One of the 5 Best Memoirs - by Lauren Sapala

ONE OF THE 5 BEST MEMOIRS I READ IN 2017

Wife, Just Let Go: Zen, Alzheimer’s, and Love 

by Diana Saltoon and Robert Briggs 

For quite a while now, I’ve been interested in death and dying. I’ve noticed that most people pretend that death is something that will really never happen to them, and if you experience the death of a loved one, not that many people feel comfortable talking with you about that experience.

Diana Saltoon’s book, Wife, Just Let Go: Zen, Alzheimer’s, and Love, is a rare breath of fresh air in this realm. She not only talks about death and dying, she dives deep into the ocean of fear, unknowing, resistance, and pain to show the reader her journey to acceptance, and ultimately peace, when faced with the terminal illness and decline of her beloved partner, Robert Briggs. In this slim but powerful volume, we also find memories of Robert’s experiences with the Beat poets in the San Francisco scene in the 1950’s, a meeting he had with Eleanor Roosevelt that left an indelible, lifelong impression on him, and his chilling story of witnessing an atomic explosion as part of a US Army experiment.

We also see how Robert and Diana met, fell in love, and accompanied each other on life’s tumultuous path for over three decades.

Wife, Just Let Go took me only a couple of days to read, but it will stay with me for years. It’s one of the most beautiful books I’ve read in a long time.
(Lauren Sapala at: LAURENSAPALA.COM)

January Book Event at Daedalus Books, Portland, Oregon!

DAEDALUS BOOKS INVITES YOU TO A BOOK READ/SIGNING OF:

Wife, Just Let Go

A duo-memoir by Robert Briggs & Diana Saltoon

book read/signing

7PM

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2018

AT

DAEDALUS BOOKS

2074 NW Flanders St.

Portland, OR 97209

(503) 274-7742

Looking forward to seeing you at Daedalus for a reunion at this event in 

the New Year!

https://www.facebook.com/230588172191/photos/gm.138712816826422/10155907488287192/?type=3

Book Read/Signing of "Wife, Just Let Go" in Berkeley. Photos by Anne Coffelt

Moments of reunion with old and dear friends in the Bay Area. Heartfelt gratitude to my hosts in Marin County for your kind and generous hospitality, to all who were able to come to Berkeley and brave the traffic all the way from the wine country beyond Sonoma in the north and Santa Cruz in the south, for bringing your friends and buying the book for yourself and others. 

***

Great thanks to Judy Seicho Fleischman for hosting the event and to Tim Lane for his assistance

With Mark Ong, book designer of "Wife, Just Let Go," colleague of Robert Briggs Associates and treasured friend of Robert Briggs & Diana Saltoon

Thank you Angie and Terry, for your support with the book and purchasing many copies as gifts for friends.

 

With dear friend and photographer Anne, who traveled miles to the event!

 A truly unexpected reunion! The man who first introduced Robert to me! No words are enough to say, "thank you, Bill!"

Many thanks to Marina, a publishing colleague and wonderful friend who braved miles to Berkeley

Berkeley, California, book launch of "Wife, Just Let Go"

The Berkely, California launch of Wife, Just Let Go, a duo-memoir by Robert Briggs & Diana Saltoon, hosted by Open Source Chaplaincy Care at Chochmat Halev, Berkeley, CA, on Tuesday, November 28, 2017 at 7pm – 9pm, was another successful book read/signing event with thanks to Judy Seicho Fleischman and Tim Lane.

An extraordinary love story, Wife Just Let Go are the last words Robert Briggs wrote to his wife before he passed away from Alzheimer’s disease. A publisher, literary agent, and author who deeply felt the influence of the Beat era, Robert never stopped writing, even in his later stages of Alzheimer’s. What began as a promise to publish his last works evolved into this duo-memoir. As his wife, long-time partner and primary caregiver, I joined him in this telling, as a way to restore for the reader, and for Robert, the parts of the story he was losing. My commentary offers the other side of Alzheimer’s: gifts that sustain and inspire loved ones left behind. 

The event turned our to be a warm celebration and reunion with friends who came from near and far and joined in a lively discussion after the read. Friends I had not seen in decades, especially one who first introduced Robert to me! 

Oceans of thanks to Judy Seicho Fleischman of Open Source Chaplaincy Care and to Chocmat Halev for use of their delightful Social Hall. Gratitude and blessings to all who attended!

Judy Seicho Fleischman introducing me to the guests who came to our Berkeley book launch.

With book designed Mark Ong of Side by Side Studio.

A discussion of meditation and its affects on caregiving and Alzheimer's

Questions about caregiving and love