5 comments about Sixtyfive Roses: A Sister's Memoir.

1. You could say this memoir is one woman's struggle to come to terms with loss and to explore and understand the complex family dynamic that evolved in the context of her sister's terminal illness. You could also say it's a book written to satisfy a death-bed promise to "tell our story." On both levels, this is a monumental piece of self-reflection and painstaking re-creation.
   
   But to stop there is to acknowledge only the motivation for the book and the challenge of writing it and to ignore its broader impact on the reader. In this page-turner of a memoir, Heather Summerhayes Cariou has taught us what it is like to live with a family member's chronic, severe, incurable illness. This book chronicles a family learning to tolerate the intolerable, to endure the interminable, to ameliorate the unmitigable and to understand the inconceivable. How do you watch your best friend and closest relation die for twenty-two years? How do you live fully, when your life exists on that liminal plane that most of us only experience briefly during times of crisis? Summerhayes Cariou has no clear-cut answers for these questions, only her own family's example of surviving and moving forward--at times coping brilliantly and achieving greatness (as in their founding of the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation) at others, scraping for the smallest reassurance that they'd all turn out okay.
   
   This book is not sentimental, nor does Summerhayes Cariou portray the individuals involved as deities or villains. She reveals each family member with the matter-of-factness of an observer, rarely judging, except to say that, in spite of their failings, everyone did the best they could, under the circumstances. In Heather we see the jealous, angry, teenage older sister who lashes out, as well as the heartbroken protector, faced with the choice of living her own life or standing by her sister's side. We never feel that the author's actions are heroic--only human, and driven by the usual human motivations of fear, guilt and love. Eventually, the author even manages some self-forgiveness, implicitly encouraging us to do the same for ourselves.
   
   In the end, this is a book about a relentless human struggle; it's a call for compassion and understanding and a reminder to us all--including Summerhayes Cariou herself--to be better human beings and to live our lives by Pam Summerhayes's legacy: to surrender, to have faith, to be unafraid, and to give and receive love freely, making the most of each day.



2. In a wrenching memoir that exacts a huge emotional toll on its readers, Heather Summerhayes Cariou, author of SIXTYFIVE ROSES, has effectively conveyed the turbulence and sadness that a family endures as it deals with the caring for a child who was born with Cystic Fibrosis.
   
   Summerhayes Cariou's memoir recounts the short life of her sister Pam whose touching last words prior to her passing away was "Write... our story. Tell...what we...lived through...together." As Summerhayes Cariou emphasizes in various sections of the book, "Pam said tell our story. Mother said tell the truth. The story I tell lies somewhere between the truth and memory. Pam survives through the telling. So do I."
   
   In the USA alone, one in three thousand, nine hundred children are born with CF-a genetic hereditary disease affecting the exocrine glands of the lungs, liver, pancreas, and intestines, causing progressive disability due to multisystem failure. Unfortunately, there is no cure for CF, and most who are born with it die young: many in their 20s and 30s from lung failure. Hopefully, with continuous introduction of many new treatments, the expectancy of a person with CF will increase to as high as 40 or 50.
   
   In 1958, when Summerhayes Cariou was six, her four-year old sister Pam was diagnosed with CF. You can well-imagine the stunned helplessness and devastation when her parents were informed that there was no cure or treatment for CF. When asked how long could she expect to live, the reply was that most children are diagnosed in infancy, usually at autopsy and thus it is difficult to predicate with certainty how long they will live. Perhaps, it would be six weeks or maybe six months and unfortunately, there was very little that could be done for Pam.
   
   However, this was one gutsy young woman who was a tenacious fighter constantly duelling with death and who described her disease as sixty- five roses because she couldn't pronounce Cystic Fibrosis. Pam tried to protect everyone and she realized that if she gave up, she would let everyone down who had put so much into her. As mentioned, she lived for the family, compelled to stay alive because she knew that is what they wanted her to do.
   
   She certainly wasn't a whiner and she never complained. In fact, her father even described her as "stoic." Summerhayes Cariou eloquently describes her sister's doggedness when she states: "When she was in pain, she pressed her lips tight and her face turned whiter than white. Her eyes became cold steel. You could feel the barometric pressure drop in the room, but she wouldn't let go a peep."
   
   As Summerhayes Cariou sweeps us along in her richly textured and emotionally involved narrative, she threads her memoir with themes of coping, rebellion, anger, hope, feelings, sacrifice, flaws, guilt, death, jealousy, tempers, survival, love and moods. Moreover, as one excellently rendered scene follows another readers vicariously suffer the tragedy of a long-term catastrophic illness that the family had to consistently live with as they watched a sister and daughter suffer and peter away.
   
