Review of A Tribute to the Forgotten

[Cara Weaver]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "A Tribute to the Forgotten" by Stephanie Gumina.]

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3 out of 5 stars

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A Tribute to the Forgotten by Stephanie Gumina is a heartfelt account of a Certified Activities Director and Dementia Practitioner’s experiences while working at a nursing facility. It’s a quick read that is packed with emotional stories of interactions with residents that stuck with her even after they had passed away. The book touches on how she feels about her work, what working in a nursing facility during a pandemic is like, and even offers the readers a chance to watch some videos of the residents that turned them into internet stars!

One thing I liked about this book was the delicacy with which it handled the subject matter. As a reader, I was able to tell from start to finish how much Stephanie Gumina cared about her job and the residents she was writing about. It was touching to hear about how excited they would get to make the YouTube videos, and heartbreaking to hear about how many of the stars are no longer with us. I felt like I got to know each person discussed, even if there was only a short paragraph about them. I am someone who really loves learning from older generations, which is why I picked up this book in the first place. The videos that were offered through QR codes were amazing to watch and my favorite by far is “Fight For Your Right To Party.”

Although I liked that it was a quick read, I do think it was a bit too short. It was emotionally moving, but felt unfinished. The ending chapters, specifically about the pandemic, felt like they were missing more explanation. I wanted to hear about the shift the author mentioned where people wanted in-home healthcare for their loved ones. It would have been nice to understand what the change meant for Stephanie, who ends the book by saying that she is ready to start a new chapter with her senior friends.

I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars. I give it this rating because I did enjoy reading it and I love the idea behind it. I think the QR codes leading to the videos of the residents added a lot of meaning to the stories. The reasons I can’t rate it higher are that I felt like there were many grammatical errors or typos that were overlooked during the editing process, and I would have liked more information in the later chapters.

I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn a bit more about what it’s like working in a nursing facility. I think audiences that enjoy hearing stories from the elderly will find it endearing and quick to read. It definitely had an impact on me that won’t be going away for a while.

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A Tribute to the Forgotten
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[Monale Bariyima Ueh]

This book is such emotionally moving. It's unfortunate that it wasn't properly edited and contains a lot of errors. This can take away from a reader's overall enjoyment of the book.

[Patty Allread]

I may have to check out that video you mentioned!

[Ann Harun]

This book is extremely emotional. Unfortunately, it was not appropriately edited and contains numerous errors. This can detract from a reader's enjoyment of the book as a whole.