Shannon Wiersbitzky is another author in the #AlzAuthors collaboration I'm involved with this month. Shannon's novel explores the impact of Alzheimer's on a young girl. Children are often forgotten in the drama of Alzheimer's, their observations and points of view neglected. What Flowers Remember can help open a discussion with young people about what's happening with Grandma or Grandpa. Welcome to Adventures in Publishing Shannon!
Please tell us about your book.
In What Flowers Remember, due to a shared love of flowers and gardening, Delia and her elderly neighbor Old Red Clancy dream up a seed- and flower-selling business. The two make quite a pair. He has the know-how and she has the get-up-and-go. But something is happening to Old Red. And the doctors say he can’t be cured. He’s forgetting places and names and getting cranky for no reason. As his condition worsens, Delia takes it upon herself to save as many memories as she can. Her mission is to gather Old Red’s stories so that no one will forget, and she corrals everybody in town to help. What Flowers Remember is a story of love and loss, of a young girl coming to understand that even when people die, they live on in our minds, our hearts, and our stories.
What inspired you to write this
story?
I
spent my childhood summers with my grandparents in a small town in West
Virginia, not totally unlike the fictional town of Tucker’s Ferry. As a result,
my grandparents became like second parents. When I was in my twenties, my
grandfather was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. I hoped and prayed that he wouldn’t
forget me. But of course, the disease doesn’t work that way, and I was
forgotten along with everyone else he loved. The moment I realized he no longer
knew who I was is something I will never forget. It broke my heart. And it was
that nugget which inspired this story.
Could you share with readers how
you conducted your research or share a few interesting tidbits you learned
while researching?
I
did research on Alzheimer’s as I wrote the novel. The Alzheimer’s Association
has a wealth of information. While I knew what my grandfather experienced, I
didn’t know if that was typical or if there were other signs and symptoms which
might be worth including to make it more accurate. Most people only think of
Alzheimer’s as losing memories, but it can often cause changes in mood, and
even result in a loss of smell. I included both of those in the book.
Alzheimer’s isn’t typically a
disease associated with children. Why include this as a topic in a middle-grade
novel?
I
never set out to write a book “about Alzheimer’s.” I wanted to write a story
that spoke to my own truth, about how it feels to be forgotten by someone you
love. Within the context of fiction, I imagined what a young girl might do, and
what an entire town might do, if they felt they could, in some way, prevent
memories from being forgotten.
The
reality is that according to the Alzheimer’s Association, one in three seniors
will suffer from some type of dementia. One in three. That is an astounding
number. It also means that there are many children who will be impacted by the
disease. The current estimate is that 250,000 children ages 8-18 provide help
to someone with Alzheimer’s or another dementia. Whether it is grandparents or
parents, or someone else they know and love. I hope the story will help kids
and adults discuss the topic and help them, even in some small way, heal.
Awards
Awards
2015 New Books for Missouri Students
2015 Notable Children’s Books in the Language Arts
Lamplighter Award nominee, 6th-8th, 2015-2016
Bank Street 2015 Best Children’s Books of the Year, ages 12-14
Top Shelf honoree 2014, VOYA Magazine
About the Author
Shannon Wiersbitzky is an author of children’s fiction, a marketing executive for one of the world’s largest investment firms, a mother of two boys, and a believer that every person can make a positive difference in the world.
Purchase What Flowers Remember
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