MEDIA COVERAGE
Book Reviews
New York Times, “In ‘Memory’s Last Breath,’ Remembering Life, Before It’s Too Late.” (6/22/17)
Washington Post, “When dementia came on at age 61, she began writing about it.” (6/17/17)
Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review. (6/13/2017)
Booklist, Starred Review. (6/2017)
Publishers Weekly, Starred Review. (3/27/2017)
Shelfawareness, “Book Review: Health and Medicine.” (6/20/2017)
Winnipeg Free Press, Douglas J. Johnston, “Writer’s Dementia Chronicle Compelling.” (6/30/17)
Dayton Daily News, “THE BOOK NOOK: A trio of intense memoirs that go straight to the heart.” (7/1/2017)
Columbus Dispatch, “Book Review: MEMORY’S LAST BREATH chronicles life with dementia.” (7/2/2017)
Alzheimers.net, “MEMORY’S LAST BREATH Memoir Release.” (6/28/17)
WellRead Book of the Week (6/19/17-6/25/17)
Print Interviews
Shelfawareness, “The Writer’s Life. (6/20/2017)
The Salt Lake Tribune, “Meet the Utah writer whose field notes on dementia became an act of self-preservation.” (6/16/17)
TV/Video Interviews
The Today Show, Maria Shriver: “Former professor on talking about her dementia: ‘It has made my life richer.’” (7/10/2017)
WellRead TV, Elisa Jaffe. (7/17)
Writing Fun, YouTube: Michelle Dunton, “Memory’s Last Breath with Gerda Saunders.” (7/25/17)
Radio Interviews
NPR Weekend Edition, Melissa Block: “In \’Memory\’s Last Breath\’ An Academic Confronts Dementia.” (6/17/17)
Canada Broadcasting Corporation, The Sunday Edition. (8/6/2017)
NPR WNYC, Marry Harris, guest host on the Leonard Lopate show: “What’s It Like to Have Dementia.”
NPR Utah RadioWest, broadcast interview with Doug Fabrizio. (6/2017)
Kirkus Reviews, podcast interview: Megan Labrise on Fully Booked. Gerda’s interview starts 23 minutes into the podcast.
Cape Talk Radio (South Africa), radio interview with Melanie Rice: “Health and Wellness: South-African born author Gerda Saunders pens book about living with dementia.”
BYU Radio, podcast, “Top of Mind with Julie Rose.” (6/30/2017)
Blacksite, podcast, Dan Strong. (7/5/2017)
Caregiver SOS, podcast
Book Excerpts
Slate, excerpt from MEMORY’S LAST BREATH: “Who Am I Wearing? Fashion adventures, and misadventures, while living with dementia.” (6/2017)
LitHub, “Field Notes from My Dementia: Gerda Saunders on Iris Murdoch, Memory Loss, and Leaving a Record.” (6/22/17)
Ocean State Review (Order Vol. 7, No. 1 / Fall 2017)
RadioWest Film Series
“Gerda”: In 2010, Gerda Saunders learned that she has dementia. She was 61 years old at the time, and a professor at the University of Utah who was already recognizing symptoms in herself. This short film is the first in a series of portraits about Gerda and the family and friends that surround her with love.
“Gerda: The Body that Is Left”: When the time is right, Gerda Saunders is going to take her own life. Gerda has a progressive form of dementia and we’ve been following her during this process. Of course, identifying the right time is going to be difficult, but she knows her family will support her when she makes the call. Life is over, she told us, when you stop having the ability to make your mark in the world. This is the second film in our series with Gerda.
“Gerda: All Downhill from There”: Gerda has progressive dementia, and she’s been letting us follow her along the way. Recently, we went with Gerda and her husband to the doctor for her latest evaluation, a series of memory tests. The results gave her a sense of urgency, and oddly, relief. As Gerda told us, “I’m really not making this up.” This is the third film in our series with Gerda.
“Gerda: Dementia Field Notes”: Gerda Saunders has a fabulous sense of style. She also has a progressive form of dementia, and lately she’s been asking herself whether all this effort she’s putting into her appearance will be worth it once she can no longer manage it herself. She documents this and other experiences in what she calls her Field Notes on Dementia. This is the fourth film in our series with Gerda.
\”Gerda: Like a Puzzle\”: In 2010, Gerda Saunders learned she has a progressive form of dementia. This latest in our series isn’t about her though, it’s about Peter, her husband of 46 years. Peter says Gerda was the one who always looked after their relationship, but that dynamic is starting to shift.