OBrien - On Pluto: inside the mind of Alzheimers

NEW HORIZONS: EXPANDED EDITION

ON PLUTO

Inside the Mind of Alzheimers

GREG OBRIEN

Foreword by Lisa Genova

Epilogue by David Shenk

Codfish Press

Brewster, MA

2018 Greg OBrien, Codfish Press, Brewster, MA

ISBN 978-0-9913401-9-4 paperback, expanded edition
2018, Revised/expanded edition

Initial book design/page layout, Joe Gallante, Coysbrook Studio, Harwich, MA

Initial cover design, Brandy Polay

On Pluto revised/expanded edition interior design, Paraclete Multimedia, Orleans, MA

Cover design, Brad Harris

Research assistance, Conor OBrien

Creative direction, Brendan OBrien

Printed by Paraclete Press, Brewster, MA

Distributed by Penguin Random House Publisher Services

In Praise of On Pluto: Inside the Mind of Alzheimers

Told with extraordinary vulnerability, grace, humor, and profound insight, On Pluto is an intimate look inside the mind of Greg OBrien, a journalist diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimers. But the real gem of On Pluto lies in its unflinching look inside Gregs heart. If youre trying to understand what it feels like to live with Alzheimers, and you are because youre reading these words, then you need to read this book.

LISA GENOVA, New York Times bestselling author of Still Alice, Left Neglected, Love Anthony, and Inside the OBriens

With a wicked sense of humor and a journalists curiosity, Greg OBrien reports from the front lines of his own battlefield. Much like Glen Campbell whose artistry shined in the face of his disease, Greg is in full control of his craft. In spite of being in the grip of Alzheimers disease, Gregs storytelling is beautifully crafted, insightful, and at times transcendent.

TREVOR ALBERT, producer, Glen Campbell: Ill Be Me, Groundhog Day, and Multiplicity

A more eloquent, witty, and honest spokesperson, this horrible disease will never see. Greg OBrien is my hero, and will soon be yours after reading his groundbreaking book!

DR. RUDY TANZI, vice-chair of Neurology and director of the Genetics and Aging Research Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital, the Joseph P. and Rose F. Kennedy Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School, and chair of the Cure Alzheimers Fund Research Consortium

A brilliant journalist, Greg OBrien has bravely chosen to live his life out of the shadows and in the spotlight. To say Greg is a writer is like saying Fred Astaire did a two-step or that Thomas Edison was a tinkerer. Greg is eloquent, insightful, spiritual, humorous, and visionary. He is the Poet Laureate of Alzheimers. There are few pluses to Alzheimers, but getting to know and work with Greg is at the top of that list.

GEORGE & TRISH VRADENBURG, co-founders, UsAgainstAlzheimers

Greg OBriens On Pluto: Inside the Mind of Alzheimers is the most compelling, honest, and complete 360-degree narrative out there on how Alzheimers disease impacts a family. This expanded edition updates us on Gregs personal AD journey and includes chapters written by his wife and children with great honesty and humor. As Greg says the Irish way, Never get mad. Get even! Greg compels us to fight Alzheimers not for ourselves, but for our children and grandchildren, and generations to come.

MERYL COMER, advocate and author, Slow Dancing with a Stranger

In On Pluto, Greg OBrien has given us a priceless gift: an honest, funny, heartbreaking, and powerfully poignant look into the world of an Alzheimers sufferer by a man who lives with it. Greg OBrien is a brilliant observer and superb writer, and he is at the top of his game in this book. Its as if he has willingly dropped himself into a kind of mental tornado, so that he can tell us what he sees from inside. You have never read a book quite like it, and probably never will again.

WILLIAM MARTIN, New York Times bestselling author of Cape Cod, Back Bay, and The Lincoln Letter

Greg OBrien writes with the consummate knowledge of a guide and the courage of a pioneer. In this important and transcendent book, he serves both roles as he folds back the veils of fear and traverses the treacherous territory of early-onset Alzheimers. On Pluto: Inside the Mind of Alzheimers glows with honesty, intelligence, and compassion, and, given the subject, is a surprisingly spirit-renewing book.

ANNE D. LECLAIRE, author of bestselling Listening Below the Noise, Leaving Eden, and The Lavender Hour

Most sufferers of early-onset Alzheimers do their very best to hide it from everyone, sometimes even themselves. Greg OBrien has chosen to look the beast in the eyes, and give us a candid, unflinching portrait of his familys tragic history of the disease, as well as his own determination to not go down without a fight.

STEVE JAMES, producer of the short film A Place Called Pluto and considered among the most acclaimed documentary producers with noted works: Hoop Dreams, Life Itself, Stevie, The New Americans, The War Tapes, At the Death House Door, and The Interpreters

Alzheimers messed with the wrong man. If theres anyone who can stand up to this awful disease with the right blend of eloquence, anger, and honesty, it is the defiant and profound Greg OBrien. This book is a beacon of hope for anyone who can read or listen.

DAVID SHENK, author of The Forgetting, a New York Times bestseller, and creator of Living with Alzheimers film project

Greg OBriens daily movements now include, he tells us, periodic trips to Pluto, a dark and distant planet off the grid of enduring memory. But Gregs story of his life has mapped for us an inner space that is as light and present as Pluto is bleak and lonely. The courage of this book lies in the way that Greg speaks his peace into the dark. The hope of this book lies in the way that the dark, in the least expected of moments, seems to be listening to Greg, in inextinguishable love.

MICHAEL VERDE, founder, Memory Bridge, the Foundation for Alzheimers and Cultural Memory

Greg OBrien takes us on a personal journey into Alzheimers disease and marks the trail for others traveling this treacherous path. At once fighting and accepting his fate, he eloquently describes the delicate balance between living and dying with this mind-robbing disease. As his mind fails and his wisdom grows, he is teaching us to defy the popular notion that memory is everything.

DANIEL KUHN, MSW, author of Alzheimers Early Stages: First Steps for Family, Friends, and Caregivers

Never before have we been offered such a clear understanding of how Alzheimers disease affects day-to-day perceptions. Greg OBriens first-hand account of his own disease process will force us all to rethink the way we deliver care, and is a must addition to the libraries of all professional and family caregivers.

SUZANNE FAITH, RN psych, clinical director, Hope Dementia & Alzheimers Services

As a clinician working daily with families and individuals dealing with Alzheimers and dementia, the question we most often grapple with is how does one live well with the disease? Greg OBriens book, On Pluto: Inside the Mind of Alzheimers, offers an answer, rich in wit, courage, and a precision of detail that makes the book not only informative, but an extremely satisfying read. For the 5.5 million American families currently dealing with dementia, and for those of us who serve them, On Pluto is a critical and groundbreaking book. We are fortunate to have Gregs voice and spirit among us; he is a true American hero.