Losing My Mind - by Thomas DeBaggio (Paperback)

About the Book

This intensely intimate and moving account of a 57-year-old writer afflicted with the early onset of Alzheimer's disease is a work, like "Tuesdays with Morrie, " that paints a vivid picture of memory--and the pain that comes from its loss.

Book Synopsis

"We are foolish, those of us who think we can escape the traps of aging," writes Tom DeBaggio. "I was one of them, dreaming of a perfect and healthy old age....Now, at fifty-eight, I realize the foolishness of my dreams as I watch my brain self-destruct from Alzheimer's." Losing My Mind is DeBaggio's extraordinary account of his early onset Alzheimer's, a disease that "silently hollows the brain" and slowly "gobbles memory and destroys life." But with DeBaggio's curse came an unexpected blessing: the ability to chart the mechanics and musings of his failing mind.
Whether describing the happy days of his youth or lamenting over the burden his disease has placed upon his loved ones, DeBaggio manages to inspire the reader with his ability to function, to think, and ultimately to survive. By turns an autobiography, a medical history, and a book of meditations, Losing My Mind is a testament to the splendor of memory and a triumphant celebration of the human spirit.

Review Quotes

Chicago Tribune Poetic and funny, painful and poignant....Losing My Mind is a haunting, enlightening work.

David Shenk author of The Forgetting Terrifying, invigorating, and life-affirming. We owe Tom DeBaggio a debt for his tireless curiosity.

Robert Lee Hotz Los Angeles Times DeBaggio vividly articulates the profound shock and despair of one person in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. It is a story made all the more compelling because that person is himself.

Teresa Weaver The Atlanta Journal-Constitution A brave, disturbing, immensely personal story...the insights are so pure, so startling, it's a remarkable offering.

About the Author

Thomas DeBaggio has worked as both a professional herb grower and a newspaper journalist. The author of Growing Herbs from Seed, Cutting & Root, Basil: An Herb Lover's Guide (with Susan Belsinger), and The Big Book of Herbs (with Arthur O. Tucker), he lives with his wife in Arlington, Virginia.