The Last Ten Days - Academia, Dementia, and the Choice to Die

“After more than 50 years of reading in the social, historical, and philosophical foundations of education, I do not recall a book in these fields or in the field of education more broadly that brings together matters of love, memoir, tragedy, and critical insights on the field in one volume. It is virtually unheard of to find critical insights about capitalism and education wrapped up in a love story. It reminds us that as we pursue our intellectual craft, first we are human beings living out our daily lives. We need tender moments. We thrive best in love. We grow. We produce. We contribute. And, we die, perhaps in the arms of a loved one, assured that we have done our best for our craft and students and for those who have held us. With the radical psychoanalyst Willhelm Reich, Martha Risberg Brosio and Shelley Burbank remind us throughout this book that “Love, work, and knowledge are the wellsprings of our lives. They should also govern it.” (Read the full review in Education Review, Vol. 26, December 2019)

"...a heartrending and inherently engaging memoir of love, scholarship, dignity, courage, and the choices one is forced to make when given the devastating diagnosis of a terminal illness. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, The Last Ten Days is fully endorsed and unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library collections."

Reviewer's Choice, Midwest Book Review - October 2019

"A powerful story. This book is three stories combined into one book. Using flashbacks, it celebrates the intellect of a liberal educator. Richard Brosio's quest to fully educate students and future teachers of students is explained. The reader gains valuable insights to his philosophy, his ethnic background and his passion for a true democratic society. Secondly, the book is a poignant love story as told by his wife, Martha. Thirdly, this is a book about a horrid disease that robs a person of his intellect, identity and personality. Like Alzheimer's Disease, it is a thief that causes havoc to the person who has it and everyone who loves him. Making the choice to end his life before he loses the ability to consciously make that choice, is a phenomenal struggle. How the last ten days of his life pass is told by his wife in present time as she tries to be a pillar of strength and yet deal with the greatest loss of her life. During the final days of her husband's life, she has comforting flashbacks of the first time they met and so many facets of their life together. I enjoyed the snippets of humor, cherished the love story, and had tears in my eyes toward the end. Yet, as I too grasped the finality of death, I felt a sense of peace that suffering had ended and Richard left this world with dignity as he wanted to do. This is a must read because we all have or will have experienced someone dear to us who has a fatal illness or an illness that causes dementia."

A.J. Reed, Customer review on Amazon

"I first met Richard Brosio when we were graduate students at The University of Michigan in the late 1960s, and we collaborated over the next four decades around our mutual commitment to the crucial role of the social foundations of education in teacher preparation and to advocate for educational equity, justice for all, and true democracy as an antidote to capitalist hegemony. Richard brought to these efforts great intellectual prowess, focused energy, political insight, and personal courage. These same qualities are central to this powerful book by his wife Martha in which she describes Richard’s end-of-life choices in the face of illness that robbed him of his skillful powers of communication. The book also highlights his teaching and writing and their life together. It is a monumental love story. It is sad, yet inspirational. It is also joyful, as it celebrates his life and their time together. It causes me to admire both Richard and Martha all the more."

Alan H. Jones, Ph.D., Publisher, Caddo Gap Press

"It's a very engaging book that pulls you in. It's a love story, as well as a story about someone having to make horrific decisions. It's very humanistic and accesible to many readers."

Georgette Carignan

Prologue: In What Spirit Do You Come?

Day One

Day Two

Day Three

Day Four

Day Five

Day Six

Day Seven

Day Eight

Day Nine

Day Ten

Afterword

Martha Risberg Brosio

Martha Risberg Brosio grew up in Iron Mountain, Michigan. She lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and enjoys her family, good food, good conversation, and rooting for the University of Michigan Wolverines.

Shelley Burbank

Shelley Burbank lives in San Diego, but her roots are sunk deep in the rocky soil of Maine. Her fiction has appeared in little and literary magazines, The Maine Review and The Katherine Press Review, and she was a features and news writer for The Waterboro Reporter weekly newspaper. Learn more at ShelleyBurbank.com.