Winner of the 2012 New England Book Award for Non Fiction    Kate Whouley is a smart, single woman who faces life head-on. Her mother, Anne, is a strong-minded accidental feminist with a weakness for unreliable men. Their complicated relationship isn't simplified when Anne exhibits symptoms of organic memory loss. As Kate becomes her mother's advocate and protector, Kate will discover that the demon we call Alzheimer's is also an unlikely teacher--and healer. A contemporary mother-daughter story with universal appeal, Remembering the Music, Forgetting the Words , is written with the same "good humor and thoughtful humanity" that author Anna Quindlen admired in the  Whouley's first memoir, Cottage for Sale, Must Be Moved . Named to the American Library Association's Best of the Best list for 2012, Remembering the Music , in the words of novelist David Payne "concerns the most important issues: family, mortality, our aloneness in the world, our connection in the face of it." “A lovely, honest account of her mother’s decline into Alzheimer’s disease.”— The Boston Globe “In her often humorous and always compassionate memoir, Whouley hopes to transform how people relate to a loved one with Alzheimer's disease."— USA Today “Whouley’s poignant, perceptive story of remembrance may not make the word 'Alzheimer’s' any easier to hear, but her book offers a perspective that may relieve, comfort and perhaps ease the minds of those who are facing some of the same dilemmas with elder family members – dilemmas about care, yes, but also about just how to take in the idea of communicating with someone who will likely not remember that communication scant moments later.” —The Barnstable Patriot “Whouley gracefully keeps a balance between poignancy and humor. Her intelligent, sensitive voice is a treat…”— Shelf Awareness  “Reading Kate Whouley’s memoir felt like sitting down with an old friend over coffee...As a reader, I felt privileged to be on the receiving end of such a confidence, which concerns the most important issues: family, mortality, our aloneness in the world, our connection in the face of it.  I read it in two sittings and turned the last page with regret.”—David Payne, author of  Back to Wando Passo     "An exceptional memoir that reminds us—often with surprising humor—of the richness of life in good times and bad."—David Dosa MD, author of  Making Rounds With Oscar    “ Remembering the Music, Forgetting the Words  made me want to go hug my mother. It also made me want to go hug Kate Whouley for her generous, fearless and spot-on recounting of a mother-daughter relationship during its most tragic yet poignantly beautiful years.”—Suzanne Strempek Shea, author of  Sundays in America                    “With books as her background and music as her guide, Kate Whouley helps her mother navigate the journey of Alzheimer’s. Recalling her mother’s impressive past, Whouley tries to reconcile her “new” mother with the old. Whouley’s straightforward, and at times, very funny take at her mother’s struggles and her own will strike home to many readers familiar with the caregiver role. Incorporating her life-long passion as a flutist, Whouley’s tone and reflection of music in every aspect of the journey fills the book with hope and, yes, joy.  I hope I would be as graceful and kind if I ever become my mother’s support system. Full of mother-daughter issues, identity, grief, loss, along with lots of love, and enduring friendships, Remembering The Music, Forgetting the Words is perfect fodder for reading groups!”—Barbara Drummond Mead, Editor of Reading Group Choices   “ Remembering the Music  is a dance of a daughter’s spirit as she releases her mother (and the reader) to another realm.”—Joan Anderson, Author of  A Year By The Sea      “In Remembering the Music, Forgetting the Words , Kate Whouley explores the mysteries of the human heart with wisdom and wit, giving us a story rich with kindness and comfort.” — Amanda Eyre Ward, author of Close Your Eyes Kate Whouley lives on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, where she is the founder and owner of Books in Common, an independent book-industry consulting company. Her first book, Cottage for Sale, Must Be Moved , was a Book Sense Book-of-the-Year nominee. Whouley’s personal essays have appeared in the Cape Cod Times , Boston Globe , and the book-industry online journal Shelf Awareness .  Chapter Nine   So Sue Me     “I’d like to sue my daughter,” my mother says to the attorney.   “Is that something you can handle for me?”   “Mom—ahh—I don’t think he’s that kind of lawyer.” I smile, hoping the attorney and witnesses we have gathered will assume my mother is kidding.   In fact, she has been threatening to sue since she slipped off the stool in my kitchen. I was at the sink across the counter, and I saw her take the fall, but I can’t say for sure what happened. She moved from sitting to almost standing before she appeared to crumple to the floor. M