著者はある日、アルツハイマー病と診断される。この病気がおそろしいのは、行く手に待ちかまえているのが「死」と「痴呆」以外にはないという点だ。きのうできたことが今日できなくなり、自分が誰だかからなくなる。最後には、死ぬという観念まで失う。この本は実際にそういう体験をしつつある著者の、ノンフィクションの手記である。
著者にとっては、いまだ抹消されていない記憶こそが、人生そのものである。この切迫した心情が、少年時代や家族の歴史を色鮮やかによみがえらせる。それらの文章の間に、記憶や思考力が減退していく「今」の状況が書き込まれる。
しかし著者は病気に閉じこもってはいない。医学がどこまでアルツハイマーを解明しているか調べ、この病気への理解をうながすためにラジオに出演し、バネルディスカッションに参加する。
この本が単なる闘病記におわらず、読者を獲得しているのは、われわれの人生は過去の懐かしい記憶の総体のなかにある、ということを教えてくれるからだろう。最後の一行は妻への呼びかけで終る。「思い出と別れるのは本当に寂しく、恐ろしい。疲れたよ。ジョイス、抱きしめておくれ。そしてそのまま眠らせておくれ」。勝ち目のない闘いではあるが、この言葉を書きつけることができたことだけが、かすかな光明である。
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サンプル サンプル
アルツハイマーと闘う: 言葉と記憶がすべり落ちる前に 単行本 – 2003/3/1
- 本の長さ324ページ
- 言語日本語
- 出版社原書房
- 発売日2003/3/1
- ISBN-104562036214
- ISBN-13978-4562036219
商品の説明
内容(「MARC」データベースより)
ある日アルツハイマー病と診断された57歳の男性が、自らの病気について、生と死について綴る。失われていく言葉や記憶、死の恐怖と闘いながら、つつみ隠さず、すべてを語った感動のノンフィクション。
登録情報
- 出版社 : 原書房 (2003/3/1)
- 発売日 : 2003/3/1
- 言語 : 日本語
- 単行本 : 324ページ
- ISBN-10 : 4562036214
- ISBN-13 : 978-4562036219
- Amazon 売れ筋ランキング: - 1,217,217位本 (本の売れ筋ランキングを見る)
- カスタマーレビュー:
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他の国からのトップレビュー
Amazon Customer
5つ星のうち5.0
Informative and sad.
2018年7月3日にカナダでレビュー済みAmazonで購入
Excellent book on early onset Alzheimer's. The author has the disease.
Bucherwurm
5つ星のうち5.0
No Escape
2007年11月28日にアメリカ合衆国でレビュー済みAmazonで購入
At one point in this sad autobiography the author states, "We are foolish, those of us who think we can escape the traps of aging." In Mr. Debaggio's case he found himself caught in one of those traps when he was 57 years old. Healthy and robust, with an optimistic look to the future he one day is told that he is a victim of early onset Alzheimer's disease. The author, who is a talented writer of books on gardening, decides to write a book describing his gradual mental deterioration.
Losing My Mind shifts back and forth between comments on his present condition, excerpts from medical articles, and reminiscences on his past life. This is not an inspirational book. Mr. DeBaggio is depressed, frightened, and filled with despair over his future. Fortunately his writing skills are still intact enough that he can fluently describe his descent into the abyss.
It is not the author alone who suffers. His wife is grief stricken that she is going to gradually lose her life's companion, and she feels totally frustrated in knowing that she can do nothing to help him. His grow son shares her grief, and also worries that he will eventually suffer the same illness.
Increasingly he has to hunt for words to express himself. He raises herbs for a living, and begins to forget their names. He goes to a store to operate a copying machine, and finds he can't figure out how to operate this rather simple device. Writing this book helps him to hold on to our world. He spends a lot of time reminiscing about his childhood, because those memories still are clear in his mind.
Mr. DeBaggio has received, as he puts it, a death sentence, and that thought remains constantly in mind. He courageously tackles each day one by one, but knows he is fighting a losing battle. I am an older person who has a deteriorating condition that gradually causes me increasing pain, so I have a glimmer of what he is going through. What will our status be next month, next year? It is interesting that he mentions that dealing with his diagnosis is one thing, but dealing with some of his well-wishers is often more difficult. There are the people who suggest that if he would just take some sort of sea weed or herbal medicine he would be restored to normal. Folks like that mean well, but their suggestions show a total lack of understanding of the forces at work in his physical condition, and, in a sense, diminish the seriousness of the problem (I've experienced the same thing).
This book is remarkable. It gives us a view of the problems, thoughts and torment that are part of an Alzheimer's sufferer's life. It is anything but a joyous book. It is one that points out how close we live to the threat of ultimate disaster.
