About this item
Last Things is the true and intensely personal story of how one woman coped with the devastating effects of a catastrophic illness in her family.Using her trademark mix of words and pictures to sharp effect, Marissa Moss presents the story of how she, her husband, and her three young sons struggled to maintain their sense of selves and wholeness as a family and how they continued on with everyday life when the earth shifted beneath their feet.After returning home from a year abroad, Marissa's husband, Harvey, was diagnosed with ALS. The disease progressed quickly, and Marissa was soon consumed with caring for Harvey while trying to keep life as normal as possible for her young children. ALS stole the man who was her husband, the father of her children, and her best friend in less than 7 months.This is not a story about the redemptive power of a terminal illness. It is a story of resilience -- of how a family managed to survive a terrible loss and grow in spite of it. Although it's a sad story, it's powerfully told and ultimately uplifting as a guide to strength and perseverance, to staying connected to those who matter most in the midst of a bleak upheaval. If you've ever wondered how you would cope with a dire diagnosis, this book can provide a powerful example of what it feels like and how to come through the darkness into the light.
About the Author
I've been making children's books for a looooong time. I sent my first picture book to publishers when I was nine, but it wasn't very good and they didn't publish it. I didn't try again until I was a grown-up and then it took five years of sending out stories, getting them rejected, revising them and sending them back over and over until I got my first book. Now I've published more than forty books and each new one is still hard in its own way. Each one takes a lot of revising because I never get things right the first time. That used to frustrate me. Now I expect it. And I don't mind, because that gives me permission to make mistakes. It means I can take risks and try new things because I don't have to be perfect - I can always make changes.I had already published nearly a dozen books when I got the idea for Amelia's Notebook. I was buying school supplies for my son when I saw one of the black-and-white composition books. It reminded me of the notebook I had when I was a kid, so I bought it (for myself, not my son) and I wrote and drew what I remembered from when I was nine. Amelia's what came out. I didn't plan on the book becoming a series, but the first one sold so well and Amelia had so much to say, I kept on going.Now I'm playing with other notebook formats, like in the historical journals and Alien Eraser (where I get to play around with making comics, something I love) . My first chapter book, a long story with no pictures (well, a few) just came out. It's also my mystery, another challenge. And I'm playing with a graphic novel, something completely different. That's one of the things I love about writing and illustrating -- there are always new worlds to explore!
