The Last of His Mind : A Year in the Shadow of Alzheimer’s

Joe Thorndike was managing editor of __Life__ at the height of its popularity immediately following World War II. He was the founder of __American Heritage__ and __Horizon__ magazines, the author of three books, and the editor of a dozen more. But at age 92, in the space of six months he stopped reading or writing or carrying on detailed conversations. He could no longer tell time or make a phone call. He was convinced that the governor of Massachusetts had come to visit and was in the refrigerator. Five million Americans suffer from Alzheimer's, and like many of them, Joe Thorndike's one great desire was to remain in his own house. To honor his wish, his son John left his own home and moved into his father's upstairs bedroom on Cape Cod. For a year, in a house filled with file cabinets, photos, and letters, John explored his father's mind, his parents' divorce, and his mother's secrets. The Last of His Mind is the bittersweet account of a son's final year with his... NEW EDITIONS Paperback ISBN 9780804012362 / Electronic ISBN 9780804041201 NEW EDITIONS Paperback ISBN 9780804012362 / Electronic ISBN 9780804041201 Joe Thorndike was managing editor of Life at the height of its popularity immediately following World War II. He was the founder of American Heritage and Horizon magazines, the author of three books, and the editor of a dozen more. But at age 92, in the space of six months he stopped reading or writing or carrying on detailed conversations. He could no longer tell time or make a phone call. He was convinced that the governor of Massachusetts had come to visit and was in the refrigerator. Five million Americans suffer from Alzheimers, and like many of them, Joe Thorndikes one great desire was to remain in his own house. To honor his wish, his son John left his own home and moved into his fathers upstairs bedroom on Cape Cod. For a year, in a house filled with file cabinets, photos, and letters, John explored his fathers mind, his parents divorce, and his mothers secrets. The Last of His Mind is the bittersweet account of a sons final year with his father, and a candid portrait of an implacable disease. Its the ordeal of Alzheimers that draws father and son close, closer than they have been since John was a boy. At the end, when Joes heart stops beating, Johns hand is on his chest, and a story of painful decline has become a portrait of deep family ties, caregiving, and love. NEW EDITIONS AVAILABLE: Paperback ISBN 978–0804012362 / Electronic ISBN 978–0804041201 Joe Thorndike was managing editor of Life at the height of its popularity immediately following World War II. He was the founder of American Heritage and Horizon magazines, the author of three books, and the editor of a dozen more. But at age 92, in the space of six months he stopped reading or writing or carrying on detailed conversations. He could no longer tell time or make a phone call. He was convinced that the governor of Massachusetts had come to visit and was in the refrigerator. Five million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s, and like many of them, Joe Thorndike’s one great desire was to remain in his own house. To honor his wish, his son John left his own home and moved into his father’s upstairs bedroom on Cape Cod. For a year, in a house filled with file cabinets, photos, and letters, John explored his father’s mind, his parents’ divorce, and his mother’s secrets. The Last of His Mind is the bittersweet account of a son’s final year with his father, and a candid portrait of an implacable disease. It’s the ordeal of Alzheimer’s that draws father and son close, closer than they have been since John was a boy. At the end, when Joe’s heart stops beating, John’s hand is on his chest, and a story of painful decline has become a portrait of deep family ties, caregiving, and love.

Joe Thorndike was managing editor of Life at the height of its popularity immediately following World War II. He was the founder of American Heritage and Horizon magazines, the author of three books, and the editor of a dozen more. But at age 92, in the space of six months he stopped reading or writing or carrying on detailed conversations. could no longer tell time or make a phone call. was convinced that the governor of Massachusetts had come to visit and was in the refrigerator. Five million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s, and like many of them, Joe Thorndike’s one great desire was to remain in his own house, so his son John moved into his father’s upstairs bedroom on Cape Cod. The Last of His Mind is the bittersweet account of a son’s final year with his father, and a candid portrait of an implacable disease.

The Washington Post - Carolyn See

At length, Joseph dies at home, with his son as witness. This memoir is far too elegantly written to ever state it directly, but the reader is made aware of the high honor involved: The author honors his father in the most profound way and is blessed, in turn, by participating in the most taxing event in his father's life.

The bittersweet account of a son's final year with his father, former Life magazine managing editor Joe Thorndike, stricken with Alzheimer's, and a candid portrait of an implacable disease.