Grief and Grit(s)

In times of unprecedented panic, we see what we’re really made of.

Though the worldwide pandemic affected each of us differently, this time of turmoil brought one thing into stark clarity: the value of human life. When tragedy begets triaging and certain demographics are seen as more disposable than others, what does that say about our society? And what does it say about us?

This is a story about America, about how we view the most vulnerable people in our society—our aging and elderly—both in times of crisis and in our everyday lives.

This is also a story about a mother and daughter, of a mother raising her daughter in love, faith, and confidence, then the bizarre role-reversal as that mother deteriorated to the helplessness of a child. Nothing can prepare you for that intensity of sorrow and joy.

Nothing can prepare you for what happens when the coroner refuses to show up and pronounce your mother legally dead, either.

In this stunning debut, author Marsha Hill invites you into a personal look at an uncomfortable truth: how we treat our elderly today defines our own future. Full of tragedy and triumph, laughter and tears, grief and—yes, some good, old-fashioned grits—Grief and Grit(s) is not only a reflection of the life and tragic death of Adaline Gray, but the power of our generation to fight for human dignity at every stage of life.