   One of Summerhayes Cariou's principal talents is the manner in which she persuasively writes about highly poignant issues without resorting to corniness or insincerity. It is this gift that makes the memoir so probing and challenging yet astonishing beautiful. In addition, Summerhayes Cariou is an author of extraordinary sensitivity and grace as SIXTYFIVE ROSES brims with thoughtful observations such as when early on we are informed: "With the advent of my sister's diagnosis, it was as if my family had crossed the waters to a foreign land. We became immigrants in our lives, leaving behind our identities and relationships as we had known them, losing the future we might have otherwise have imagined for ourselves."
   
   Although this memoir may be an emotionally devastating chronicle of grief and death as one is likely to encounter-one that childhood pain and family suffering become as real as a stab in the heart, it nonetheless teaches us important lessons when we ponder over Summerhayes Cariou statement: "it was not fear of death, Pam was afraid of unused life. Pam set an example of such courage for me that I would never fail to be inspired by it. She had taught me to acknowledge fear, and then move past it." Perhaps, by the end, you'll look at your own life in a little different light.
   
   Heather Summerhayes Cariou was born and raised in Brantford, Ontario. Her father was the Founding President of the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and both her parents received the Order of Canada in recognition of their wonderful work in inaugurating the CCFF. Heather was a professional actor and dancer and she is now married to the award-winning actor Len Cariou. The couple live along the New Jersey shore.
   
   Norm Goldman, Publisher & Editor Bookpleasures



3. Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (9/08)
   
   Siblings - if you have one or more, you probably know how that goes... Can't live with them sometimes, and can't live without them for sure. So often they are our mirrors - in which we see ourselves the way others see us, and at times the way we wish we would truly be. I just cannot imagine losing any of mine, and I realize all too well that they have helped shape me into the human being that I became, in many ways even more than my parents have.
   
   Reading "Sixtyfive Roses" was incredibly sobering. I cannot imagine the courage Heather Summerhayes Cariou had to have to actually write this unbelievable story and have it published. But then, she had a lifelong training in "above-and-beyond" courageous behavior. Imagine knowing since early childhood that your baby sister is ill - and that she will never get better. Imagine promising her not to leave, and not to let her die alone. Imagine being her lifelong protector. Imagine living with this impenetrable black cloud surrounding you and your family. And yet, you have to grow up. And you realize all too well that one day your sister will be gone. Imagine the rage, the despair, the jealousy for not being the center of attention, the desperate desire to make your sister's life easier... all those conflicting, oftentimes violent emotions. And one day the unthinkable happens... and your sister takes the last, labored breath. She is gone. And you are still here.
   
   The story of how Pam, Heather's younger sister, was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis at the age of four, and how her family fought for her and other children with this debilitating disease is not a happy one, but definitely a positive and hopeful one. The strength and courage of everybody involved, from Pam herself to her family, her doctors and others with the same disease shows the world at least two perennial truths: that good does not necessarily win and that courage and fighting spirit can make an unbelievable difference. Back in those days children with CF tended to die very young, and Pammy's prognosis was no better, yet she kept fighting for over two decades and lived to the age of twenty-six. And she did not merely exist in this world, she lived her life as fully as possible and she made a difference in many other lives.
   
   Heather Summerhayes Cariou's "Sixtyfive Roses" is a memoir, a tribute and a love poem, written in a clear, sometimes brutally honest and always sincere fashion. Her words are beautifully crafted, and her voice is distinct and unique. I have no doubt that Pammy is smiling at her big sister right now, and feeling mighty proud of her.
   
   "Sixtyfive Roses" should be required reading for anybody dealing with a seriously ill person in their life, as well as anybody with any kind of a big or small problem. It certainly puts a lot of things in perspective, and it made me so very glad that I can go, pick up a phone and talk to my siblings right now, which is exactly what I am going to do tonight.



4. Excellent information , Well written ,Tells us how a person lives with cystic fibrosis and how it affects the family



5. There is only one problem with the writings of Heather Summerhayes Cariou: once you have experienced it, you can never get enough! It is a privilege to know such a skilled and artistic author personally. Heather has been an inspiration to dozens of aspiring writers, generously sharing her insights, talent, motivation and energy. Heather has been challenged with the responsibility to tell Pam's story, their story, and she has not only met that challenge head-on, but by overcoming and working through the tragedy and heartache, she has helped encourage and strengthen all of us in the process. The number of tragic human stories waiting to be told are endless. Stories of great suffering, and of amazing redemption. In the words of Helen Keller, (as quoted by Heather), "The world is full of suffering; it is also full of overcoming it." Anyone working with or living as survivors are automatically and intimately included in Sixtyfive Roses. Not only does Heather give her beautiful loving voice as testament to the struggles of her own family, she validates and shares all of our grief and pain, and in the process, we can reflect on our own heartbreak with renewed acceptance and look to a more hopeful future. Heather is a true artist whose medium is language. Her gorgeously visual phrases are as stunning as an impressionist watercolor in full bloom. It may be inappropriate to compare memoir and fiction, but this story is told with such beautiful eloquence and elegant prose as to be reminiscent of Sue Monk Kidd or Barbara Kingsolver. The strengh and devotion of the Summerhayes family to fight the disease of Cystic Fibrosis is an occurrence of immense historical importance. Without question Heather, Pam and the entire Summerhayes family have provided us with a gift of valuable knowledge, as well as real-world medical and spiritual benefit to countless numbers of families and children.

