HOUSTON, Feb. 13, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- Everyone has an Aunt Ruth. Everyone, at some point in life, will become his brother's keeper---either out of love or duty, or both. If one is lucky, the love outlasts the duty. Surviving Aunt Ruth (now available through 1stBooks Library) is Joyce Pounds Hardy's account of the memorable years she coped with her unpredictable aunt. Following the death of her husband, Aunt Ruth tested every survival skill her niece could muster as the author weathered a tug of wills for nine years.
When Aunt Ruth called in the middle of the night and cried, "I need you," Joyce immediately flew 1500 miles to her side, willing to give comfort and affection. However, instead of a warm embrace, a stubborn, paranoid old woman greeted Joyce. Aunt Ruth wasn't the same carefree, fun-loving woman Joyce remembered in her childhood. Knowing that her aunt had no children and no surviving siblings, Joyce became her aunt's sole caregiver. She endured Aunt Ruth's caustic tongue and eccentricities with a healthy sense of humor that saved her sanity. With laughter as her strongest ally, Joyce discovered that love is more powerful than pride and much more satisfying.
Surviving Aunt Ruth is an evocative memoir, an emotional adventure, detailing the dynamic relationship between aunt and niece. The main characters' battles and victories are brilliantly recorded as they assume the roles of mother and daughter. The vignettes give a piercing insight into the process of growing old, facing change, and accepting the inevitable. As Aunt Ruth says, "The hardest part of growing old is not dying but living." The author hopes that this book will be an inspiration to other caregivers who share her fate, and they are legion.
Joyce Pounds Hardy graduated from Rice University with a degree in English. She studied creative writing and art history at the Paris American Academy. Hardy won The Texas Writers Recognition Award in 1989 for her book of poetry, The Reluctant Hunter; and later that year Rice's Holland Award for Non-Fiction. She has been chosen Juried Poet of the Houston Poetry Festival four times and was featured as Guest Poet in 1997. A woman of great versatility, she writes a weekly column for Rice's football webpage and Rice University's Outstanding Woman Athlete Award given annually was named in her honor. Hardy is an Elder of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church and a Trustee/Advisor on Rice University's Board of Trustees.
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