About this Event
Kepler’s is overjoyed to welcome Pico Iyer back to discuss The Messenger in White, his life-affirming memoir on the challenges–and unexpected grace–of caregiving and facing mortality.
About the Book
For forty years, Pico Iyer has been known as a keen observer of crisscrossing cultures and a soulful exponent of the art of stillness. As he sat beside his mother during her final seasons, he faced a newly intimate and bracing consideration of aging and parent-child relationships.
To his surprise, he found that the best guide to understanding this archetypal passage was the poet that he and his mother both loved, William Shakespeare. Inspired by canonical Shakespeare texts, Iyer investigates how to care for an elderly parent while staring down anxieties about his own mortality, what to do when the future flattens into a perpetual present, and how we might find joy in this impermanent world.
The Messenger in White is a tender look at the bracing changes, challenges, and delights that emerge as we age. With magnetic storytelling, gorgeous prose, and abundant good humor, Iyer charts a course through the storms of later life into the surprises and possibilities that lie beyond.
ACCESSIBILITY: We never want cost to be a barrier to admission for our community. Please email events [at] keplers [dot] org if you would like to attend this event but cannot afford a ticket. To request an accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for this event, please email events [at] keplers [dot] org at least one week prior to the event.
REFUND POLICY: We will refund your ticket up to 7 days before the event.
We want Kepler’s to be a welcoming and comfortable space for everyone. If you are feeling unwell, especially with respiratory symptoms, please stay home. Thank you for helping us create a safe and considerate environment for our community.
Event venue & nearby stays
Kepler's Books, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park, United States