A beloved NPR radio host speaks about the death of her husband of fifty-four years—and of her struggle to reconstruct her life without him—in an eloquent, deeply moving book that “invite[s] comparisons to Joan Didion’s own memoir of loss, The Year of Magical Thinking” (The Guardian). John Rehm was 74 when he was diagnosed with Parkinson's. Nine years later, he passed away, having made the difficult choice to end his extended illness by refusing to eat, drink, or accept medication. This process transformed Diane into an advocate for increased conversation end-of-life care and the right to die on one’s own terms, as well as a brave and sympathetic voice for anyone who must learn how to live again after bereavement.
In an eloquent, deeply personal and moving book, beloved NPR radio host Diane Rehm speaks about the death of her husband of fifty-four years-and of her struggle to reconstruct her life without him.
John Rehm was 74 when he was diagnosed with Parkinson's. Nine years later, he passed away, having made the difficult choice to end his extended illness by refusing to eat, drink, or accept medication. This process transformed Diane into an advocate for increased conversation end-of-life care and the right to die on one's own terms, as well as a brave and sympathetic voice for anyone who must learn how to live again after bereavement.
“Clear, moving and completely honest. . . . Diane Rehm has again found her voice, and, as she has always done, she speaks passionately and courageously about issues that concern us all.” —
The Washington Post
“Rehm doesn’t have all the answers, nor does she pretend to. What she does have, as always, is a flurry of important questions, perfectly considered and potently posed.” —
USA Today “Poignant.”—
The Miami Herald “A plainspoken . . . passionate account . . . of [Rehm’s] journey through the first year of widowhood…. Eschewing self-help clichés … Rehm offers a meticulous narrative of her personal struggle to come to terms with a profound loss.” —
BookPage“Will invite comparisons to Joan Didion’s own memoir of loss,
The Year of Magical Thinking.”
—The Guardian (London)
“[A] clearheaded yet emotional call for national right-to-die laws.” —
The Washington City Paper “Rehm writes eloquently about the changing landscape of grief, not only her own sorrow but that of friends.” —
The Kansas City Star “Brave and uplifting.” —
Kirkus Reviews “Walks readers through the most recent year of [Rehm’s] life, struggling with living alone and figuring out a new identity.” —
Philadelphia Inquirer 
