The reviews are in and the librarians have spoken. Will Schwalbe’s The End of Your Life Book Club is considered a great read by many. Read on for the opinions of our librarian friends.
“Just finished [The End of Your Life Book Club] last night and loved it. I usually avoid books like this, fearing they’ll be mawkish and manipulative, but Schwalbe’s was neither. I fell for this memoir of his mother’s life and death hook, line, and sinker. I ended it wishing that I could have known Mary Ann Schwalbe when she was alive – indeed, I wish she had been my mother!”
–Nancy Pearl, Author of Book Lust
“Will and his indefatigable mother prove that the end of the book at the end of your life doesn’t mean the story is over. An unsentimental memoir about book lovers for lovers of books.”
— Kaite Mediatore Stover, Head of Readers’ Services, The Kansas City Public Library
“Will Schwalbe’s The End of Your Life Book Club will move, surprise, delight, and remind you of the power and wonder of books. Two passionate readers, during hours and hours of Mary Ann’s chemo treatments, talk about life, death, love, faith, family, friendship, and more. This is a son’s beautiful, loving tribute to his remarkable mother.”
–Chris Higashi, Program Manager, The Seattle Public Library/Washington Center for the Book
“The seemingly simple question of “What are you reading?” is really the springboard for much more meaningful discussion in The End of Your Life Book Club. Will Schwalbe chronicles his mother’s last two years through the reading choices the two of them made while she was waiting for treatment of pancreatic cancer at Sloan Kettering. It is through their choices we learn not about the death of Mary Ann Schwalbe but her life. This is truly a celebration of her life and of the books that made it all that much richer and fulfilled. Schwalbe’s portrait of his mother is so finely drawn that I will consider it to be one of my great life regrets that I was never able to meet her. This is a must read for book lovers everywhere.”
–Jennifer Dayton, Collection Development Coordinator, Darien Library
“The End of Your Life Book Club will be THE book club book of the fall season. We’ve already added it our book discussion sets in anticipation of what we know will be HUGE demand by our hundreds of customers who are book discussion participants. A smart, wise, heart-to-heart book about moms, families, and books. What more do you need to know? Absolutely the must-read book club pick of the year.”
–Wendy Bartlett, Collection Development Manager, Cuyahoga County Public Library
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