Tinky Weisblat

Pulling Taffy: a Year with Dementia and Other Adventures Tinky Weisblat 1st edition

Writer and singer Tinky Weisblat kept a journal during the final year of her mother's life. Jan Weisblat was 93 and suffered from dementia. "Pulling Taffy" shares journal entries, history, family photographs, and recipes that document their time together. It pays tribute to the vibrant spirit of Jan, whom her daughter called Taffy.

This informal, candid memoir explores the ways in which Taffy's view of the world changes as her Alzheimer's disease develops ... and the ways in which it remains the same. Tinky and Taffy move through frustration to joy as they learn to embrace life despite the dementia. They survive their ups and downs with the help of community, music, nature, pets, and laughter.

"I began by writing about what I was losing," writes Tinky toward the end of the book. "Somewhere along the line I started writing about what I was finding. In short, a burden was transformed into a privilege."

"Pulling Taffy" will inspire caregivers and other people going through stressful situations. And its combination of sweetness and humor will appeal to the general reading public.