2 comments about Chelsea: The Story of a Signal Dog.

1. If you love dogs and the help they give humans, you will love this book. It speaks of independence gained living with a trained canine, the dedication of the trainers of these dogs and humans, and has some humor. It speaks of the importance of recognizing these dogs as working dogs and not pets, and of allowing them the access they are legally entitled to. I couldn't put it down and wanted more.



2. This is a warm, wonderful story about a very special dog and the family who owns her. It depicts the temperament of a well-bred Belgian Sheepdog completely; Chelsea's devotion to her family and her job is 100%. A great read for dog lovers and those seeking a better understanding of the deaf community. As a bonus, the ending is a happy one!

5 comments about Before I Say Goodbye: Recollections and Observations from One Woman's Final Year.

1. My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1996 and in November of 1998 she died, aged 44. I watched her becoming helpless, obedient, clildlike and frequently found myself wondering "Who is this woman and where did my mother disappear to?"

   Reading this book helped me understand what happened to her and that it was not unusual for a cancer patient to become that way. In other words: She did not become a freak, and obviously that is a great comfort to know. My mother was still in there somewhere.

   This book will make you laugh and cry. It will break your heart and increase your understanding of loss and death.

   This book should be required reading everywhere!




2. First of all, I don't understand why so many people believe books should be "life changing". I'm saying this because, when reading the previous reviews about this book, quite a few people have mentioned that they expected this book to be life changing: and it wasn't. Why do all things written by cancer patients & such have to be life changing? That's one question. And why do the things they say have to be relevant to everyone? That's another question.

   Ruth Picardie was a person with her ups & downs, her good qualities & her bad qualities. One thing that should be immediately noted is that she never intended for a book to be made out of her emailing with friends. Or maybe she thought she had more time, which would enable her to continue writing her columns & make a book out of them eventually. Sadly, her illness caught up with her. So "Before I say goodbye" is just a collection of personal emails, letters from Observer readers, & her 4-5 columns for the Observer. The columns are definitely the best writing in the book, & that's how it should be, since it's the only writing intended for publication.

   For some reason, I was more touched by the emailing, maybe because the ordinarity of the messages showed me (as if I didn't know...) that commonplace things happen to people with cancer, even as they do to you & me. If you turn that around, it also means that cancer happens to commonplace people, again like you & me!! Obviouus, isn't it? But denial is a very strong force, & it's so natural to believe things like this cannot happen to you. If for nothing else, then just for this, "Before I say goodbye" is very chilling & terrifying. I for one read it in one sitting, yesterday night, & ended up finding it difficult to sleep afterwards...But on the other hand, this book also gave me a sense of perspective about my life & its problems.

   Another thing I should mention is that there's an interesting afterword by Ruth Picardie's husband, which gives a much fuller picture about the family & the way they all dealt with Ruth's condition. During the course of the book, lots of questions are left unanswered, which is natural since the book, as I said, is not really a book, but a collection of different pieces of writing. So Matt's writing puts everything into place. It's also a truthful & painful piece of writing.

   If you're generally interested in this subject-matter, John Diamond's "C: Because cowards get cancer too" is on the top of the list, & also "Dancing at the edge of life" by Gale Warner. These are much more complete books. It's very sad that Ruth's writing never had the chance of developing into a real book. Time was cruelly stolen from her & from her family.




3. I was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor, Grade IV, and given a prognosis that was not exceptionally good. This book helped me put my feelings and emotions into perspective and better understanding, and it has helped family members who have read the book do the same. I enjoyed the book so much that I have ordered an extra copy to give to my Neurosurgeon in the hopes that he will find it worthy of having residents and medical students do required reading of it, in the hopes that they too can benefit from the patient's perspective. An excellent book of great value, but not an easy read for those diagnosed, or their families, with life threatening illness and disease.



4. This book was not the book I had hoped to have bought. I enjoyed some of her emails, the writings by her family, or from readers. However, for anyone who can identify with this statement, it was not an edifying book for me. I expected her to die, of course. That was obvious from the title. I did not expect to find that she was an atheist, as was many of her friends and spouse. Death is difficult, but as a Christian, I know that when our objectives on Earth are fullfilled then our time here is done. I would be totally devastated if I didn't have the hope, the peace of knowing I have a heavenly Father who loves me, hears my prayers, and never allows me to walk thru this journey alone. How sad to find she most likely left Earth without knowing this peace. For me, this book had many positives but sadly, dieing an atheist was not what I had anticipated. Maybe I needed to read it, if for nothing else, but to appreciate what a blessing and comfort my Christianity is for me.



