Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Gifts and Consequences by Daniel Coleman

I won this book from the Member Giveaways on Library Thing.

Within the last 10 minutes, I finished this book, and had to wipe away many tears. This was such a touching story! This is an example of how one person's life can affect so many others.

The main character, Jonathon, is a multi-millionaire who has all the money in the world, but does not have the one thing he truly desires - his wife Susan. Susan had been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's disease and as she started wasting away, Jonathon decided he would help people in Susan's name. He has a team of workers that help him locate particularly desperate people who, for one reason or another, have expressed the desire for something while giving back in return. Jonathon enters into agreements with these people giving them an awesome gift, if they, in turn keep up their end of the bargain. Some do and some don't, but the choice is ultimately thiers. This book comprises these individual's stories and whether or not they live up to their end of the bargain, resulting in either whatever they had wished for, or to have to pay the consequences. The end of the book involves the death of Susan, after years of wasting away to nothing, as Alzheimer's will surely do to a person. I was very overwhelmed at the sheer emotion the last part of the book gave me. What a lesson to be learned. I encourage everyone to read this book as it has a wonderful message!

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