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1. How did the braiding of Bobby's early life with his declining years affect you as a reader?

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2. How do you think Bobby’s childhood/upbringing influenced his later life?

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3. We hear often in media about women's friendships, but men's friendships are not discussed much in current culture. Why do you think           that is?

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4. What were the key elements of Bobby and Bob’s friendship that made it endure? How important were Bobby’s friendships during his             decline?

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5. This memoir is a story of Alzheimer's, friendship, and fathers and daughters, but it is also a story of an earlier California and culture.           What was different for kids and young men back then as opposed to today?

 

6. In this memoir about connecting with others, there is also a great deal of loss, including child loss. How does loss in general affect Teri?         Her family?

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7. What role does faith play in Bobby and Bob’s lives?

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8. Teri includes photos in her memoir. How do the photos enrich the telling?

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9. Uncle Bob gives Teri the greatest gift by sharing her dad's stories. In doing so, he also gives his family a gift because the lifelong                 friendship between the two men is his story also. Why do our stories matter? How do stories that

    strangers share, as Teri has, matter? When does a personal story become universal, as hers does?

 

10. Do you have any personal experience with someone with dementia or Alzheimer’s? If so, how was your experience similar to or

      different than the author’s?

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11. After reading Teri’s story, what are your thoughts about the importance of friendship for those dealing with dementia?

 

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