"I'm getting a life's lesson about grace from my mother in the ICU.
We never stop learning from our mothers, do we?"
UNFORGETTABLE is a son's spirited, affecting, and inspiring tribute to his remarkable mother and the love between parent and child.
When NPR's Scott Simon began tweeting from his mother's hospital room in July 2013, he didn't know that his missives would soon spread well beyond his 1.2 million Twitter followers. Squeezing the magnitude of his final days with her into 140-character updates, Simon's evocative and moving meditations spread virally. Over the course of a few days, Simon chronicled his mother's death and reminisced about her life, revealing her humor and strength, and celebrating familial love.
UNFORGETTABLE, expands on those famous tweets to create a memoir that is rich, deeply affecting, heart-wrenching, and exhilarating. His mother was a glamorous woman of the Mad Men era; she worked in nightclubs, modeled, dated mobsters and movie stars, and was a brave single parent to young Scott Simon. Spending their last days together in a hospital ICU, mother and son reflect on their lifetime's worth of memories, recounting stories laced with humor and exemplifying resilience.
UNFORGETTABLE is not only one man's rich and moving tribute to his mother's colorful life and graceful death, it is also a powerful portrayal of the universal bond between mother and child.
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About the Author :
SCOTT SIMON is one of America's most admired writers and broadcasters, having reported from all over the world and from many wars. He is now the award-winning host of Weekend Edition Saturday. With over 4 million listeners it is the most-listened to news program on NPR. Simon has won a Peabody and an Emmy for his reporting and also has over 1.2 million followers on Twitter.
Review :
""Patricia Lyons Simon Newman was a bombshell: drop-dead gorgeous, glamorous, hilarious, insightful, curious, a woman whose bounding, generous, mischievous presence beckoned to others like the first warm sunshine of spring. She was wise, irreverent, brave in loss and grateful in joy, and urgently, thankfully alive to the beauty in everything and everyone. And before anything else, she was a profoundly devoted mother to her son, NPR host, journalist, and author, Scott Simon. In his poignant, funny, intimate memoir of his last days with her, Simon reflects on the lessons she taught him, the preciousness that death gives to life, and the endless resonance of love. This is an unforgettable meditation on a life lived, as Hemingway wrote, 'all the way up.'"
--Laura Hillenbrand, author of Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption and Seabiscuit: An American Legend*"
""Unforgettable is a treasure. It is as poignant and tender and wise as Tuesdays with Morrie, with the added virtues of being unflinching and, quite often, very funny. At its center is a remarkable woman, gorgeous and charming and relentlessly honest, who remains a true star to the very end."
--Scott Turow, author of Presumed Innocent"
""Who would have thought that such short intimate tweets could lead to such literature? This mother and son story is personal, universal, and filled with humor. Scott Simon reminds us of the transience of life and the endurance of love--and that beautiful writing is the best guardian of memory."
-- Azar Nafisi, author of Reading Lolita in Tehran"
""This is an extraordinary book. Amazing. Breathtaking. Affirming. This book will change lives, restore hope to the broken-hearted, and remind the rest of us of what is truly important."
--Laurie Halse Anderson, author of Speak"
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"*This endorsement refers to an audio recording of Unforgettable.