Losing My Mind shifts back and forth between comments on his present condition, excerpts from medical articles, and reminiscences on his past life. This is not an inspirational book. Mr. DeBaggio is depressed, frightened, and filled with despair over his future. Fortunately his writing skills are still intact enough that he can fluently describe his descent into the abyss.
It is not the author alone who suffers. His wife is grief stricken that she is going to gradually lose her life's companion, and she feels totally frustrated in knowing that she can do nothing to help him. His grow son shares her grief, and also worries that he will eventually suffer the same illness.
Increasingly he has to hunt for words to express himself. He raises herbs for a living, and begins to forget their names. He goes to a store to operate a copying machine, and finds he can't figure out how to operate this rather simple device. Writing this book helps him to hold on to our world. He spends a lot of time reminiscing about his childhood, because those memories still are clear in his mind.
Mr. DeBaggio has received, as he puts it, a death sentence, and that thought remains constantly in mind. He courageously tackles each day one by one, but knows he is fighting a losing battle. I am an older person who has a deteriorating condition that gradually causes me increasing pain, so I have a glimmer of what he is going through. What will our status be next month, next year? It is interesting that he mentions that dealing with his diagnosis is one thing, but dealing with some of his well-wishers is often more difficult. There are the people who suggest that if he would just take some sort of sea weed or herbal medicine he would be restored to normal. Folks like that mean well, but their suggestions show a total lack of understanding of the forces at work in his physical condition, and, in a sense, diminish the seriousness of the problem (I've experienced the same thing).
This book is remarkable. It gives us a view of the problems, thoughts and torment that are part of an Alzheimer's sufferer's life. It is anything but a joyous book. It is one that points out how close we live to the threat of ultimate disaster.
MS JEAN A LAWSON
5つ星のうち5.0
Losing My Mind by Thomas DeBaggio
2011年2月11日に英国でレビュー済みAmazonで購入
A wonderful book. My father died of Alzheimers and I have been having terrible memory problems recently which seem to be getting much worse as time goes by. I needed a book which would allow me to understand more just what Alzheimers is all about. Both this book and 'My Journey into Alzheimers Disease' by Robert Davis are two books which I would definitely recommend if you want to learn more about this awful disease.
sb-lynn
5つ星のうち4.0
Alzheimers; from the patient's point of view
2016年7月11日にアメリカ合衆国でレビュー済みAmazonで購入
This book, as stated in the title, is an intimate look at what it's like to have Alzheimer's Thomas DeBaggio was himself a successful farmer and author of books about plants and herbs when in his 57th year, he realized he was starting to forget things, specifically the names of the very plants and herbs he had known so well before.
The book starts off just when DeBaggio has received his diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer's and he has decided to write this to memorialize his experience for the benefit of himself and others. The book is told in an unusual way with almost three types of narrations - we go back and forth in time as DeBaggio tells us about his past and then breaks in with his experiences at the present time he is writing. And then there are short passages interspersed throughout that have professional and scientific news on Alzheimer's talking about its possible causes and treatments with the latest medical breakthroughs and updates. In some ways this was a interesting way to tell the story, but for me at times it would interrupt the natural flow of the narrative.
What was truly wonderful - and what made this book unique - is that this is the rare insider's look at Alzheimer's as DeBaggio makes us understand what it really is like to have this horrible disease and feel your memories and your sense of self fade away. As he elequently explains, we all know we are mortal, but having early-onset Alzheimer's is especially horrifying because you know you will be gone soon and in such an awful way that can be especially challenging for caretakers and those left behind.
My father died of this horrible disease. Hopefully someday soon there will effective treatments because at this time, there is really not much doctors can do. And thank you Mr. DeBaggio for sharing your very personal and often terrifying experiences with us all.
The book starts off just when DeBaggio has received his diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer's and he has decided to write this to memorialize his experience for the benefit of himself and others. The book is told in an unusual way with almost three types of narrations - we go back and forth in time as DeBaggio tells us about his past and then breaks in with his experiences at the present time he is writing. And then there are short passages interspersed throughout that have professional and scientific news on Alzheimer's talking about its possible causes and treatments with the latest medical breakthroughs and updates. In some ways this was a interesting way to tell the story, but for me at times it would interrupt the natural flow of the narrative.
What was truly wonderful - and what made this book unique - is that this is the rare insider's look at Alzheimer's as DeBaggio makes us understand what it really is like to have this horrible disease and feel your memories and your sense of self fade away. As he elequently explains, we all know we are mortal, but having early-onset Alzheimer's is especially horrifying because you know you will be gone soon and in such an awful way that can be especially challenging for caretakers and those left behind.
My father died of this horrible disease. Hopefully someday soon there will effective treatments because at this time, there is really not much doctors can do. And thank you Mr. DeBaggio for sharing your very personal and often terrifying experiences with us all.
Tina
5つ星のうち4.0
Four Stars
2015年6月1日に英国でレビュー済みAmazonで購入
Good book. Met my expectation. Satisfied.