2 comments about Magical Story: A Teenager's Inspiring Battle Over Hodgkin's Disease.

1. In Magical Story, a mother gives insight into her son's diagnosis and treatment of Hodgkin's Disease. The story takes place in Long Island when Brain Bowden was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease after many different tests to determine his illness. The book covers the chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and descriptions of the different tests done to lead to the diagnosis of Hodgkin's Disease.
   Magical Story covers mainly the tests, drugs, and other treatments of Hodgkin's Disease. The book doesn't really cover the biology of the disease but rather the science of treating cancer. The description of the tests that lead to the diagnosis of Hodgkin's Disease is quite informative. It took many month's for Brian and his family to finally learn what was causing his fatigue, and the description of these tests allows one to realize just what Brian and his family went through.
   The treatment of Hodgkin's disease involves chemotherapy and radiation. The books strongest area is the descriptions of the different drugs and treatments of this disease. While reading Magical Story, one can picture just what is exactly happening to Brian. His loss of hair, face swelling, and soreness is greatly described in the book.
   The book is an emotional journey of a teenager and his family. The book allows a glimpse into a family that has to deal with the possibility of a son not being able to survive his teenage years. The book is very informative and tear-jerking. Magical Story is a wonderful book for anyone who has experienced or wondered about the trials and tribulations of a diagnosis of Hodgkin's Disease.



2. With the large number of children and adolescents that are diagnosed with lymphoma every year - there just are not many books discussing a personal experience that is a modern account. Leslie Bowden's story of her son Brian's ordeal is a bold statement on the courage and struggle a teen may go through with cancer. A good read.

5 comments about Me and My Shadow: Learning to Live With Multiple Sclerosis.

1. This book was a big disappointment. She just isn't a very good writer, or particularly introspective or surprising. What she IS is very concerned with herself -- she dramatizes her situation out of proportion, and is able to gather a whole team around her to support her (very mild) symptoms.Everyone she comes in contact with is immediately recruited to help take care of her! As a woman who has struggled with MS for over 15 years I have to admit I found little to instruct, comfort or inspire me in this very self-centered account.



2. I was recently diagnosed w/ MS and picked up this book because, do I dare say, the title! It really spoke to me. As I read the book the things she said were so in line with what I was experiencing, right down to her diagnosis - assuming it meant you're off to the wheelchair, questions about being able to have children, the whole nine yards. I felt like it was me in that book - and in many ways it was. Its only been a month since I was diagnosed and its hard for those around me to understand what I'm going through. Indeed, this book gave me someone to connect with. I think its a good book for the newly diagnosed. It puts things in perspective.



3. My 35-year-old daughter gave me this book. She was recently diagnosed with MS and we have read the basic information books from the MS society. These books were very informative but as with most books of this nature...very factual.
   We have been leery to read other books since the unpredictable nature of this disease can be very upsetting for both patients and their families.
   Carole's book was very different. It gave her story, then gave those that were close to her, the opportunity to tell their story as to how it has effected their lives as well.



4. Carole Mackie's story of her symptoms, her diagnosis, the progress of her disease, and the things she did; projects she took upon herself to help her come to terms with her disease is one of the best'personal story' books on MS that I have read. Because the course of her disease was so similar to my own. I feel like most people with the relapseing-remitting type of the disease need to read this book. She doesn't over dramitize, or give any technical medical rundown. She is just an ordinary working young person faced suddenly, and joltingly, with a potentially, progressively debilitating disease. How she deals with it and comes to acceptance was life-reaffirming to me. She answered the question for me: where do, and will I be able to go from here?



5. I so enjoyed this book. I couldn't put it down. While there are other books out there that give more medical and scientific info on MS, this one by far does the best job of going to the heart of MS and how it effects those diagnosed and those who care about them.

5 comments about Beautiful Child.

1. Beautiful Child is a true story about Torey Hayden and her experiences with her severely handicapped class of 6 children ranging in age from 6-9. This story deals particularly with her experiences with an elective mute little girl named Venus Fox. Venus never talks, never cries, and never shows any emotion. She however does have dramatic violent outbursts when another student gets too close to her, or touches her either by accident or to provoke her. Venus is deprived of clothes, food, and is being forced to sleep naked in the bath tub in the middle of winter. Her older sister Wanda brings her to school, when she remembers. Eventually Torey starts putting together little pieces of information that both Venus and Wanda begin to share with her. When Venus is admitted to the hospital, it all comes together. This was a good book, but not the best one I have read by Hayden.



