Family caregivers, providing assistance to an elderly or sick family member or friend, often feel isolated and unsupported. The books on this list will make you laugh, cry and sometimes cringe. And they will remind you that you are not alone.

Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End – Atul Gawande

Perhaps the most important book of our times. An unflinching look at illness and death from a surgeon at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Gawande suggests a better path forward for the aging and those who treat and care for them.

Don’t Give Up on Me! Supporting Aging Parents Successfully –  Jan Simpson

Simpson serves up what it’s like to be a working woman with a family of your own when your parents suddenly need you. Don’t Give Up On Me! is direct, funny, heartbreaking and hugely informative.

Can We Talk About Something More Pleasant?: A Memoir – Roz Chast

Another straight up description of life as a caregiver, this one told through Chast’s signature cartoons. Can We Talk About Something More Pleasant? talks about all the things we’re thinking as caregivers – stress, sadness, joy, and guilt.

Share The Care: How to Organize a Group to Care for Someone Who Is Seriously Ill –  Cappy Caposella and Sheila Warnock

This is a great book for caregivers looking for step-by-step advice for their caregiving responsibilities. Share the Care helps readers create a caregiver network of friends, family members, neighbors, and coworkers to support them in their role. And it gives practical tips for organizing the group to help get the work of caregiving done.

What’s The Deal With Caregiving? – Chris MacLellan

MacLellan’s role as a caregiver was documented in a Pulitzer Price-nominated story in The South Florida Sun-Sentinel. In What’s The Deal With Caregiving? he is the author, sharing encouragement, tips, resources, compassion and advice, based on his own experience.