What the Wind Showed to Me Paperback – Large Print, July 2, 2014

This book has garnered a lot of undeserved one-star reviews by people who seem to think that it should be different from what they got. Before I actually review the book itself I'd like to set the record straight vis-a-vis what so many of the reviewers think this book should be, and why it is not what they think it should be. But it is excellent for what it sets out to be.This book is not intended for people who do not have dementia. If you are expecting a book with any level of plot complexity, deep characters, or the deep questions that have concerned humanity for generations, you are going to be disappointed. Probably because you do not have dementia. (BTW, take a moment and thank what ever higher deity you believe in, or if you don't have a higher deity, thank your lucky stars.) This is a very short (26 pages of story) tale of a woman who is led on a sweet walk by a feather floating on the wind. It has no conflict, no stressors, no suspense. In short, nothing that is going to agitate a person with dementia.It might seem simpler than a child's book and that's because for an adult without dementia, it is. See, a person in the middle stages of dementia isn't going to be reading Clive Cussler, Debbie Macomber, or James Patterson. Those novels are simply too complex, there are too many characters to keep track of, too much story and plot to keep track of, and a stressful level of action.The back of the book has about 4 blank pages, not 13.And then there are those who complain about the price. I paid $11.99 and I consider that a decent price. The paper, printing, and binding on these books is about 4 bucks a pop. Amazon's slice is about $4.00, leaving the writer with about $4.00 in royalties. Which may sound like a princely sum to the average reviewer, but it's not. From this $4.00 she has to take the cost of hiring a book designer, formatter, and editor. Not to mention the time and effort that went into writing this book and the others in this series. For Emma Rose Sparrow, this is an obvious labor of love. Contrary to what most people think, most people who write do not make so much bank that they can quit their day jobs and retire to the Bahamas. In the overall scheme of things, this is a very niche market, and the majority of potential buyers are not likely to think it's worth it to spend 11.99 on a book for mom when she's losing it anyway.Ms. Sparrow, if I had to hazard a guess, probably had a loved one with dementia. A loved one who had loved to read and slowly lost the ability to read conventional, contemporary literature. So I think these books were written for that loved one. It is generous of her to share them with our loved ones. Most people have very little idea how difficult it is to write, let alone write at this level. To write a book that is engrossing for an audience that is slowly losing the ability to function in the real world, yet wants to keep trying. These books are not an insult to people with dementia, they are a gift. Writing them is an act of love, and one for which I am deeply grateful.My mother, in the middle stages of dementia, and an avid reader, treasures these books. And every time she picks one up, it's brand new to her. I paid 11.99 for a book my mom will find as new tomorrow as she does today. Now, THAT'S value for money. Buy these books and your loved one will get more out of them than the 8.99 airport paperback you read once and then donate to your library.Judge this book by whether it is a quality exemplar of it's genre, not what you think it ought to be. After all you wouldn't buy a contemporary romance expecting Colson Whitehead's level of writing. Emma Rose Sparrow isn't going to buy a Rolls Royce on her royalties, she's not out to insult you or your loved one, she's not padding the book. She's simply trying to make the descent into dementia easier for all involved, the best way she knows how.For the record, my mom loves these books. In the end, that's all that matters to me.

Thanks so much for these books. My 94 yr old mom has early dementia. These books are giving her such confidence in reading without overwhelming her. She now looks forward to her time to read each day. I’ve ordered several more of these books for her and I plan to read them myself so I can have conversations with her about the content when she wants to discuss. I highly recommend these books!

Dear Emma,Thank you so much.I bought this for Mary, my mother in law who is 89 and has Alzheimer's, she is a former bookworm, author, auditor, and general independent thinker. Back he in her day, she had a few gongs, eg won a best book for America's book Club, on Oprah, etc. but she is now in a new phase of life, that is all a distant past life and she and really struggling with reading, the loss has been huge for our Bookworm Mary, but now it is back thanks to you. and here's our story...Whilst Mary has read so much, she doesn't now, she did, but it died away. It was almost like Mary has a muscle memory to read, but not the cognitive function to read, and any attempt was a dead or an overwhelming failure. The old works, classics, and so many more are now out of reach, and our house is full of such texts, in several languages, it's has been truly sad.But not now EMMA ROSE SPARROW, now she has dignity, she is flexing the reading muscle daily. You get it, and I get it, and your books have made a big wave here. This has helped enormously in this household, but it took some time by the way. I can now see with hindsight, that she actually lost her confidence to read the core work. Let me explain...A month or two ago. Mary would read out words in front of her, the cereal box, the street sign, and so many more in her house of books, but since her Dementia onset these are words read out but not actually comprehended it seems. Now that her life has changed and we are around her, we have looked for how to help her.I would print off kids stories, newspapers, magazines etc, but Mary has tended to brush them off, and stare into space. I completely agree with the reviewer who spoke of the lack of dignity in geriatric material and I actually think such material can damage.Then I gave her your three books. In each we wrote a 'I hope you enjoy this as much as I do, love Me x' type message. Just a hunch, but glad I did, as it propels her to try and read it. I gave her all at once, and left her to it.Week one, she is shuffle walking around the house thumbing one of the books, and reading the cover, and the start, smiling, being happy, but then i noticed she wasn't actually reading chapter one. All fine it seems.Weeks two to six she would walk back and forth, but I now see she wasn't brave enough to actually read the first chapter. I guess having failed on so many of her own library, what's the point. what she would be doing is page back and forth to the publishing credits and intro etc.About week seven I asked her to read chapter one out loud to me. She did, and then was captured. She now reads all of the three books which are scattered about her daily route - thank fully not always out loud :-)You have produced a little bit of magic here Emma, and I thank you. I would also suggest to others to try to (1) write a short loved message e/g I wrote 'to Mary from Matt, I hope enjoy this as much as I did' type message, which means she cant put it down, and (2) asking to read out the first chapter made worked for us, and I hope it works for you too,Thank you Emma and yes, more please.Matt.

Twenty six page booklet. Just not worth the money. I have noticed that "adaptive" items and devices are really overpriced. Too bad.

This book is okay, a little pricey, good for dementia patients.

Ideal for someone with retention problems. Nice stories in easily digestible pieces. Large print good.

These books are less than 30 pages long. Including credits, forwards, illustrations...and large print. I realize the memory-impaired can't track forever, but seriously? Next time I'll do a better job of reading the description. I could've had my daughter handprint stories like this all day long. Turns out you know everything I do about how to write for them. Except I probably know more, since I'm living it and you're just ripping it off.You'd have got an extra star for the concept, but since your conscience lets you cash in on the misfortune of others, you get exactly what you gave me. Nada.