Down the Memory Hole
His summer vacation is ruined when twelve-year-old Buzz Collins is forced to share his room and emotional space with his grandfather, who has Alzheimer's disease, and his parents forbid him to associate with his best friend, Mitch. The thought of giving up his friendship is heartbreaking enough. But how can he relate to someone who forgets his grandson's name, wears adult diapers, and thinks dog biscuits are people cookies, someone who could die in the night and scare Buzz right out of puberty?
Buzz thinks Alzheimer's is caused by a traumatic event, such as the train accident that killed Grandpa's brother Barkley. When Grandpa's mind wanders and he mistakes Buzz for Barkley, Buzz assumes the role of his great uncle, and in the process he develops compassion and appreciation for his grandfather.
The situation turns deadly when Buzz and Mitch - whose friendship Buzz refuses to end - attempt to cure Grandpa of Alzheimer's disease by recreating the train accident on a hot summer day. Despite the sad subject matter, Down the Memory Hole is a laugh-out-loud, coming-of-age story about Alzheimer's Disease as viewed through the mind of a frustrated 12-year-old who dearly loves his grandfather, but wishes they weren't roommates. (Ages 12 - Senior Citizens)
About Bonnie Turner (Green Bay, Wisconsin Author)
Bonnie Turner - one of the few remaining members of the Greatest Generation - was born on Halloween in Independence, Missouri, at the height of the Great Depression. She learned to read in first grade from the famed "Dick and Jane" readers. Many years later, her first novel for children (The Haunted Igloo) was published by Houghton Mifflin in 1991.
After her book was released, she visited local grade schools with a life-sized, handmade Eskimo doll, encouraging students to keep reading and writing - and offering polar bear hugs along with her autograph.
Currently residing in Wisconsin, she is a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Her interests are many and varied, including astronomy, geography, history, yoga, philosophy, psychology, metaphysics and parapsychology. She's a self-educated jack-of-all-trades, a Mensa almost, and a classical music and jazz-fusion aficionado.
