Under One Roof: Lessons I Learned from a Tough Old Woman in a Little Old House
Life’s most memorable experiences are often born out of the smallest moments. In 2006, Barry Martin, a construction foreman, knocked on the door of Edith Macefield, a crusty octogenarian who stubbornly refused to yield to a developer’s offers to buy her house to make way for a shopping mall. Martin gives her his cellphone number, an act that leads to his becoming Edith’s friend and primary caretaker and forming a bond between them that is as strong as it is unexpected. As Edith’s health declines and she becomes increasingly dependent on and demanding of Martin, his response provides an object lesson in easing someone toward death with dignity, respect, and tolerance. Martin applies these same lessons when dealing with his father, who’s diagnosed with Alzheimer’s just as Edith enters his life. With an assist from journalist Lerman, Martin’s memoir of his relationship with Edith is heartfelt and homespun. The wisdom he shares—you figure out the right thing to do, and you do it—will undoubtedly resonate with and inspire others struggling to care for elderly relatives or friends. --Patty Wetli