Until I Say Good-Bye My Year of Living With Joy

Less a memoir about dying than a template for life. The spirit of the book - her spirit - is uplifting. -- Sabine Durrant, The Guardian Her heart-ripping book chronicles what she did immediately after her diagnosis: she decided to embrace life while death chased her down...endearing and all too human -- The New York Times Susan Spencer-Wendel had to face the question, 'What would you do if you had a year to live?' This profound, tender, and often funny account of her experiences will remind readers of what really matters most: love. -- Gretchen Rubin, New York Times bestselling author of THE HAPPINES PROJECT and HAPPIER AT HOME You might worry that a memoir about living with a terminal disease could be too upsetting. Instead, in Susan Spencer Wendel's hands it is both life-enhancing and inspiring. In Until I Say Good-Bye she chronicles her last year of adventures as she wrings every ounce of joy out of her remaining months. -- Good Housekeeping Inspiring. -- The Guardian All you can do... is to turn the pages, slack-jawed, in awe at her insistence on having powerful, individual experiences... -- Huffington Post It's a touching and brutally honest account of one mother's inspiring attempt to get the most out of the time she has left. -- USA Today This is not a book drowning in tears. It remains optimistic for the future, even if the author will not be there to see it. There is laughter and, as promised, joy throughout. -- The Daily Express Journalist Spencer-Wendel discovered she was ill when her left hand suddenly became withered. As she struggles to come to terms with knowing something is wrong - not wanting to find out, then not fully believing the doctor's ALS diagnosis - she writes with courage and strength. ...Spencer-Wendel's life will sadly be cut short, but in writing her story, she shows her family and friends how to go on, choosing happiness and love over fear. -- Publishers Weekly A poignant, wise love story. -- Kirkus Reviews an emotional roller-coaster of a memoir... -- The Age The inspirational account of a woman whose ALS diagnosis and subsequent physical decline don't prevent her from enjoying life to the fullest, which she proves -- O Magazine ...almost unbearably moving chronicle of how Spencer-Wendel went about creating lasting moments in that year for the ones she loved. -- New York Daily News The tales are painfully honest, and they're heartbreaking because we know the inevitable outcome. But mostly, they're inspiring. Spencer-Wendel, even in the darkest of moments, remains insistent on happiness - staggeringly so. -- U.S. News & World Report Her honesty and frustration are underscored with a wicked sense of humour... -- ABC News This heartbreaking and heartwarming good-bye will make you laugh as much as it makes you cry. Susan Spencer-Wendel's determination to find the joy in life after having been dealt the ALS card is both inspirational and enlightening. -- Cokie Roberts, New York Times bestselling author of WE ARE OUR MOTHERS' DAUGHTERS