Emma Heming Willis told Page Six that books have become a “true lifeline” as she continues in the role of primary caretaker for her husband, actor Bruce Willis, who is battling dementia.
"Some provide a much-needed escape from the constant noise of caregiving and allow me to lose myself in another world," she said. "Others offer the knowledge and perspective I need to better understand dementia and learn how to care, not just for my loved one, but for myself. Both have brought balance back into my life." Heming Willis is the author of a new book about caregiving, "The Unexpected Journey," which she said she wrote as the guide she wished someone had handed her when her family first received Bruce Willis' diagnosis.
In the Page-Turners feature, Heming Willis listed six titles that she said have been especially important to her during this period. She described "Don't Believe Everything You Think" by Joseph Nguyen as "a simple but powerful reminder that we are not our thoughts," saying the book helped her reframe and manage stress and quiet what she called "seemingly never-ending thoughts and ruminations." She added that the book "helped me see that peace is possible in the midst of difficult life circumstances."
Heming Willis included her own book, "The Unexpected Journey," in the list. She said she wrote it as "the book I wish someone had placed in my hands the day we received our diagnosis," calling it "a supportive guide to caring for yourself while navigating the complicated, heartbreaking, and transformative experience of dementia caregiving." She said the book is intended "to care for the caregiver."
She also recommended "Floating in the Deep End" by Patti Davis, praising Davis' candor about caregiving. Heming Willis said Davis' "honesty and no-BS attitude around caregiving is so refreshing," and that the book gave her "both comfort and perspective when I desperately needed them." She noted that caregivers face constant decision fatigue and that Davis' straightforward approach helped her "stand firm in my role."
On the emotional experience of caring for someone with dementia, Heming Willis cited Dr. Pauline Boss' "Loving Someone Who Has Dementia." She credited the book with giving her language for "ambiguous loss," a term used to describe the grief caregivers feel when a person is physically present but psychologically changed. "Dr. Boss validates feelings many of us don't know how to name, and offers tools for navigating them with grace," Heming Willis said.
Beyond caregiving manuals, Heming Willis said she turns to fiction for respite. She named Arthur Golden's "Memoirs of a Geisha" as a favorite, observing that her appreciation for Japanese culture made the novel especially resonant. "What I love most is how it shows that beauty and hardship can exist side by side, and how transformation often comes from both," she said.
Heming Willis also included a book she shared with her daughters: Peter Brown's "The Wild Robot." She described reading it together when it was assigned at school as "very bonding and meaningful for me," noting that although the family no longer reads at bedtime the way they once did, they each read and discussed the book last summer.
Heming Willis' comments appear amid continued public attention on the Willis family's caregiving journey. Her recommendations combine practical guides aimed at understanding and managing dementia with fiction she said offers solace and connection. She emphasized that different kinds of books serve different needs — some offering escape, others offering tools — and that bringing both into her life has helped restore a measure of balance while caring for a loved one.
The list was published as part of Page Six's Page-Turners series, which asks public figures about books that keep them "hooked, inspired and up all night." Heming Willis' new memoir about caregiving, "The Unexpected Journey," is available now.
