Travellers to Unimaginable Lands

An illuminating, compassionate exploration of the psychology of caregiving - and the mysterious world of the human mind

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A Guardian 'Best ideas book of 2023'

A RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK

'The best book I have ever read that explores the effect on the brain of the carer, when someone has dementia' Professor June Andrews, author of Dementia: The One-Stop Guide

Dasha Kiper was twenty-five when she first became the live-in carer for a Holocaust survivor with Alzheimer's disease. She soon discovered the emotional strain and challenges of caring for a person whose condition disrupts the rules of time, order and continuity. In Travellers to Unimaginable Lands, Kiper explores the complex and profound psychology of caregiving, illuminating how the healthy brain's biases and intuitions make caring for people with dementia disorders so profoundly and inherently difficult.

Blending neuroscience, psychology, philosophy and literature with beautifully-observed case studies, Kiper illuminates the underlying mental mechanisms behind carers' experiences, dispels the myth of the perfect caregiver and, in the process, opens the door to understanding and forgiveness.