Media Center: 'End of Your Life Book Club' by Will Schwalbe

WHO: Will Schwalbe

WHAT:
THE END OF YOUR LIFE BOOK CLUB

WHEN:
Published by Knopf October 2, 2012

WHERE:
Author tour to Boston, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Vero Beach

WHY:
“An astonishing, pertinent, and wonderfully welcome work.
Sharing books he loved with his savvy mom had always been a great pleasure for both mother and son, becoming especially poignant when she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2007, at the age of 73.
“Schwalbe, former editor-in-chief of Hyperion, along with his father and siblings, was blindsided by the news; his mother, Mary Ann Schwalbe, had been an indomitable crusader for human rights, once the director of admissions at Harvard, and a person of enormous energy and management skills.
“Could a book club be run by only two people? Schwalbe and his mother wondered as they waited together over many chemotherapy sessions at Memorial Sloan-Kettering. It didn’t matter: ‘Books showed us that we didn’t need to retreat or cocoon,’ he writes; they provided much-needed ballast during an emotionally tumultuous time when fear and uncertainty gripped them both as the dreaded disease progressed rapidly.
“The books they shared allowed them to speak honestly and thoughtfully, to get to know each other, ask big questions, and especially talk about death.”
—PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, a starred review

“This book will bring tears to readers’ eyes.
Schwalbe shows why books were so important to him and his mother: they introduce readers to new worlds and fabulous characters while, at the same time, they help explain the world in which the readers themselves live. This book is an essential title for lovers of memoir…for anyone who enjoys books about mothers and sons, books about the love of books, and books about the strength of families.” —Ryan Claringbole in LIBRARY JOURNAL

“While this is a story about death, it is mostly a celebration of life and of the ways books can enrich it.”
—Bridget Thorenson in a starred review for BOOKLIST

“A heartfelt tribute…Schwalbe illustrates the power of the written word to expand our knowledge of ourselves and others.”
—KIRKUS REVIEWS

Media Resources:
About the book | Author bio | Reader’s Guide | Download the jacket or the author photo | Listen to the RH Audiobook

Publicist for this title:
Erinn Hartman | 212-572-2345 | ehartman@randomhouse.com