What are memories? Do our memories make us who we are? What happens to “us” when our memory fails, and cognitive decline ensues? I discussed these profound questions with one of my favorite authors, Patti Callahan Henry. She is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of sixteen novels, a podcast host, and a co-creator and host of the popular show, Friends & Fiction. Prior to becoming an author, she was a Pediatric Clinical Nurse Specialist with a fascination for memory and focused on neurology and brain trauma. Her novel, The Favorite Daughter, joined our collection of carefully vetted books in November 2019. 

“Memory,” she says, “haunts all my work but takes center stage in this one. Who do we become without those memories?” 

Patti is the recipient of The Christy Award 2019 Winner “Book of the Year”; The Harper Lee Distinguished Writer of the Year for 2020, and the Alabama Library Association Book of the Year for 2019. She is also a contributor to the monthly life lesson essay column for Parade Magazine. A full-time author and mother of three, she now resides in both Mountain Brook, Alabama, and Bluffton, South Carolina with her husband.

In this podcast, we explore how our memories define us, if they do, the landscape of memory, and the concept of “ambiguous loss.”

After the Podcast

Read Patti’s AlzAuthors post: Memory is at the Heart of Patti Callahan Henry’s The Favorite Daughter

​Purchase The Favorite Daughter on Amazon. https://amzn.to/2D9TDnQ

Note: We are an Amazon Associate and may receive a small commission from book sales. 

Connect with Patti

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Watch Friends & Fiction on Wednesdays at 7 pm, EST

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About the Podcast

AlzAuthors is the global community of authors writing about Alzheimer’s and dementia from personal experience to light the way for others. Our podcast introduces you to our authors who share their stories and insights to provide knowledge, comfort, and support. Please subscribe so you don’t miss a word. If our authors’ stories move you, please leave a review. And don’t forget to share our podcast with family and friends on their own dementia journeys.

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