My Last Name

by Eric M. Schumacher

Ninety-five-year-old Lottie Barnes now lives in a care facility in her native Iowa. Restrained by the physical trappings of old age and cognitive decline, she struggles to comprehend her present surroundings. Nevertheless, her life story unfolds as she remembers key moments from her past with sharp clarity.

Genres: Fiction, Christian Fiction, Ebooks, Short Stories, Contemporary, Drama, Mental Health

44 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 9, 2021

Reviews

[Shelley's Book Nook · Rating 5 out of 5]

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This book was a gut punch. It was so moving and utterly sad but it put a smile on my face in the end. It's only 102 pages long and a whole lifetime was packed into those pages. Eric M. Schumacher did a wonderful job bringing Lottie and her loved ones to life. I think the book really touched me because of the family members I've had who have suffered from dementia and memory issues. My granddad had Alzheimer's, my grandmother had a cancerous brain tumour, my mother-in-law had Alzheimer's and my aunt has early onset dementia. I can't imagine any of them going through it alone with no family members left. This was so beautifully written I would recommend it to everyone. I know it will stay with me for a long time. All. The. Stars.

A special thank you to my friend TL for the recommendation via her review which can be found here.

[TL *Humaning the Best She Can* · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars 🌟 🤩 ✨️

Won 🏆 via goodreads giveaways ages ago (whoops), all my opinions are my own.

A beautiful and moving story , didn't want it to end... you'll have smiles and tears and want to hug your loved ones higher.

A short but powerful story.

[Gwen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lottie’s last day on Earth and her life leading up to it

[Persis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a moving and human book about the life of Lottie Barnes. Her story is told through the brief remembrances that come to her during the day as she lives alone in assisted living. Although this is a short book, Lottie's life is vividly depicted. Her struggle to remember the present and yet recall the past rings true.

I cried as I read because I could not help but think of my mom who is experiencing memory loss. But I also cried because of the beautiful storytelling that gave dignity and honor to an older woman.

Well done, Eric!

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5. A novella from the perspective of a woman suffering from dementia. Beautiful.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a beautiful novella that explores the viewpoint of Lottie, a woman with dementia. The very unique viewpoint of life through Lottie's eyes will give you a new, humbling understanding of those that live with dementia and what they face each day. My grandmother suffers from dementia and this book really helped me understand how she must feel some days when she struggles to remember even the simplest thing, such as her name.

Thank you to Goodreads and the author for my copy of this novella.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Last Name was a Goodreads giveaway (my first ever). Yay me. And I bought it before that. 😆
I’m speechless about this novella. Of course it’s not very long but I’m not sure what the point was? Her dementia? Her salvation? I just thought it was ok. Before anyone gets upset I just want to say that I read over 100 books a year so my bar is higher than most. It was just ok. Nothing I’ll remember about it.
Thanks for the giveaway.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

In My Last Name, Eric Schumcher offers a deep and gentle reminder that everyone's life tells a story. What's more, there's a story behind our stories. Recommended.

[Marjorie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's amazing how this author could fill in the complete life of a woman and make you love her and feel as though she's been a friend forever in only 34 pages. But indeed that is what he does and he does it wonderfully. I was completely captivated by 95-year-old Lottie and the story of her life with her son, Jack, and her two marriages. This is a genuinely beautiful, moving, poetic novella that I most highly recommend.

I won this book in a giveaway.

[Unsolved ☕︎ Mystery · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book through a Goodreads giveaway. Thank you!

This was a sweet read about an elderly lady in an assisted living home.
She remembers old times until she passes on.

I entered to win this book because I work in a nursing home.
I was excited to win a copy.
I love my job, but is a very sad occupation.

Don't you just love when the elderly tells of old times from long ago?
An older time, a better one?
Next time they speak, listen to their stories; It means so much to them.

[Katie Koppin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story. I’ve lived with elderly people with dementia and experienced it with my grandpa. I so enjoy hearing people’s back stories. This left me wanting more of Lottie’s life.

[Jonann loves book talk❤♥️❤ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone should read this short story. There are many life lessons in the pages. Such a sweet and inspirational story!
5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Matthew Manchester · Rating 4 out of 5]

SUMMARY

A tale of dignity, age, and memory.

THE GOOD

There's a lot to love about this short story. I loved the structure and the memories. Eric did a fine job getting into the mind of someone close to death and the assumptions we believe about them.

This paragraph made me cry:

The man extends his hand and speaks my name. No, he does not call me Charlotte or Lottie. He does not call me Miss O’Connor or Mrs. John Carlson, or even Mrs. Barnes. He calls me by my name—a name that I did not even know that I had, that I have never heard before, though I know it at once. It is my name, my real name, my last name.

The way the novella is written, this paragraph really punches.

THE CHALLENGES

There were a few parts that made me wish the novella had a better editor, places that I like what was being written but needed to be reorganized or reworded some. Minor quibbles.