2. For those who have already read One Child, it may be more appropriate to rate Beautiful Child as a 4 star book, given that in many ways the two books are very similar. However once again it is a compelling read and very difficult to put down - like One Child, I was through this book in a couple of days. And again, this is the story of the development of a class of children with major behavioural difficulties over a period of one school year (4 boys and 1 girl, with others joining part-time) and the story is particularly focused on one of those children (a 7 year old girl named Venus). Because Venus herself hadn't committed any "crimes", I didn't take as strong a message as I took from One Child, which really brought it home to me that those we call the worst sinners are generally more sinned against than sinners. However the same lessons regarding the unfairness of the hands dealt to so many people, how extremely lucky most of us are without in any way deserving or earning it, and how we should think twice before jumping to conclusions about some of our least "attractive" fellow human beings, came through strongly.



3. This was a great book, very easy read. It will tear at your heart strings.



4. Awsome book. Torey Hayden is a marvelous teacher and writer. I have all her books and have thoroly enjoyed them. The marvelous patience she has with these children and the love she has for them is wonderful.



5. This is about a special ed class and how the teacher struggled throughout the year and turned it around. Some was so funny I laughed out loud and other parts were very sad.
   
   Venus was the most challenging of all the children because she had very serious abuse in the home and was mostly unresponsive except when attacking other kids when they accidentally bumped her. She finally got the help she needed after the hospital treated her for hypothermia, had to amputate her toes, and found 22 broken bones that had healed or were in various stages of healing.
   
   It also dealt with the struggle Torey had with her aide who was totally on a different page philosophically and really undermined what she was trying to do.
   
   Some of the things teacher did that worked were:
   * behavior modification with traffic lights;
   * singing between activities or to refocus kids when they started fighting;
   * closed eye journey;
   * special one-on-one time at recess with Venus--held her on her lap.
   
   I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in special needs kids or who teaches children.
   
   Karen Arlettaz Zemek, author of "My Funny Dad, Harry"

2 comments about Enabled in Words: The Real Lives, Real Victories of People with Disabilities.

1. This book is truly an inspiration. I would reccommend it to anyone who lives with a disability or knows someone who does. Certainly, a lot of time and effort went into collecting these uplifting stories. I especially enjoyed reading former Senator Max Cleland's piece in the forward.



2. Before reading this book, I took for granted the struggles and issues that face disabled people everyday. This book is filled with stories written by real people with disablilities. It also has articles written by leaders who fight for disabled rights. But Enabled in Words is more than just an educational experience. The stories inside really inspired me to be thankful for the good things that I have in my life, and to be mindful that there are people in the world who face difficulties the likes of which I may never fully appreciate. I believe that anyone who reads it will find inspiration in this book.

5 comments about MY LEFT FOOT.

1. The book my left foot is very interesting because it deals with a child born with a disease that gives him no control over his body
   but he, at a young age learned to use his left foot to write, eat, actually do anything a normal person can do with there hands. christy shows in this book how any person of any race, or even with any disease has the same feelings and are capable of almost anything.



2. This book was a book because it tells how christy over came his disibality and acomplished his goals in life. Not every person with a disibality can acomplish things like that in their life.I think christy is a very amazing person for doing the things that he has done.



3. The book "My Left Foot", was one of the best books I have read. It tells the life story of Christy Brown and how he still lived his life while his little body was twisted with a disease. I found it very touching at times and it made me happy to when he would over come bumps in his life. When he first made the letter "A" I was smiling from ear to ear.

   I would recommend this book to for anyone to read, especially to a mother with a disabled child. It really proves that no matter who you are, you can do anything you put your mind to.

   I can't wait to see the movie!




4. The book My Left Foot by Christy Brown was an inspiring novel about a young boy yearning to live a life full of communication. The story began with doctors giving his parents no hope for the future for this boy with cerebral palsy. Life takes an unexpected turn when his left foot comes alive. Over time challenges arise. Some obstacles are over come while other hurdles are left for him to face. With his mother by his side they were determined to struggle through poverty and his severe disability.



5. This is the story of a young man who was born in Ireland in 1932, after a difficult birth and with a severe disability that the doctors of the time were unable to name. They urged his parents to disavow him, as he was, they believed, an imbecile with a severely spastic body. Moreover, his parents then had five other children, all healthy. Christy's mother, however, refused to institutionalize him, keeping him at home and treating him as she would her other children. It would not be until years later that she would learn that Christy's affliction was severe cerebral palsy.

