The Theft Of Memory By Jonathan Kozol Essay - 1591 Words

Theme The theme of The Theft of Memory is somewhat of a social commentary, a personal and medical analysis of Alzheimer’s disease. Jonathan Kozol discusses his father’s decent into Alzheimer’s from his own point of view and how the experience related to their family as a whole. He shares his grief and suffering along with celebrating the impact that his father had on so many people throughout his lifetime. Jonathan tells stories from his father’s past to illustrate what an incredible doctor and amazing man he truly was. The documentation of his father’s illness is something that many people can relate to within their own families. As his illness progresses, Dr. Kozol tries to diagnose and treat himself at first before relinquishing that control to another doctor. Jonathan did everything in his power to maintain his father’s dignity throughout his life. The book documents the impact of Alzheimer’s disease on their family and tests the l imits of Jonathan’s devotion to his parents. Summary In this book, Jonathan discusses the changing dynamic between his parents and himself. In the beginning his parents appear to be a loving couple and he appears to be a very devoted son. As his parents age and his father’s illness progresses, those dynamics change. His father loses all recollection of who his family is and Jonathan’s mother seems to detach herself from the situation, referring to his father as â€Å"the baby† most of the time. Kozol (2015) says, â€Å"Before she fell asleep that