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By Eric Maikranz (Russ'91) and Marcos Perez (Psych'95)
(Union Square & Co., 296 pages; 2024)

The true story of a man whose life is transformed when he takes an unlikely caretaking job for a disabled 87-year-old who is more than he seems.

Marcos’s friends used to describe him as a happy family man, a successful graphic artist, and a joyous ukulele player. But then, he lost his marriage and his job, and nearly lost his newly outed transgender son to a suicide attempt after a violent attack by classmates. Marcos receded into a darkening depression as job applications went unanswered and bills piled up. An inability to afford his son’s medication raised Marcos’s anxiety to a breaking point. Desperate, he silently opened himself up to whomever or whatever might be listening and asked for help. The answer he got back from the universe was clear: “Just do the next good thing.” The next morning, he received the email that would change his life. The subject line read simply, “Help our friend Joe.” When Marcos clicked on it, he was surprised to find it was a job offer as a home caregiver to a remarkable 87-year-old named Joe Sabah.

This book chronicles the inspirational true story of an old man near the end of his life who found a new friend and offered a lasting gift of 10 life-changing lessons for Marcos to share with others who still need to find their “next good thing.”