CONCLUSION

It's such a short read but it is a worthy read.

Four stars.

[R · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was very emotional and beautifully written. It was short, but truly impactful.

[Josh Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I will be musing upon the contents of this short book for many days to come. I plan on sharing my copy with a family member who will be blessed. I thank God for authors like Schumacher who use their talents to be a blessing to others.

Let's honor and cherish the elderly among us and the memories they hold (both good & bad). It won't be long before we sit where they are sitting right now.

[amanda_coffee_books · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to start off by saying that I won this book in a goodreads giveaway. In return for my honest thoughts and review. I want to start by saying I really enjoyed reading this short amazing book. So happy that I won it. I had so many feeling and thoughts reading this book. My mother in a law is currently suffering from dementia. She is forgetting things and people when we call. So this book really hit me hard. I really and highly recommend this book. It really takes the reader into a mind of someone suffering from this sad disease.
About Book
Lottie is a nursing home she can’t remember things but when she closes her eyes she can remember things about growing up. But forgets where she is at times. This will be one book that I remember and keep close to me.

[Donna Larson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very sweet impactful little book as the author’s gentle telling of the final day of an elderly, memory challenged woman’s life, including the kindness of her caretakers, allows us to see her, and all those in similar situations, as people of value and worth.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lottie Barnes is 95, and in a nursing home. She has a hard time remembering things. On this morning she is greeted by one of the employees. She slowly starts to remember parts of her life and tells them to Sarah the young lady who works there. She remembers her wonderful mother but horrible abusive father who half blinding her in one of her eyes and beat her brothers. Her first husband who died in the war. The birth of her baby Jack who will never know his dad. Her second husband who ran a farm with her. This is a novella and a very good one. In only 35 pages the author manages to give a full life to a 95 year old woman.

[K.J. Ramsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brief and beautiful book. The writing reminded me of both Marilynne Robinson and Wendell Berry, as it is steeped in the small details of small but significant lives.

I hope Schumacher writes more fiction.

[Angel *angelwraps* · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sob.

This story is lovely. Thank you so much for writing it. My heart is broken but my soul is comforted.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very short and meaningful read about the last days of a woman that had lived a long and meaningful life. Glad I read it.

[Wes Van Fleet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful. Haunting. Hopeful

[Mary Huff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eric Schumacher has written a story that everyone can relate to in someway. Either you have had a parent or grandparent who got old too quickly or perhaps you feel that way yourself. For me, I have struggled with changes in my mobility and stamina after a major illness. At times I have wondered what am I doing here now, what is my purpose? Does God still want to use me, and if so, where and how? In fact at times, I have felt like the chipped cup on a shelf in this story. But as Lottie, the character in MY LAST NAME says, "A chipped cup can still serve tea." God has recently reminded me that He is not done with me, He still has people He wants me to reach out to and encourage, as Lottie does with her young nurse.
This story encourged me to remember that God is the one who decides when wants to call us home, that is not our decision!

[Trisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brings back memories..

My grandmother had dimentia and passed away also, in her mod nineties. She was a happy woman. While telling a story, if she'd forget the next part, she would just stop and laugh. Oh that laugh! It was so infectious!
This story puts in perspective what types of thoughts could have been running through her aging head. I can just see her smiling and laughing as she reaches for Grandpa on her way home.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Profound

This book was an easy and yet thought provoking read. It reminded me of the brevity of life, the challenges of old age and the humanness of the elderly. Lottie’s story was one that any of my grandparents could have written and yet unique to her life. This story made me love the elderly all over again. It made me want to call my one living grandpa and talk to him just a little longer. It reminded me of just how much God Himself cares for each of His children and writes a beautiful story with each ones’ life.

[Troy Solava · Rating 5 out of 5]

A deeply emotional 90 page book. This story is about Lottie who suffers from dementia and the memories she can recall. There are many memories she cannot and you feel the pain of that. It is written beautifully and will bring out emotions and empathy in you.

One quote that stood out to me about her dementia: “...being unable to forget the things you never wanted to remember, and unable to remember the only things you ever wanted to keep.”

[Jason Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Immersive Short Story

Mrs. Barnes will show you a lifetime of love and loss and hope in a single afternoon of reading. You will see one woman's entire life through eyes that are dimming and a memory that is weary with age. The style and story are accessible to any reader and will leave a lasting impression. Looking forward to more from this author.

[Fadra Nally · Rating 5 out of 5]

I might be biased because I had the chance to narrate the upcoming audiobook for this novella. It’s a lovely little story giving you perspective not only on how life used to be for a young woman but also how frightening it can be to be an aging woman.

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a novella that covers the last day on earth for Lottie. But it goes beyond that as the author takes us back in time and shares the beauty of Lottie’s long life. While the subject may seem morose, it is a beautiful story of a 95 year old life.

[Robin Clayton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a beautiful short story that hit home as I care for my aging parents, both with dementia. Great read.