Remember Me As Human - by Lucy Walsh

Book Synopsis

When Lucy Walsh was seventeen, she was given sixty-three of the love letters her Grandfather Dale wrote her Grandmother Wanda while he was overseas in World War II. A dozen years later, life changing events compelled Lucy to fly from Los Angeles to tiny Newman, Illinois, to spend three days talking with Wanda for what would be their final conversations. What began for Lucy as asking about the letters, became an unexpected master class in truly living.

This is the story, much of it conveyed in Wanda's inimitable voice, of Wanda's ninety-seven-year-long life, encompassing everything from her English ancestors to the residents in her nursing home. Through Lucy's candid questions and Wanda's soulful stories, we are swept up into one family's legacy that transports readers right into their own experiences and memories of family.

When Lucy isn't talking with Wanda, she visits other relatives and her own memories: the many trips over the years to Illinois and her mother's family; growing up in Los Angeles with two fathers, one a rock star; becoming a performer herself. Inevitably, in her effort to understand where and who she comes from, it becomes the story of Lucy's life as well, to which all readers can relate to in their own search for Self.

We fall in love with the unforgettable Grandma Wanda Mae, as she shares insights and confessions with plenty of comedic relief amongst the pain; making us laugh so hard we cry, and cry so hard we come back around to laughter. This book is a treasure trove of all Wanda has to teach us about what it truly means to be deeply, imperfectly, gloriously human, at every age.

Review Quotes

"Lucy Walsh has written a lovely, heartbreaking book that shines a light on another era, where self-reliance was a common, everyday necessity, not something to aspire to or pontificate about. Pride in family, region and community; an abiding love between her grandparents, two soulmates, are all captured in this moving book."

-BETTE MIDLER

"Reading is a solitary occupation. I started Remember Me As Human that way. But then the pages fell against me like waves, and wore away this illusion that I am alone. As Ms. Walsh recounts her experience of family, so in that same steady progression, I remembered my own recollected inheritance, my mother, my father, so many stories. We forget so much of what makes us a member of the human family. I'm grateful to Lucy Walsh for reawakening me to my own life."

-JOHN PATRICK SHANLEY

"A beautiful deep dive into the stories that make us who we are, in the form of the writer's own exploration into the love story of Grandparents. Lucy has a gentle and thoughtful voice that allows each of us to acclimate into her family as if they were our own. As often is the case, the resulting story of her grandparents journey surprises and transcends one's expectations, and the seeming time between our generations. A beautiful journey."

-PATTY JENKINS

"I'd be a proud friend and fan of Lucy Walsh and the talent she has even if she wasn't the daughter of a rock legend. Her family memoir is yet another example of the depth of talent this young woman possesses."

-JOE MANTEGNA

"Wow, what a journey. Lucy takes us on a heartfelt and revelatory trip through her family history. In so doing, she discovers new truths in herself, and the reader discovers more in themselves about the amazing ride we're on as humans."

-DEAN NORRIS, Breaking Bad

"Lucy writes with the nostalgia of an old classical Hollywood film. She weaves, through the eyes of her grandmother Wanda, an understanding that 'legacy' is not in the grandiose moments, but in the minute ones that truly make one human."

-MELISSA ROXBURGH, Manifest

"I loved it!"

-JEFF GARLIN, Curb Your Enthusiasm

"A beautifully heartfelt read; honest, witty & full of charm... In these Memoirs, Lucy has crafted her journey down into a real page turner"

-ALEXANDER VLAHOS, Versailles

"This book unveils a story destined for the world. It goes beyond being a loving tribute solely to Lucy's grandparents; it celebrates all grandparents who pave the way for future generations."

-LISA STANLEY, Kearth 101 Morning Show

"Lucy's journey into her family history explores tragedy and romance, loss and love with a deep sensitivity for the experience of those lived memories, and reveals the enduring human spirit that lives on from generation to generation."

-HALEY JOEL OSMENT

"In today's rapidly changing world, we rarely step back to reflect on what is a life well-lived. We even more rarely ask those who have the actual perspective to give us real answers: our elders. Grandma Wanda gives us some real nuggets of wisdom in a sweeping story spanning a century. We should all be so lucky as Lucy to connect our past to our future"

-JAMES VALENTINE, Maroon 5