Meg Flather had thought she knew her irrepressible mother, Becky. But after Meg’s father passed away, her relationship with Becky—beloved matriarch, respected midwife, and avid moviegoer—deepened. Mother and daughter were out on the town together regularly: partners in high-spirited antics.

Then, Becky faced a health challenge that took the mother/daughter dynamic to an altogether different level. Hold on Tight is a love letter from Meg to her mother—and to all the tireless caregivers who helped Meg see Becky through her final years. Frank, moving, and frequently amusing, this memoir will be of interest to any child of a parent going through the final stages of life, particularly a child with a parent experiencing dementia.

Writing with grace, good humor, and compassion, Meg Flather demonstrates the need to hold on tight to the moments we have with our loved ones. And she shows us that those final partings don’t always have to be so terribly sad.