A book that is as bittersweet as it is moving and powerful-- 'Crash: How I Became A Reluctant Caregiver,' tells the story of a woman's fight for normalcy amid disaster. Rachel Michelberg never expected to have to be a caregiver. As a young mother of two, she and her husband, David, began going through a rocky patch in their marriage that unfortunately culminated in her falling into a romantic relationship with another man.

But everything in Rachel's life came to a screeching halt when her husband was in a terrible plane crash which resulted in him having extensive brain and spinal damage. After spending weeks in the ICU and months after that in the hospital, Rachel had to decide if she was ready to take on full time care of a husband who was no longer the same man that she married.

This is the kind of decision that many of us dread and that would be difficult for anyone, but it is also the kind of decision that many people must make every single day. After all, illnesses and accidents don't care how your marriage is going or whether you are capable of dealing with them physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Rachel seems like a strong person and she is lucky to have the love of her children and family, as I'm sure many of us would be during a time like this. Though David changed quite a bit mentally after the accident, it was nice to see at times that there was still a connection between them and that Rachel did still want the best for him.

This memoir has a lot of intriguing things to say about love, marriages and life in general and I would recommend it to anyone that likes a powerful story.

I, for one, will be thinking about this one for a while.

Wow! A memoir that is both powerful and heartbreaking. I’m not ashamed to say that this one made me tear up more than few times.

Rachel Michelberg had been married to her husband, David when both of their lives were suddenly changed forever. David was flying a plane over the California countryside when he was involved in a crash that left him and his friend badly hurt. After being rushed to the ICU, it was determined that David had suffered massive brain injuries that would result in memory loss and other complications.

Now, David was deemed unable to care for himself and likely to remain that way for the rest of his life. Rachel had to decide if she was up to caring full time for her husband as well as taking care of their two young children and dealing with her own health issues and work as a cantor.

I put myself through university, working in group homes with adults with developmental disabilities. Some of the people I worked with were also in wheel chairs. I know first hand what back breaking work that is, even for well trained staff. I loved what I did because I knew I was making a difference in peoples lives. I was also gaining valuable experience that I knew will help me after I graduated with my social work degrees. However, I understand that not everyone can do this type of work and that is okay. Now, in my 50’s, there is no way I could do it but am so glad I got to do it when I was younger!

At home caregivers are people that are too often ignored or forgotten about in our society and this memoir is an excellent example of that. The difficulties that Rachel faced and the decisions about her husband’s care that all fell to her were affecting and upsetting. I can’t imagine having to face questions like that about a loved one and I hope that I never have to.

On top of everything else, before the accident, Rachel and her husband were going through a rough patch in their marriage and she was considering asking him for a divorce. Of course, after the accident, this question seemed impossible to bring up and Rachel had to decide if she wanted to remain married to this man and provide constant care for him.

I won’t spoil the ending, because this is definitely one that you should read yourself, but I felt such a hopeful and light feeling after reading this. I want to thank Rachel Michelberg for her bravery in sharing this very difficult time in her life and her honesty. I think it could help others in similar situations.

5 stars for a beautiful and moving story and I hope Rachel is in a happier place now!