Until I Say Goodbye by Susan Spencer-Wendel

Susan Spencer-Wendel was a normal woman. In her early fourties, married with three kids, a steady job as a journalist. Then her body started to slowly deteriorate. Her muscles stopped working. After months of visiting various doctors, she was diagnosed with ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease. The disease systematically destroys the nerves that power your muscles. There is no cure. She did not want to be part of an experimental drug. She did not want to be stuck in a bed with tubes. She wanted to live as much as she could in the time she had left. When it was time to go, she would go.

The book is about her last year. She tells all about the final trips she took with the important people in her life. A trip to see the Northern Lights with her best friend. A trip to Budapest with her husband. A cruise with her sister. A trip to New York City to take her fourteen year old daughter wedding dress shopping, knowing that is the closest she'll ever get to seeing her daughter get married. She tells about her drive to find her birth parents, as she was adopted and wonders if she could have ALS because of genetics. She builds a Chickee Hut in her backyard as a sanctuary for her final days.

I guess I never realized what it means to have ALS. Susan writes about some of the everyday struggles. Like going to pick her son up from school only to fall down because her legs gave out. Other parents asking her what is wrong with her. Is she drunk. Not being able to drive anymore. Not being able to put on makeup (she got "makeup" tattooed on her face). Not being able to feed herself. Not being able to go to the bathroom herself. To the point where she could barely speak.

Susan doesn't describe any of that in a sad way. She is optimistic and even humorous. She jokes about a lot of the things going on in her life. Some of the stuff she does makes her somewhat crazy in my opinion. Her candidness will strike the reader. She talks about dark days of suicidal thoughts and ending life early. But she is also incredibly insightful, truly understanding what it means to live.

From a writing standpoint, it is very easy to read. My only issue is the book is scattered, meaning it's not exactly in the order as things progressed. I really shouldn't be too nit-picky though. She wrote the entire book on her iPhone using only her right thumb.

My rating for Until I Say Goodbye: 5 stars out of 5. Get it here!

P.S. In case you were wondering, Susan is still alive (as of this posting).

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

I know Malcolm Gladwell has a few good books out there. I've just never thought the topics were all that interesting. I'm not sure what really stood out when I picked up The Tipping Point. After reading it, I can say for sure that I am going to read more of Gladwell's books.

The Tipping Point is based on a simple concept. It's the point where an idea, trend or epidemic turns from being nothing into an overnight sensation, spreading like fire. It seems simple, but the author digs into how and why things "tip". He breaks it down to three things: the law of the few, the stickiness factor, and the power of context. The law of the few is that there are a certain few who can influence the majority. The stickiness factor is that there needs to be something about the trend that makes an impact and sticks in your mind. The power of context is about the environment when the few deliver that sticky message. The author goes incredibly deep on these three pieces.

This may not seem all that revolutionary. The book was written more than a decade ago, but even without the book you could probably come up with something similar to his three points. What makes his book stand out is how he intertwines examples with his points. The examples he uses are thoroughly explained and continually referenced in the book. Not in the sense that it's repetitive, but more so in order to reinforce certain thoughts. And I loved how in the last chapter he offered specific examples of how his three points could be applied to current issues.

Honestly I thought this was one of the better books I've read in a long time. While the concept seems straightforward, the examples and the way everything came together makes this a worthwhile read.

My rating for The Tipping Point: 5 stars out of 5. Get it here!

P.S. I wanted to share a passage that I thought was incredibly insightful:

...dismiss as Band-Aid solutions. But that phrase should not be considered a term of disparagement. The Band-Aid is an inexpensive, convenient, and remarkably versatile solution to an astonishing array of problems. In all their history, Band-Aids have probably allowed millions of people to keep working or playing tennis or cooking or walking when they would otherwise have had to stop. The Band-Aid solution is actually the best kind of solution because it involves solving a problem with the minimum amount of effort and time and cost.