   Imprisoned in a world all his own and seeming without means to communicate, Christy, at the age of five, made an attempt that was to change his life forever. Rather than being imbecilic, Christy was actually highly intelligent. He took a piece of chalk with his left foot and, having captured the attention of his family, proceeded to scrawl on the floor a reasonable facsimile of the letter "A", astounding his loving family in the process.

   By breaking the communications barrier, Christy demonstrated that he could learn and understand. From then on, his capacity for learning was prodigious. Who would have thought that within his severely contorted and convulsed body lay a razor sharp mind and a thirst for knowledge? Certainly not the medical community, which had been so willing to consign him to institutional living. Armed with his left foot, the only part of his body over which he seemed to have some control, Christy Brown would demonstrate to the world who he really was. He was, after all, not the imbecile that the medical community had originally thought but an intelligent and sentient human being.

   This is Christy Brown's triumphant and inspirational story of his battle to learn to read, write, and paint, all with the aid of his left foot. It is an inspirational story of his quest for fulfillment. His yearning to be as others are is palpable, and his struggle for acceptance beyond the borders of his home and his physical limitations are well articulated. Christy Brown gives the reader a birds-eye view of what it is like to be a person with severe cerebral palsy. First published in Great Britain in 1954, when Christy Brown was twenty-two, this book, written with his left foot, is a testament to the resiliency of the human spirit.

5 comments about The Things I Want Most: The Extraordinary Story of a Boy's Journey to a Family of His Own.

1. How many broken windows and hearts can one family endure? Obviously for the Miniter's there is no finite answer to that! What a family! I picked this book without having any clue of what it was about. Saw the jacket, the title caught my eye and that was all it took. I was drawn in almost immediately. I am a 20-something woman, that is not married, has no children and is not adopted. I have not encountered many, if any, foster children and I still found this book to be an incredibly moving story. To Richard and Sue and the entire family- you have most certainly earned my respect and admiration. If only we could all be as patient, understanding and as loving as you are! What a great testimony to the good in the world- thank you for sharing your story. I truly hope that you encounter only good fortune in the future, no one family deserves it more than you!!



2. This book is not only for those who are adopting or work with disturbed children, but it can serve as a valuable lesson for those who have never been in these situations. It is necessary to know that trouble derives from the early years of a child's life and how important it is to show affection, trust and caring to children at all ages.



3. This book teaches many lessons. First and foremost that the husband-wife relationship plays such a major role in raising children, and it showed in this book. The relationship between Rich and Sue is an admirable one, one that not is not so common after so many years of marriage. With that bond of love, they raised a house full of kids and later in life, were able to take on one more kid, very different from their own. They gave it 1000% and stuck with it through thick and thin. What they did for "Mike" is untouchable, precious and blessed. God Bless the Miniters and the best of luck to "Mike" in his future endeavors to become a chef.........This book more than once will put a lump in your throat and a tear or two in your eye...To learn more about children, about sacrifices, about life, you must read this beautiful story !!



4. This book is the best personal account of fostering/adopting an older child that I have ever read. It is a natural for a "made for TV" movie, with its dramatic story, picturesque setting, and cast of "characters." I laughed, I cried, I sobbed. In Miniter and his wife, we see the mixture of naivete/ignorance, denial, and audacity that goes into the decision to bring a "disturbed" youngster into one's family. The book also reflects the reality that formal treatment plans are limited (and sometimes unrealistic) and that "real life"-- honest emotions and reactions, normal expectations, natural consequences-- can be a strong motivator in turning around dysfunctional behavior. To the reader who is NOT an experienced foster/adoptive parent, I would offer a few minor cautions: 1) Miniter makes no mention of receiving any kind of training before taking the boy into his family. If that was indeed the case, that's a major flaw in the "Harbor" program. Prospective foster and adoptive parents of kids in the child welfare system should receive fairly extensive training in areas such as what to expect when the children come into your home, how the system (and particular agency) works, and how to manage difficult behavior. 2) Miniter would probably be one of the first to point out that this book is not a blueprint for others but is instead ONE case study, of ONE youngster, in ONE family. The Ministers' experience notwithstanding, psychotropic medication and/or psychotherapy are important-- if not essential-- components in some youngsters' healing, and respite care and parent support groups can be lifesavers for some "therapeutic" parents. 3) Miniter says he ignored some of the safety precautions recommended by his agency, and suggested that (hunting) guns were readily accessible in his home. Having weapons easily available in ANY home with kids (even "normal" children!) is foolhardy, and most agencies REQUIRE pretty sensible safety precautions.



