Riding on the
merry-go-round,
Coney Island
Circa 1948
THEMES AND BOOKCLUB QUESTIONS
THEME 1: Trying to reach someone you love or need who is inaccessible.
Suggested Reading:
The Father's Day card p. 35
Which one is the horse? P. 206
Have you experienced trying to reach someone who wasn't accessible?
What was it like and how did it affect you?
THEME 2: Having to be a parent to a parent - as a child and as an adult.
Who needs a license? Driving my father to the hospital p. 79
You can't spit in the halls, assisted living p. 223
Did you have to parent a parent, either growing up or with an aging parent?
What were the circumstances and how did you cope?
Did you have support and if so what kind?
THEME 3: The father-daughter relationship.
Wishing for a father that was normal p. 196
Precious moments p. 57
What was your relationship like with your father?
How has that relationship affected your choices as an adult?
THEME 4. The abuses and over-diagnosing and overmedicating of the population and the need for empathy, listening, being present and valuing the person, especially when they are most fragile.
Meeting Mr. Fay p. 70
Misdiagnosis, p. 131
What is your experience with the mental health system, on either or both sides of the couch?
What has been the most helpful and supportive? What has been in your way?
5. THEME 5: Moments
The violinist p. 50
Valentines Day p. 190
Describe some loving moments that sustain you through the years?