• Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving

  • By: Jonathan Evison
  • Narrated by: Jeff Woodman
  • Length: 9 hrs and 13 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (209 ratings)

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Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving  By  cover art

Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving

By: Jonathan Evison
Narrated by: Jeff Woodman
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Publisher's summary

Benjamin Benjamin has lost virtually everything - his wife, his family, his home, and his livelihood. With few options, Ben enrolls in a night class called The Fundamentals of Caregiving, taught in the basement of a local church. There Ben is instructed in the art of inserting catheters and avoiding liability, about professionalism, and how to keep physical and emotional distance between client and provider. But when Ben is assigned to 19-year-old Trev, who is in the advanced stages of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, he discovers that the endless mnemonics and service plan checklists have done little to prepare him for the reality of caring for a fiercely stubborn, sexually frustrated adolescent. As they embark on a wild road trip across the American West to visit Trev's ailing father, a new camaraderie replaces the traditional boundary between patient and caregiver.

Bursting with energy, this big-hearted, soulful, and inspired novel ponders life's terrible surprises and the heart's uncanny capacity to mend and become whole again.

©2012 Jonathan Evison (P)2012 HighBridge Company

Critic reviews

"A lively narrative with a poignant core and quirky, lonely characters." ( Kirkus Reviews)

What listeners say about Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Unlike!

There are few parts for women, except as marginal girlfriends, and this book did not read as advertised, especially considering the beautiful cover calligraphy. I was hoping for more of a "Phoenix-from-the-ashes" kind of story with a little bit of spiritual growth, dysfunction, empathy and emotional learnings thrown in. Instead, it's just a bunch of guys hanging out talking guy talk. The fact that one guy has a disabling disease is just incidental.

And I think that leaving out the details of what happened in "the disaster" is just plain ole unfair to the reader, unless there are other factors that attract. Which, of course, there were not.

Perhaps I didn't read far enough but the characters failed to engage me. The story has potential but the scenes were just not interesting. I kept imagining a bunch of guys hanging out in The Uniform - in grey, blue and brown hoodies, athletic shoes, ball caps, (some backwards), baggy pants, drinking beer. No thanks.

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14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

The Title Scared Me But......

I selected this book because I loved Jonathon Evison's book, All About Lulu. This book was even better. I was a little afraid because the title made me wonder if the book might be too sad with too many gruesome details about caregiving; yet, to the contrary, this book took the reader through a man's grief of losing his family as he adventured through his days as a caregiver. Ben, the father and caregiver, showed himself to be a father to all he came across as he helped his patient, Trev, come into his manhood and burst through the barriers of his disease. What a journey. Just loved it. This is the kind of fiction that keeps you coming back for more. I learned more about love, life and death while listening to exceptional reading voices and got to know some beautiful and interesting people. More please.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Refreshingly different

Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving was a definite shift from my usual listen. I thought the narrator, Jeff Woodman, did a great job of presenting the tone of the novel. This is the first listen in a long time that I couldn't put down. Generally, I only allow myself to listen in my vehicle. But I broke that rule and listened at home as well. I'm very glad that I listened. I'm looking forward to the author's next work.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic Narrator

This book is full of pitiful people: a young man stricken with MD, assorted men who can't seem to do anything right, and the poor protagonist, a guy whose life is a chronicle of disaster and loserdom. Given this premise, Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving could have been a depressing and boring book, but it's not. It was warm and funny and very entertaining. I found myself rooting for these characters and liking them immensely.

Kudos to the narrator, Jeff Woodman. He deftly brought each individual character to life -- richly nuanced and completely believable.

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4 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Jumbled narrative thread

I have read or listened to 4 of Jonathan Evison's books. All four had many passages that were pure genius. Evison has a knack for conveying communication between characters that is stellar. The stories also have good underlying plots. But all four of these books have a similar fault that tears what could have been a good story apart. They weave in and out of time. They have a broken time line.
Revised Fundamentals is a good story. It has great characters. Its well written. Everything I ask for in a novel. But... Its confusing and falls apart.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Hilarious and heartbreaking.

Revised is a story about a man who's going through a difficult divorce. But it's not just about that. It's the story about the same man and his charge - a boy living with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. But it's not just about that. It's a story about a life-changing roadtrip across country and all the bizarre attractions that this nation has to offer. But it's not just about that.

It's a dark comedy about loss, grief, and unexpected redemption. The pain is honest and not over the top. There are no easy solutions. This is a novel about what it is like to truly suffer and overcome.

A book I highly recommend and will be re-reading for years to come.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

underwhelming

this book seemed like it would be a hidden gem, but instead it left me very unsatisfied. it's not an action or horror book, or a comedy. it's a life experience, and some what depressing. which isn't the issue. what is the issue is the poor narration, and the way it was written. the narrator mispronounces the easiest of words and his transitioning between character speech is atrocious.
halfway through the book I heard about the movie version starring Paul Rudd. I waited to finish the book, then I watched the movie and now I'm writing my review. the movie, for the first time in history, is FAR better than the book!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Good, but...

I just don't understand why authors think it's ok to use the word retarded in their stories. it's used many times in this book in a couple different contexts but never acceptable. there are always other words that could be used that are offensive.

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1 person found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Perhaps they should have left it alone.?

What disappointed you about Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving?

I'm thinking the "revision" wasn't a good thing. This book was SO close to being a decent "summer -read,' that I actually felt sorry, for it. In the end, though, I was just plain disappointed. AND, a tad peeved. Too long and went NOWHERE.....slowly.

What could Jonathan Evison have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

He seemed to lose momentum, as he wrote. He began to meander and then downright WANDER from the main premise / plot. Then, it abruptly ended. Loose ends all over the place.Sadly, by then, I didn't really CARE what came of things.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

With exaggerated nonchalance.He seemed to be winking, as in "me, too" but we weren't privy to the joke.

What character would you cut from Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving?

The author.

Any additional comments?

SIGH.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great Story about Healing

I saw the movie first and loved it and had to give the book a try! I am happy I took the time. It was moving to accompany both main characters on a journey that leads to their healing and finding peace in sorrow.

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