5. An uplifting account of one boy's struggle to overcome a disadvantaged life. If you liked this, definitely check out "The Wanderer" by Ken Grant of Massachusetts (1993)

2 comments about Busy Body: My Life with Tourette's Syndrome.

1. I heard about this book on a TS webboard and decided to order it. I was not sorry I did. It is an excellent book and he really portrays what it is like to have TS in a candid, funny way. I recommend this to anyone who has TS or would like to know what it is like to have it.



2. Busy Body: My Life with Tourette's Syndrome by Nick van Bloss is the most powerful and touching TS autobiography I have ever read. His descriptions for this very challenging condition are quite clear, revealing and help the reader get an idea of what it may be like to go through this ordeal day after day after day. TS is such an unusual disorder. Sure there are more painful and more life threatening conditions (I don't mean to dismiss any other disorder as "not difficult"), but TS is unusual and particularly difficult because you often have no choice but to let everyone know that "something is wrong." TS "tries" to break every social convention and rule." It is astounding how many social situations require silence or general quietness - most every classroom situation, movies, waiting in line, traveling in a public setting, shopping, theatre, etc. Until you experience TS (yourself or with a family member or friend), you have no idea how much of our society requires participants to "not make a scene" and "stay reasonably quiet." This book was difficult for me to read because I have a son with a pretty strong case of TS. I noticed many connections between Nick and my son. It helped me develop a better understanding of what my son is going through. I really don't think most people understand how painful TS can be and Nick pointed this out pretty clearly. He didn't elaborate too much on this point and based on my son's experiences, I know that Nick must be dealing with pain all the time and is actually pretty heroic about it. Although it was painful, I found this to be the most uplifting book on TS I have ever read. It reinforced teh idea that a TS sufferer can live a pretty good life and that many gifts may be associated with the condition. Nick is also a VERY humble human being who is compassionate, intelligent, sensitive and perceptive, not to mention his incredible sense of dedication and perseverance. This book is worth the read just to know him as a human being, whether he had TS or not. I only hope that this book is read by a great number of people. If anyone knows how I could e-mail or write to him, please let me know.

4 comments about Alone in the Mainstream: A Deaf Woman Remembers Public School (Deaf Lives Series, Vol. 1).

1. In the question of mainstreaming children with handicaps, parents, educators and legislators all want to make the wisest choice possible. They would be well advised to read this compassionate, illuminating book by a woman who knows firsthand the experience of being isolated by the good intentions of her family and her schools. Gina Oliva compiles personal anecdotes, research and information as well as the voices of many others with similar experiences to provide a clear delineation of the problems and issues confronted by deaf students in a hearing environment. Ms. Oliva could have chosen to be bitter about her early experiences, but instead her courage and her intelligence in the face of daunting difficulties shine through on every page. This is an important book about a subject which is very much in the forefront of the debate about public education.



2. This quarter I had the amazing opportunity to take Brenda Brueggemann's class "The Disability Experience in the Contemporary World" at The Ohio State University. She encouraged me to read this book (that she happened to be the editor of), and I can't thank her enough! While at times I felt this book was a bit redundant, I think that is just a stylistic choice; it is Oliva's way of reiterating the profound impact these specific events had on her life. Personally, I agreed to read this book because I felt as a future teacher it is crucial for me to be aware of current issues and debates in education. I really feel all of the points addressed by Alone in the Mainstream are very real concerns that need to be considered by everyone involved. As a result, I would highly recommend this book to any educator; past, present, and especially future. The future of these highly capable students is dependent on the educational opportunities, and it is the responsibility of educators to be as informed and knowledgeable as we possibly can. While we can't turn back the hands of time and erase the painful experiences expressed by Oliva and others throughout the book, it is my hope that we can take actively work to create the possibility of a brighter future for d/Deaf and hard of hearing students. They have a lot to say about this issue, and it is time to stop and "listen."



