The Goldfish Went on Vacation: A Memoir of Loss (and Learning to Tell the Truth about It) [Paperback]

The moment when Patty Dann’s husband was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, she felt as though the ground had dropped out beneath her. Her grief, however, was immediately interrupted by the realization that she would have to tell their three-year-old son, Jake, that his father was dying. The prognosis gave her husband just a year to live. In that short time, the three of them—Patty, Willem, and Jake—would have to find a way to live with the illness and prepare for his death.  

Written with disarming honesty, courage, and humor, Patty weaves together a series of vignettes that chart her and Jake’s eventual acceptance of their new family—through coping with the daily challenges, the sorrow, and the uncertainty, as well as embracing the surprising moments of beauty and acceptance. As much about exploring memory as it is about appreciating the moment, this captivating narrative will serve as a genuine comfort to anyone surprised by grief. <a title= Interview target= _blank href= http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QB1aKR_SUIA >Click here</a> to watch a live interview with Patty Dann on CBS Sunday Morning News. <p align= center >*     *     *


"The most protective parent must one day reveal the hard truth that life ends. For Patty Dann, that wrenching task came sooner than any mother would wish. Dann's memoir is filled with brave arguments for accepting death and may underscore the very natural difficulty people have in doing so. Evocatively titled . . . striking."—New York Times Book Review

<a title= The New York Times target= _blank href= http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/07/fashion/07love.html >Click here</a> to read more aboul3œ