"
Patricia Lyons Simon Newman was a bombshell: drop-dead gorgeous, glamorous, hilarious, insightful, curious, a woman whose bounding, generous, mischievous presence beckoned to others like the first warm sunshine of spring. She was wise, irreverent, brave in loss and grateful in joy, and urgently, thankfully alive to the beauty in everything and everyone. And before anything else, she was a profoundly devoted mother to her son, NPR host, journalist, and author, Scott Simon. In his poignant, funny, intimate memoir of his last days with her, Simon reflects on the lessons she taught him, the preciousness that death gives to life, and the endless resonance of love. This is an unforgettable meditation on a life lived, as Hemingway wrote, 'all the way up.' Laura Hillenbrand, author of, "UNBROKEN: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption and Seabiscuit: An American Legend on the audio recording of Unforgettable"
"Unforgettable "is a treasure. It is as poignant and tender and wise as "Tuesdays with Morrie," with the added virtues of being unflinching and, quite often, very funny. At its center is a remarkable woman, gorgeous and charming and relentlessly honest, who remains a true star to the very end. Scott Turow, author of, "PRESUMED INNOCENT"
Who would have thought that such short intimate tweets could lead to such literature? This mother and son story is personal, universal, and filled with humor. Scott Simon reminds us of the transience of life and the endurance of love--and that beautiful writing is the best guardian of memory. Azar Nafisi, author of, "READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN"
This is an extraordinary book. Amazing. Breathtaking. Affirming. This book will change lives, restore hope to the broken-hearted, and remind the rest of us of what is truly important. Laurie Halse Anderson, author of, "SPEAK"
Simon's memoir is so captivating that everyone, not just fans of NPR's "Weekend Edition Saturday," will enjoy learning about the wellspring that nourished the award-winning journalist's wit, intelligence, heart, and chutzpah. Wait, an enjoyable memoir about a dying mother? Indeed. That is part of Simon's...charisma. Every child should have such an opportunity to be there for his or her mother in those final days and hours. Every mother should have such a gifted child. "BOOKLIST (*Starred Review)"
A charming tribute to a remarkable woman and the bond between mother and son. "KIRKUS REVIEWS"
In this tender memoir, Simon finds the last week of his mother's life to be a time for them to cherish each other and tenderly reminisce. He takes his quirky, devoted, gracious mother on her own terms, and his work shimmers as a touching tribute. "PUBLISHERS WEEKLY""
Patricia Lyons Simon Newman was a bombshell: drop-dead gorgeous, glamorous, hilarious, insightful, curious, a woman whose bounding, generous, mischievous presence beckoned to others like the first warm sunshine of spring. She was wise, irreverent, brave in loss and grateful in joy, and urgently, thankfully alive to the beauty in everything and everyone. And before anything else, she was a profoundly devoted mother to her son, NPR host, journalist, and author, Scott Simon. In his poignant, funny, intimate memoir of his last days with her, Simon reflects on the lessons she taught him, the preciousness that death gives to life, and the endless resonance of love. This is an unforgettable meditation on a life lived, as Hemingway wrote, 'all the way up.' Laura Hillenbrand, author of, UNBROKEN: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption and Seabiscuit: An American Legend on the audio recording of Unforgettable
Unforgettable is a treasure. It is as poignant and tender and wise as Tuesdays with Morrie, with the added virtues of being unflinching and, quite often, very funny. At its center is a remarkable woman, gorgeous and charming and relentlessly honest, who remains a true star to the very end. Scott Turow, author of, PRESUMED INNOCENT
Who would have thought that such short intimate tweets could lead to such literature? This mother and son story is personal, universal, and filled with humor. Scott Simon reminds us of the transience of life and the endurance of love--and that beautiful writing is the best guardian of memory. Azar Nafisi, author of, READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN
This is an extraordinary book. Amazing. Breathtaking. Affirming. This book will change lives, restore hope to the broken-hearted, and remind the rest of us of what is truly important. Laurie Halse Anderson, author of, SPEAK
Simon's memoir is so captivating that everyone, not just fans of NPR's Weekend Edition Saturday, will enjoy learning about the wellspring that nourished the award-winning journalist's wit, intelligence, heart, and chutzpah. Wait, an enjoyable memoir about a dying mother? Indeed. That is part of Simon's...charisma. Every child should have such an opportunity to be there for his or her mother in those final days and hours. Every mother should have such a gifted child. BOOKLIST (*Starred Review)
A charming tribute to a remarkable woman and the bond between mother and son. KIRKUS REVIEWS
In this tender memoir, Simon finds the last week of his mother's life to be a time for them to cherish each other and tenderly reminisce. He takes his quirky, devoted, gracious mother on her own terms, and his work shimmers as a touching tribute. PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
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