3. Alone in the Mainstrain sensitively relates the experiences of the author growing up a hearing impaired child mainstreamed into the hearing world. Reaching out to others who have been similarly mainstreamed she presents a study of the effects of the mainstreaming experience on other deaf and hard of hearing people. Teachers and parents of both deaf and hard of hearing, as well as hearing, children would learn much from reading Oliva's combination autobiography/study. Frankly, I found it surprising how little I was aware of the social isolation experienced by a non-hearing person in a hearing environment. Oliva discusses how those individuals with a cochlear implant can still experience isolation in a room filled with many sounds
   Oliva advocates giving deaf children opportunities to be a part of both the deaf and hearing worlds. Through examples from her own rich life, she shows ways in which one can intertwine the two. I recommend this excellent book both as general autobiography and as an insightful study of the effects of mainstreaming, told by those most qualified to comment, those who have experienced it.



4. This book was on a list of 15 books for a speech disorder class. I chose it based on the information that was provided by Amazon, which was very accurate. The book provides insight of deaf and hard of hearing individuals who are mainstreamed in public schools, often feeling isolated and frustrated. I would recommend the book to any who is interested in knowing more about Deaf culture and the obstacles individuals encounter.

3 comments about See Sam Run: A Mother's Story of Autism (Mayborn Literary Nonfiction).

1. Very touching book. I couldn't put it down once I started reading. This is one book I will let people know about.



2. I preordered See Sam Run, and started reading it the day it arrived in my mailbox. The next morning, when I woke up with a stomach upset, I was thankful that I could call in sick and finish reading it.
   
   This book took me on a familiar journey thorough the haze of denial, the thick fog of despair that descends when denial is no longer possible, then through the maze of discovery trying to find a professional who would listen without condescension or judgment, and provide the help we needed. What a relief to learn that I am not the only mother who has harbored those thoughts and feelings, faced the cold, bare truth, and fought and clawed her way through that maze.
   
   The picture this narrative paints of Sam's day to day life helped me clarify and map our own journey. I cried traveling back through those painful memories. I cried for my son and Sam, for Peggy and Mark and me. Taking the journey with and through another helped heal the scars.
   
   I laughed too. I laughed at the quirky, funny boy that is Sam. I laughed at the captions he wrote for the pictures. I laughed in relief that we have found, after all that running, an easier pace.
   
   My son is not autistic. He has Sensory Integration Dysfunction. I'm not sure if he has something else because we gave up trying to find out. We decided to just deal with it. He now compensates beautifully.
   
   There are many resources in the back of this book to help ease the journey other parents and children face. This book provides a map through the maze.
   
   When a parent admits something is wrong and that they need help, why is it so torturous to find that help? That's the question I was left with after reading this book; and that is the question that needs an answer. You see, I'm not the only mother and Sam is not the only son!



3. How do you raise a child diagnosed with autism? "See Sam Run: A Mother's Story of Autism" is Peggy Heinkel-Wolfe's story of dealing with it. Look at the growing number of autism spectrum diagnoses, she wonders - is the diagnosis system improving, or is there something wrong with modern health? The numbers, while important, speak of nothing of the daily troubles parents must face. As she began to come to terms with her autistic son, she wrote her story down in "See Sam Run: A Mother's Story of Autism", highly recommended for community library collections.

2 comments about The Deepest Wound : How a Journey to El Salvador Led to Healing from Mother-Daughter Incest.

1. This incredible journey of what happens when "Mother" is the abuser and father disconnects setting a tiny soul adrift is the most powerful I've ever read. This book is a must read for: Anyone who doubts the depth of destruction that can be caused by those entrusted with the gift of a child; survivors who need to recognize emerging symptoms and understand that they can confront their pain and follow Linda's new paradigm to healing; friends and family who contemplate approaching or accompanying a survivor on their journey to healing; therapists and doctors that seek to enter the dangerouis minefield surrounding survivors; and, watchers, for whom this book may instill the courage to intercede on behalf of a child.
   It takes courage to read this book. Those that do will never take a shallow view of childhood abuse again.
   At the close of this book, readers will recognize the author as a remarkably courageous woman who shattered myths and created new pathways as she fought her way from Hell to healing.



2. The Deepest Wound: How A Journey To El Salvador Led To Healing From Mother-Daughter Incest by Linda Crockett, is a powerful and personal testimony of her own life journey that draws parallels between healing from sadistic parental abuse and recovering from political torture. An insightful journey to how the scars of terrible, repeated trauma can be accepted, and adapted, without sacrificing one's ability to pursue hopes and dreams. The Deepest Wound is profoundly candid, deeply moving and highly recommended reading.