Last Week, Bill Richardson
Last Week, Bill Richardson
List: $24.99 | Sale: $17.50
Club: $12.49

Last Week

Author: Bill Richardson

Narrator: Bill Richardson

Unabridged: 14 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/01/2022


Synopsis

A child cherishes every second of their grandmother's last week of life in this sensitive portrayal of medical assistance in dying (MAiD).
“In this last week, there are seven days.” That's one hundred and sixty-eight hours. Or ten thousand and eighty minutes. Or six hundred four thousand and eight hundred seconds. A child counts every second because this is their grandmother’s last week of life. 
As friends and family come to call on Flippa—as Gran is fondly known—the child observes the strange mix of grief, humor, awkwardness, anger and nostalgia that attends these farewell visits. Especially precious are the times they have alone, just the two of them. Flippa, the child sees, has made up her mind. Like time, she is unstoppable. So as Sunday approaches, the child must find a way to come to terms with Flippa’s decision. What is the best way to say goodbye?
Last Week is a nuanced look at what death with dignity can mean to a whole family, with an afterword and additional resources by MAiD expert Dr. Stefanie Green.



Key Text Features
illustrations
afterword
explanation
resources



Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.3

Describe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Betsey on May 03, 2022

The last week in the life of the grandmother of the main character, a child. Book about assisted suicide. In Canada it's called Medical Assistance in Dying or MAiD. Very poignant.......more

Goodreads review by Jennifer on May 01, 2022

This is a beautiful, sensitive, and touching book about how a grandchild experiences the last week of grandmother's life, leading up to her planned medical assisted death. It includes an afterward written by a leading doctor in this field about medically assisted death along with resources for paren......more

Goodreads review by Beverly on September 28, 2022

Honest, touching, gentle, true. I would expect nothing less from Bill Richardson. Could I read it to a child? I hope so, but I am not sure I would be strong enough. I have had 2 friends choose an assisted death and I support that choice whole heartedly. But it is hard for the ones left behind.......more

Goodreads review by Rhoda on April 27, 2023

I didn't know this was a kids book. But it's impressive. I've been studying the Maid program and have read several adult books on the topic. So good to see it from a child's perspective. Good for Bill Richardson cbc radio host for writing this. I love that it's simple for kids without loads of medic......more

Goodreads review by Kris on October 03, 2023

I read picture books almost every day of my life, and I think this is the first one I have ever read that addresses the topic of assisted death. Of course, that is not legal everywhere in the U.S., because we are barbaric, but this Canadian book handles the subject gently and honestly. Beautifully d......more