5. I have great sympathy for the family of the author. Living with cancer and losing a loved one to cancer are enormous tests of faith, courage and emotional stamina. This I know, for I, too, am living with cancer. The book is an excellent tribute to a courageous woman; however, I did have a major problem with the book. The book reads similar to a diary. Obviously, the e-mails and messages contained in the book meant a great deal to the author and her family. However, the the messages have little meaning to the book's reader. It felt like I was reading a stranger's mail but only getting bits and pieces that did not connect. The feeling was similar to listening to one side of a telephone conversation. We know nothing of the people who wrote these messages and e-mails; therefore, it was extremely difficult to relate to any of them, other than we all know they had compassion for the author and felt her loss. Overall, the book was a nice way of remembering Ruth Picardie, but it read like a jigsaw puzzle - a piece here, a piece there, but nothing fit together.

1 comments about Joni Eareckson Tada: Her Story.

1. I want to know if there is a video of this book. I have a client who would greatly benefit from it. She needs some inspiration. If anyone has information reguarding a video please write to me @ Ribeye75@hotmail.com. Thank you, Rhoda Smith

1 comments about Objects in Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear: Inside Brain Injury.

1. Seven months post injury I met Sol Mongerman and was just barely able to communicate a complete sentence to him. I tried to tell him how grateful I was for his gut wrenching dialogue. I passed this gem around my Trauma Recovery Group, and all 15 of us devoured his words within the next 6 months. Sol's story reads like a bad dream, an adventure novel and the proverbial Fairy Tale. Not unlike our own stories. We could relate to his ordeal completely. The second section gives the reader a psychological analysis of the recovery stages of MTBI. This information was huge for me. It became the foundation of my understanding of the new me.

4 comments about You Were Here Today.

1. Mollie Swope has written a book about transition. The learning process that we go through when we are forced to let go of someone dear...and the realization that we gain in knowing that nothing is ever lost...or gone, it has only changed form. This book is a celebration of Mollie's daughter, Susie, and a journey beyond the physical...into the realm of Love. This is a book about life and the life beyond the physical life. It is a healing tool, very inspirational.

   Mollie shared their families intimate story of the trials and tribulations of their personal fight against Susie's cancer. Through this process, a deep understanding of life's purpose and meaning emerges...a meaning that goes way beyond the physical. A relationship that began at birth...continues today as a legacy from the other side. This is a very inspirational book, that I would highly recommend to anyone.




2. "Thank you Mollie. Everything you share (in your book) is so real and true. I could feel Susie hugging me again. Words are never enough but your love was...and is! Bless you." Bernie Siegel, M.D., Author of "Love, Medicine & Miracles"



3. I grew up with Susie and the Swope Family. Susie went through some incredibly tough times during her bout with cancer. She remains a strong and beautiful spirit today because of the love she experienced from her family and friends. If you have ever experienced the loss of a loved one--this book is a MUST READ!



4. Mollie Swope's "You Were Here Today" is reassuring that we are not alone in our experience of a life making the transition to the beyond. This book is a wealth of information on what happens when a loved one leaves us for the LIGHT and returns to us to lift our spirits. As I read the chapters it became clear to me of the great love between Mollie and her daughter Susie. It has been said that love transcends and it does!!!! Thank you Mollie and Susie for teaching such valuable lessons of strength, courage, wisdom and gentle peace. Sheila Jack Crabill

2 comments about I Don't Have Time for This: My Battle with Cancer.

1. "I Don't Have Time for This" is an inspirational chronicle of one man's courage and perserverance through a life-threatening experience. The author, Tom Canavan, Jr., offers a unique, personal persepective into the cancerous beast to which we all are prey. His ability to acknowledge and accept the help and love of his family and friends shines through what would otherwise be a dark journey. I recommend this book to all who need encouragement and hope.



2. Thomas Canavan, book on his battle with cancer is an excellent read. My father is dealing with cancer and Mr. Canavan's book has allowed me to see some of the trials a cancer patient is going through. I found it a wonderful book, especially for someone who is caring or has someone close to them with cancer. It gave me hope that my father can beat this and have more good years ahead. It also helped me to understand what my father is feeling since he does not verbalize his thoughts.
   This is definatly a book worth reading.

No comments about I Am Not Afraid.

2 comments about No Finish Line.

