I See You – Observations from the ICU, A Caregiver’s Journey
Life can change in a single moment…
Noted international food writer, poet, and educator Monica Bhide was a planner, a list maker who worried about “things big and small” until her husband’s life-threatening illness changed everything. As he lay in a coma in the ICU, Bhide was relegated to the sidelines, powerless, until she came to the realization that all we have is now, and all we can control is our mindset. Laced with her personal stories from the ICU — from the friends who showed up with food and prayers to the stranger who shared her potato chips and optimism — I See You is the story of finding peace and happiness amid the pain and uncertainty.
With her trademark insight, wisdom, and evocative prose, Bhide takes readers along on the emotional and transcendental journey of being a caregiver for a loved one — a journey filled with fear, helplessness, guilt, and frustration, but also humor, love, and the shining light of hope. Because “where there is hope, there is possibility, and possibility carries happiness in its folds.”
About Monica Bhide (Washington, DC Author)
Monica Bhide is a bestselling fiction and internationally renowned cookbook author, known for sharing food, culture, mystery, and love in her writing. Having roots and experience in many places, Monica inspires readers everywhere with present day stories which transcend cultural, chronological, geographical, economical, and religious borders.
As a noted international food writer, Monica has built a diverse and solid audience through her books and articles in top-tier media such as: The New York Times, The Washington Post, Christian Science Monitor, Bon Appétit, Town and Country Travel, Food and Wine, Cooking Light, Better Nutrition, and many others. Her work has garnered numerous accolades and has been included in four Best Food Writing anthologies (2005, 2009, 2010, and 2014). Her memoir, A Life of Spice, was picked by Eat Your Books as one of the top five food memoirs of 2015. Top Chef’s Padma Lakshmi picked Bhide’s Modern Spice (Simon & Schuster, 2009), as one of the “Best Books Ever” for Newsweek in 2009. The Chicago Tribune named Monica “one of the seven food writers to watch in 2012”.
Monica Bhide, a respected writing authority, appears regularly on NPR and conducts sold-out workshops on writing, food, culture, and scheduled speaking events at prestigious venues as the Smithsonian Institution, Sackler Gallery, Les Dames d’Escoffier, Georgetown University, and Yale University. She has taught all over the world including conferences in London, Dubai, US etc. She has also been the “Writing Coach in Residence” for the annual conference of the Association of Food Journalists. Monica is a graduate of the George Washington University (Washington, D.C.), and holds a master’s degree from Lynchburg College (Lynchburg, VA) and a Bachelor’s degree from Bangalore University (Bangalore, India). She feels fortunate for her rich, multicultural education and enjoys giving back to the global community by serving on committees and volunteering for Les Dames d’Escoffier, The International Association of Culinary Professionals, and at her children’s schools in Northern Virginia. Monica lives in Virginia with her husband and two sons.
