Going Backwards [Library Binding]

Norma Klein (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1986

Family dynamics are strained when Grandmother Gustel, who suffers from Alzheimer's disease, moves in; though Charles, a high school senior, hopelessly tries to live a normal life, while his father refuses to recognize the problem.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 7-12 To Charles Goldberg, life at 16 is a real bummer. He's overweight, not very good at most of the things he does, and intimidated by the women in his life. He thinks a lot about sex, and he doesn't have a girl friend. But most of all he's bothered about his beloved grandmother, whose deteriorating mental condition (due to Alzheimer's disease) has begun to affect the family in adverse ways. Finally Charles' doctor father decides to put Gustel in a nursing home. The night before she is to leave, she mercifully dies in her sleep. Charles, his mother, and his young brother are saddened but relieved by her death; his father reacts very peculiarly, however (and readers will probably figure out how Gustel died so conveniently). A few months later, his father, a heavy drinker and smoker, suddenly dies, too. Despite this rather slight plot, Klein's novel is a good one. The devasting effects of Alzheimer's on those close to its victims, the difficulty of placing a family member in a nursing home, and Charles' growing understanding of both his family and himself make the story a powerful one. The characters are well drawn, especially Charles' younger brother Kaylo, and Charles, never the dud he sees himself as at the book's beginning, is a likable male protagonist who becomes even more likable by the book's end. (It's too bad the jacket artist didn't read the book. The Charles shown isn't overweight, doesn't wear glasses, and is good looking.) Audrey B. Eaglen, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Cleveland
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Library Binding: 182 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Trade (October 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0590403281
• ISBN-13: 978-0590403283
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,361,542 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Fins out how a boy copes with his grandma's disease, November 2, 2001

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"[e-mail]" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Going Backwards (Library Binding)

This is an incredible book. I have read it a dozen times. It doesn't show the normal life of an teenage boy living in the "never sleeping city" New York. It is about life and about love and about taking care for each other. The main character's Grandmother Gustle has Alzheimer's disease and starts to forget about her life... during the book we learn details about the disease and how to cope with it. The way the incerdible Norma Klein tells us about the bad things (illness) in life and how to deal with it helps us to try and improve the world and to help other peple (especially older people). You have to read and find out yourself... especially as a Norma Klein Fan!

5.0 out of 5 stars Goiung backwards and how to cope with the disease, November 2, 2001

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"[e-mail]" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Going Backwards (Library Binding)

This is an incredible book. I have read it a dozen times. I doesn't show the normal life of an teenage boy living in the "never sleeping city New York". It is about life and about love and about taking care for each other. The main character's Grandmother Gustle has Alzheimer's disease and starts to forget about her life... during the book we learn details about the disease and how to cope with it. The way the incerdible Norma Klein tells us about the bad things (illness) in life and how to deal with it makes helps us to understand it all and the wish to improve the world and to help other peple. You have to read and find out yourself... especially as a Norma Klein Fan!