{"product_id":"they-left-us-everything-isbn-9780735233133","title":"They Left Us Everything","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003eWinner of the 2015\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eRBC Taylor Prize\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWinner of the 2016 Forest of Reading® Evergreen Award™ \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA warm, heartfelt memoir of family, loss, and a house jam-packed with decades of memories.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAfter almost twenty years of caring for elderly parents--first for their senile father, and then for their cantankerous ninety-three-year old mother--author Plum Johnson and her three younger brothers have finally fallen to their knees with conflicted feelings of grief and relief. Now they must empty and sell the beloved family home, 23 rooms bulging with history, antiques, and oxygen tanks. Plum thought: \u003ci\u003eHow tough will that be? I know how to buy garbage bags.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e     But the task turns out to be much harder and more rewarding than she ever imagined. Items from childhood trigger difficult memories of her eccentric family growing up in the 1950s and '60s, but unearthing new facts about her parents helps her reconcile those relationships, with a more accepting perspective about who they were and what they valued.\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e They Left Us Everything\u003c\/i\u003e is a funny, touching memoir about the importance of preserving family history to make sense of the past, and nurturing family bonds to safeguard the future.\u003cb\u003eShortlisted for the 2015 Kobo Emerging Writer Prize for Non-Fiction\u003cbr\u003eLonglisted for the 2015 Leacock Medal for Humour \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A poetic meditation on aging, grief and filial responsibility.” \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Globe and Mail \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e“Johnson is a compelling, sharp, and insightful storyteller. There is not a false note in the book. . . . Johson can make you laugh and cry on the same page. She handles an emotionally draining subject with compassion and grace.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—CBC\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"At times heartbreaking and at others hysterically funny. . . . The book's descriptive prose brings [the] places and people to life and poignantly conveys the quasi-spiritual journey that helps Johnson overcome her grief.\u003ci\u003e”\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Generous and heartfelt . . . an uplifting affirmation of human relationships and the cycle of life itself. A warmly candid memoir of navigating family, aging, and death.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Kirkus Reviews \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Beautifully observed and written with great warmth and wit. . . . A story of love, loss, and legacy, written with compassion and humour.” \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—RBC Taylor Prize jury citation\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“The kind of slim, unassuming memoir that hits you deep in the gut. . . . Amid the scraps of paper left in jacket pockets, family photos and pieces of furniture, part of the ‘everything’ our parents leave us with are our memories of them, good and bad. Perhaps figuring out what to do with them is as close to a manual for grief as we get.” \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eNational Post\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e“Plum Johnson's glorious childhood home is almost a character in its own right. Both house and family are flawed and spectacular.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Catherine Gildiner, author of \u003ci\u003eToo Close to the Falls \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eAfter the Falls \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Anyone who has packed up the family home after a parent's death will fall in love with this charming book. An all-too-human, funny, and poignant tale of saying goodbye.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Susan Swan, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Wives of Bath\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Western Light \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e“An honest and revealing look at what makes an old family home more than just walls and a roof . . . [Johnson] expoxses the complexity and connectivity of family relationships.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003eIain Reid\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e, \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003eauthor of \u003ci\u003eI'm Thinking of Ending Things \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eThe Truth About Luck \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e“An absorbing memoir told with unflinching truty, humour, and great tenderness.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Jane Christmas, author of \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eOpen House: A Life in Thirty-Two Moves\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e“Johnson writes with clarity, wit and a powerful descriptive voice that makes the rambling family home she moves back into for 16 weeks a character in itself.” \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e—NOW Toronto\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e“A fascinating and delightful story – a satisfying and thought-provoking book.”\u003ci\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—The Parry Sound North Star\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003c\/i\u003eA lovely memoir\u003ci\u003e.\" \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Maclean's \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Each word of \u003ci\u003eThey Left Us Everything \u003c\/i\u003eis heartfelt and moving. We are privy to Johnson's emtional journey to the point that it feels like she is part of our own family. Her story lingers inside, touching the soul.” \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—news4u.net\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“[Johnson] takes you along on a journey that is emotional, humourous, and candid.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Newstalk 1010\u003c\/b\u003ePLUM JOHNSON is an award-winning author, artist, and entrepreneur living in Toronto. She was the founder of KidsCanada Publishing Corp., publisher of \u003ci\u003eKidsToronto\u003c\/i\u003e, and co-founder of \u003ci\u003eHelp's Here!\u003c\/i\u003e resource magazine for seniors and caregivers. The author lives in Toronto, ON.","brand":"Penguin Canada","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48233775136997,"sku":"NP9780735233133","price":18.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780735233133.jpg?v=1767742427","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/they-left-us-everything-isbn-9780735233133","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}