Tangles: A Story About Alzheimer's, My Mother, and Me

Tangles is a graphic memoir that chronicles the progression of Sarah Leavitt's mother's early-onset Alzheimer's disease. Through black and white illustrations and text, Leavitt documents the six years between her mother's diagnosis at age 52 and her death. The narrative follows the transformation of Midge Cohen Leavitt from an articulate, strong-willed teacher and mother into someone who requires full-time care. Sarah, along with her father and sister, navigates the practical and emotional challenges of becoming caregivers while trying to maintain their family bonds. The memoir captures moments both significant and mundane as the family adapts to their new reality. Leavitt's simple line drawings convey complex emotions and interactions without embellishment. This intimate portrait of a family facing illness explores themes of identity, memory, and the enduring connection between mother and daughter. The graphic format allows readers to experience both the visual and emotional dimensions of living with Alzheimer's disease.

Readers describe this graphic memoir as an intimate portrayal of a daughter watching her mother's decline from Alzheimer's. Many note its raw honesty in depicting both tender moments and difficult family dynamics. Readers appreciated: - Simple but expressive black and white illustrations - Direct approach to challenging emotions and caregiver burnout - Inclusion of small daily moments, not just major events - Focus on the mother-daughter relationship before and during illness Common criticisms: - Basic art style feels unpolished to some - Some readers wanted more depth about the disease itself - Several found the pacing uneven Ratings across platforms: Goodreads: 3.9/5 (1,100+ ratings) Amazon: 4.3/5 (50+ ratings) One reader noted: "The stripped-down style matches the stark reality of the disease." Another wrote: "The author doesn't try to pretty up the experience or make herself look good, which I respect."

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🌟 Sarah Leavitt created this graphic memoir as her first published book, documenting six years of her mother's battle with early-onset Alzheimer's disease, from diagnosis at age 52 to death at age 60. 📚 The book broke new ground as the first graphic novel to be nominated for the Writers' Trust Non-Fiction Prize in Canada. 💫 Leavitt used simple, black-and-white line drawings to capture intimate moments of her mother's decline, including the heartbreaking loss of her ability to write—particularly poignant as she had been an English teacher. 🎨 Each chapter title in "Tangles" features a word that her mother forgot or misused as her condition progressed, providing a powerful thread throughout the narrative. 💝 The memoir has been translated into multiple languages and is used in medical schools to help future healthcare providers understand the personal impact of Alzheimer's disease on families.