Air Mask is a book of poems by Vanita Oelschlager. It reaches out to those who have been tested by the daily struggles of living with multiple sclerosis and other chronic diseases. “Air Mask” is particularly fitting as the title poem. The caregiver must indeed make sure she or he is getting enough oxygen before trying to help anyone else. This is conveyed in the cover design with a multilevel emboss that portrays the tubing of an oxygen mask.

Vanita asks us to understand a little more about the life of the caregiver. The burden of trying to provide for another’s most basic human needs often leaves many gasping for air. Yet most forge ahead, putting on a brave face—a mask—for the rest of the world to see, including the one needing and getting the care. The design visually communicates the intertwined lives of caregivers with those they care for; thus the photography in Air Mask shows how two images depend on each other to make a single statement. As such, it serves as a wonderful metaphor for the journey of Vanita’s and Jim’s lives, which is shared in these pages.

“Terrific cause—beautifully crafted book.”