1. I'm not legally blind, but I could really understand it and identify with the struggles she endured in being different throughout most of her life. The writing style is so engaging and easy to read that it feels almost like conversation. Just when you have a question, the answer appears. Marla's dry wit is refreshing and intelligent. There is no pity party here!

   Marla has really struggled in life and sport. She continues to learn and perservere as a person and athlete and that is what makes a champion in life and on the track. I can't wait to see her medal in Athens at the next summer olympics. I'm a better person and athlete after reading her story.




2. One can never truly understand a piece of literature, much less an autobiography, without actually becoming that person. In this case, one may "understand" that Ms. Runyan had a painful and frustrating past, but since we are not that ones that experienced it, we do not truly understand. Being blind takes away from you just as much as it gives. You take on a completely unique perspective on life; you take nothing for granted, and take great pleasure in the small things that make life worth living. Ms. Runyan, you will win a gold medal in the Olympics.

2 comments about Shall I Say A Kiss?.

1. The New York Review of Books called this book "a singularly valuable social document."



2. Shame on nitwits who pimp their parents love letters in order to get jus' a lil' more literary credibility. Sometimes the better part of common decency is make the choice not to profit.
   
   This nitwit, in one of the most crass, repulsive revelations ever made on NPR, publically doubted his father's paternity and then "revealed" the paternity test results in front of a mike.
   
   What an intellectually and morally bankrupt idiot; nothing more than a Springer guest with a PhD.

5 comments about Marked for Life: A Memoir.

1. Marked For Life is "about" a stigma as much as Moby Dick is about a whale; it is surely the central problem, but it is the journey wherein lies the story. The body and its frailties, its betrayals, and its reflection, for better or worse, on our selves is everyone's existential lot, and the pathos in the narrative both gives one perspective, and becomes a real life metaphor for the paradoxes we all live; experiencing pleasure and creative expression through our physical beings while conversely being confined, by gender, appearance, and longings that both drive us and make us want to scream to the void: "I am not this body!"
   The "mark" has even broader implications as the author searches for ways to conceal as well as integrate the "problem" as she grows, reflected in the myriad ways the mark is gazed by different people in her life, parents, doctors, lovers and society itself over time and personal growth. The greatest irony of the story is that Ms Davidow is actually quite beautiful, as well as brilliant, but it is the refrain of the book:"If I had been born in another time, another place..." which reminds us of the fragility that physicality burdens us with, and how lucky we are to be here now.



2. Ms. Davidow is an avid storyteller who has bared her soul to allow us the opportunity to examine the life of someone living with a port wine stain. The birthmark is secondary to the obstacles that probably faced many Jewish women growing up where she did and when she did. I applaud her for her honesty and trust. As someone who has also grown up with birthmarks I can appreciate the pain she has felt, the stares she has endured, and the longing to "be normal" that is evident in her story.

   Great book; Great person.




3. Who would imagine that a memoir about a rare form of birthmark commonly referred to as a "port wine" mark would be impossible to put down? Joie Davidow's lover during college chose her over a "certified genius" girlfriend from his hometown. Joie Davidow may not be "certified," but she certainly demonstrates creative genius. In writing about the stigma of growing up with a dark purple "handprint" over half her face, Ms. Davidow also manages to mirror the larger "print" of civilization and its consideration of who passes the "test" for perfection. For example, Ms. Davidow, then a young teen who hates being asked, "What happened to you?" asks an elderly woman why she has a number tatooed onto her arm. The book tells about growing up Jewish in a small mostly non-Jewish town where one isn't to make a "big deal" over anything, including the purple mark; what this means is that she is not to show her feelings about anything. When she first falls in love, her father makes that a very big deal. He (...) stops speaking to his young and rather innocent daughter (other than to insult her), another "mark for life" in terms of her relationships with men. Her training as a singer is also fascinating. If all of this sounds rather heavy and intense, the reader should know that Ms. Davidow has a wonderful and subtle sense of humor. Her writing sings.



4. As others have observed, this is a hard book to put down, and worthy of your attention. I happened to be doing research on the lives of people born with birthmarks, but I got much more than I bargained for in this book. In short, Joie Davidow is someone I admire and not merely because of her courage -- she's quite a writer. Highly recommended.



5. I thought, sometimes, that this memoir got long winded--but I stuck with it and finished it. I think the beginning and the end were the best parts of this book. I had picked up this book years ago--got rid of it, I believe, and not too long ago bought it on Amazon's Marketplace. I have also looked up the author on google and found out that Joie has a web page..that offers support to people that have port wine stains--as she does.