As I stopped to grab a magazine for my flight the book The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe caught my eye. At first I thought the story might be about a bucket list of books or how people facing death came to be a book club. I could not foresee that this book would let me experience the absolute love between a son and his mother and reawaken me to the power books have to expand minds, open hearts, nourish spirits, and connect us with one another; or that it would inspire me to ask you to find a way to bring more reading to your community, before I got to the end of page six!
The End of Your Life Book Club begins in the waiting room where cancer patients wait to receive their chemo treatment. We learn that Will and his mom, Mary Anne Schwalbe, share a love for reading and chatting about books, thus a book club for two. The question “What are you reading?” is one Will and his mom have been asking each other forever.
When Will learns his mom is reading Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner and she asks if he has read it he realizes he cannot lie to his seventy three year old mom as she is awaiting her next round of chemo. He tells her the truth. He has not read the book that he has been pretending to have read for years. As he recounts that weekend reading Crossing to Safety through his words I begin to remember the power of a good read.
When Will explains that “magical thing ... that happens only with the very best of books. That moment when a story absorbs you and you enter the “Can’t you see I’m reading” mode,” I begin to realize the power of this book. For Will this happens on page twenty of Crossing to Safety. For me it happens before page ten of The End of Your Life Book Club.
This book is about much more than the books two people are reading. It is about how books shape us, introduce and explore topics, connect us with fellow readers and the world. Crossing to Safety is more than a good read for Will. The story of the lifelong friendship between two couples that begins with Charity dying of cancer gives Will a way to discuss some of the things he and his mom are facing because of her terminal cancer. Asking his mom if Sid, Charity’s husband, will be alright allows Will to broach the subject of what will happen to his dad. When she answers, “it will be tough on him, but I think he’ll be fine I’m quite sure of it,” Will understands that she may also be referring to his father.
At this point I begin to think about how people struggle with what to say when someone is grieving; how difficult it is to open our hearts when we feel broken; and how a book club or exchange might help those we serve and ourselves bridge these gaps. Then I turn to page eight and begin to read chapter two Appointment in Samarra, and my mind opens to how many more people in our communities and the world need a good read.
Mary Anne, the founding director of the Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children, board-staff liaison for the International Rescue Committee (IRC), and founder of the IRCs UK branch tells you that one of the number one requests she receives from people in refugee camps is for books. In the midst of chemo and coming to the realization that she is going to die Mary Anne continues to find a way to bring the power of books to the world. I hope you will let one woman born to coordinate and bring good to the world inspire you to give and become more.
Please bring more reading to your community. Remember how good it feels to pick up a good book. Find a way to help people give books to your local schools, hospitals, hospices, nursing homes, and shelters. Consider creating a book exchange or club for your community. I look forward to hearing about your efforts and the books that inspire you. Please give me a ring at 781-331-5308 or if you prefer email me at kristan@mooneytunco.com.