Learning from Hannah: Secrets for a Life Worth Living
Thomas folds a fictional story into a charmingly written autobiography to provide an idealistic lesson for contemporary U.S. society. In real time, Bill (Thomas) and his wife, Jude, two young physicians who had just finished with a 1,215-page book on the medical and social aspects of aging, were enduring quite a letdown, thanks to a boatwreck that put them into the sea near Montserrat--and into the story. They came to half-alive on the unknown island of Kallimos, where Hannah, who many years before had also been wrecked there, takes care of them, helped by other islanders. During several months, Bill and Jude learn 10 lessons about what the role of the elderly in society should be. Jude becomes a competent gardener, and Bill an efficient goatherd. When they return to the U.S., they set out to put the 10 rules into effect. At first blithe and naive, they eventually adapt to hard reality and establish the Eden Alternative for nursing home residents, which is indeed their real-world project.William Beatty