions are my own.… (meer)

I am so sorry that it took so long for me to read this book! My mother, who recently turned 99, had already moved into her apartment at the retirement village and I thought the book would be good for the next move, the expected move to the nursing home sometime in the future. However, this book would have been a perfect how-to book for her move from the family home. I wish my brothers and I had read this book before her move.

Now I am moving from my home of the last 25 years, downsizing into what I expect will be my home until I need additional care. So what I expected to be a reference book for my mother's move has become a reference book for me. I have a lot of stuff and it is hard to let go of so many things that have memories. This book has given me pointers on letting go, deciding what is important, and structuring my new home based on my changing needs. Ms. Wesson reminds us to treat these changes for our parents (and in my case, for myself) with respect and understanding. What an important message.

I recommend this book. It is well thought out, easy to read and has lots of really good information.… (meer)

This was a good book, and it covered what I think are all the important issues - identifying their needs, coping with their emotional issues about moving, deciding what to keep and what to get rid of, selling the family home, and trying to do all this while respecting their dignity and individuality. What this doesn't cover, and what I wanted it to cover, was how to change MY parents' minds about moving out of their home and near to one of their children in the first place! My parents really are too elderly and sick to be living in the middle of the woods in the middle of nowhere with the only hospital 45 minutes away, in an area where it snows a lot, where the nearest grocery or drug store is also 45 minutes away, with no reasonable bus service, no nursing homes (except 2 1/2 hours away) and no system of home health care in their area for the elderly. They chose the worst possible place to retire unless they were both in perfect health. HOWEVER, that does not make them even remotely willing to move, as this is the house they have been buidling for 45 years. What I wanted from this book it was unable to give me. It does give advice on how to start the conversation about moving for safety and health reasons, etc, but there really is no magic formula for getting them to agree in the first place. In the end, I have decided to respect their choices for independence over my preference of safety. I wish it were different, but I can't make it so.… (meer)