In the 1930s and 1940s, Joe Thorndike worked as an editor in Henry Luce's publishing empire, including as managing editor of Life magazine. In the 1950s he went on to be one of the founders of American Heritage and Horizon magazines. The last year of his life, 2005, he struggled with Alzheimer's while living in his Cape Cod home. His son John took care of him and wrote this memoir.