The Man He Used To Be, Robyn Hollingworth
The Man He Used To Be, Robyn Hollingworth
List: $24.99 | Sale: $17.50
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The Man He Used To Be
Dementia and My Mad Dad

Author: Robyn Hollingworth

Narrator: Robyn Hollingworth

Unabridged: 5 hr 44 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Trapeze

Published: 04/19/2018


Synopsis

'This is a wonderful, rather special book: funny, warm and loving but also thought-provoking and deeply moving. Absolutely unforgettable - ironically.' ADAM KAY, Sunday Times bestselling author of This Is Going To Hurt

Inadvertent cross-dressing. Attempted murder. Jail break. A waltz at a funeral. A hernia the size of Guernsey.

Heartbreaking and darkly comic, these are the moments that litter the messy road from cared-for to carer, a journey that Robyn Hollingworth finds herself on when she's only twenty-five years old.

Leaving London to return home to rural South Wales, Robyn finds that it's her old life - same teddy bears resting on her pillow, their bodies tucked under the duvet; same view of the garages behind which she'd had her first cigarette and first kiss - but so much has changed.

Her dad, the proud, charmingly intelligent, self-made man who made people laugh, is in the grip of early onset Alzheimer's. His brilliant mind, which saw him building power stations and literally bringing light into the lives of others, has succumbed to darkness.

As Robyn settles back in the rhythms of life in the rain-soaked vast Welsh valleys, she keeps a diary charting her journey as the dad she knew disappears before her eyes. Lyrical, poignant and with flashes of brilliant humour, The Man He Used To Be explores how in helping others we can heal ourselves.

Previously published in hardback as My Mad Dad.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Nigel on April 13, 2018

In brief - In some senses this is a tough read, in some senses this is an easy read! The writing is simple, direct, colloquial - the content can be very tough at times. It is about "My Mad Dad" and affectionately, realistically so. It is also about Robyn's journey and my heart goes out to her. In det......more

Goodreads review by Lucille on April 15, 2018

Notwithstanding the lightness of touch throughout I found this a difficult read. It is about how 25 year old Robyn leaves her job and home in London to return to Wales to help her mother with her father's progressive Alzheimer's disease. Robyn not only has to come to terms with her father's inexplica......more

Goodreads review by Tasha on March 10, 2023

What a heartbreaking read this was! Robyn Hollingworth leaves her home in London to return to her childhood home in Pontypool South Wales to help care for her father who has Alzheimer's. This is her diary of that time, spanning a period of 18 months. I loved how honest Hollingworth was throughout th......more

Goodreads review by Andrew on March 19, 2023

Usually not a fan of elder care memoirs—they’re often unpleasant as the task itself—but this one rises above with unflinching honesty and dry humor (or humour, as they say across the pond).......more

Goodreads review by Sarah on May 02, 2018

I just loved this book, a really funny and yet emotional read. I read it cover to cover on the day it arrived, couldn’t put it down. A definite must read for all!......more


Quotes

This is a wonderful, rather special book: funny, warm and loving but also thought-provoking and deeply moving. Absolutely unforgettable - ironically. ADAM KAY, Sunday Times bestselling author of This Is Going To Hurt

This is a wonderful, brilliant book that also made me laugh. Robyn writes so honestly and normally. I fell in love with her mum and "mad" dad. VICTORIA DERBYSHIRE

[A] touching, humorous and self-deprecating book...Life will always throw shit at you: it's how you deal with it that counts. My Mad Dad is an essential manual for those of us trying to negotiate our own "Sabbatical of Shite". GREG WISE, actor and author of Not That Kind of Love

I cannot praise this book too highly for its perceptiveness, its realism and its pace. Robyn is an eloquent and articulate writer who brings a very human story to life with a pace that is impressive. JOHN BOWIS OBE, Former MP, Health Minister and MEP

A testament to love, finding strength through humour and the bonds that make us who we are. STYLIST ONLINE

A funny, sad and uplifting memoir that unravels Alzheimer's and the unexpected joy of caring for others. EMERALD STREET

Very moving, highlighting the impact and the human responses of those trying to cope, as well as the tragedy for the person with dementia. My Mad Dad will help other carers realise they are not alone in how they feel and that their feelings are human. It makes for compelling reading. GORDON WILCOCK, Emeritus Professor of Geratology, University of Oxford

A beautiful book that's full of truth. If you're caring for someone with Alzheimer's, this will hit a note. WOMAN'S WAY

It also has its own beauty, and we couldn't recommend it more. HELLO!

Darkly funny and never without hope. RED