STILL WITH ME: A Daughter's Journey of Love and Loss

With an increasing number of terminally ill patients choosing to die at home, journalist Collier's account of taking care of her mother, suffering from stage four ovarian cancer, couldn't be more timely, even though the events took place a decade ago. An only child, Collier offers an unblinking account of how her life and that of her mother, Earline, became progressively more entwined from the moment of Earline's call ("The doctors here say they think I have some kind of cancer") until her death a year later. Collier depicts her mother's bravery, pinning on costume jewelry butterflies before each chemotherapy session to better visualize healing, and playing slots at Circus Circus in Las Vegas: "[Earline] looked as if she knew time couldn't run out on her." One of the book's strengths is Collier's willingness to recreate those difficult days honestly. She describes spanking her six-year-old daughter for running away (to the backyard) and how she rediscovered Barbie dolls, which she turned to for consolation. Collier is also forthright about her treatment of her stepfather, whom she bullied into burying her mother's ashes (something she herself couldn't face). Still, Collier's desire to help others in similar circumstances extends only to the psychological; there's little practical information on assisting someone living with cancer or dealing with the health-care system, and Collier's economic circumstances limit the reach of her story (many readers wouldn't have a spare bedroom for their mothers or the money to rent an apartment for their mothers to move nearby). Agent, Wendy Sherman. (May)