1 comments about The Third Opinion.

1. I was devastated when my father told me that he had been diagnosed with Lymphoma. Upon hearing of the diagnosis, well meaning friends often asked how old my father was. Though likely intended to comfort, the query always had the opposite effect. I became inconsolable. That is, until I talked to my dear friend Steve Mikita. He spoke the first truly comforting words I would hear since the diagnosis. He said simply, "Mare, as much as you love your father, Heavenly Father loves him more." As Steve continued to speak, and I continued to weep, peace and comfort flooded my heart. I knew he was right. Whatever the held for my father, for me, it was going to be alright. I have often thought that the world would be a better place if everyone could be so fortunate as to have a friend like Steve Mikita. For those of you who don't know Steve, or who have never had the opportunity to hear him speak, reading his autobiography is surely the next best thing. Here, Steve shares the experiences of his remarkable life which uniquely enable him to empathize with, and to offer true comfort, hope and inspiration to the rest of us. With the support of an incredible family, and a particularly tenacious mother, Steve has endured and continues to endure trials most of us will only ever have to imagine. Though his muscles are weak and continue to atrophy, Steve is truly one of the most powerful men I know. Read his book. It will open your eyes to the as yet unrealized possibilities in your own life.

5 comments about Who Lied and Said We Left the Garden of Eden? Memoirs of a Homeless Man.

1. When Daniel Martin was a teenager he left his strict, overly religious
   home for a life on the streets. Robbery and prostitution raised funds
   for his drug habit and he was in and out of rehabs and homes for many
   years. 'Who Lied...' is Martin's memoir of this time in his life and the
   lessons he learned.
   
   The first thing I have to say about this memoir is that you can tell
   Martin isn't a trained writer- and I mean this in a good way! The very
   fabric of this book is a series of stream of consciousness essays, all
   interweaving and culminating in a divine theme. Daniel Martin is the
   kind of guy you might have gone to high school with and then run into
   at a party years later- you exchange pleasantries and then catch up on
   each other's lives. Only Martin didn't go off to college and a 401k
   job- instead he tells you of his time on the streets, but in such a
   calm summery that you're spared the gory details. Most memoirs focus
   on the details- 'Who Lied...' focuses more on the lessons.
   
   The absolute biggest problem I have with this book is the cover. I
   know this may seem shallow, but if you're familiar with my take on
   small, independently published books you'll understand. Let me
   explain- the cover of 'Who Lied...' features an apple on a branch framed
   by a waterfall view, overlaid with bright yellow text and a red and
   black nautical star. Wow. It's just too busy. This is a very common
   problem with indie books, and one that turns away a lot of readers.
   Just because you're low budget doesn't mean you have to look it- a
   solid colored cover with just the apple or just the star would have
   been tactful and not overdone. Err on the side of simplicity people!
   There are some wonderful books out there that no one reads because of
   bad cover choices. I know, I know- never judge a book by it's cover...
   well, sometimes it's difficult not to!
   
   Even with the crowded cover 'Who Lied...' is worth a read. Trust me,
   it's unlike any memoir you've ever read before- zen and unapologetic.
   Martin has a great conversational style that makes an easy read and
   his life is engaging and interesting. Some of the spiritual elements
   (talk of the Creator and such) get a little overpowering at times, but
   if you can overlook that you're in for an insightful read. Martin
   shows us that change doesn't happen all at once and sometimes people
   make mistakes... but life is a series of lessons and the important part
   is what we learn from it.



2. Daniel Martin grew up in a very abusive atmosphere out of which most people would be unable to climb. Daniel tells of his life and the many struggles he had during his early life and his battle to find a stable platform, whether it be religion, alcohol, drugs, sex, or one of many other negatives in order to reach a normal life, whatever that might be.
   
   He had many dreams in his early life, most of which were generally good dreams that left Daniel questioning what they meant for him in his present life or in his future, if anything. Daniel was angry, bitter, and scared that a Christian God would burn many because they didn't believe in Daniel's world of thievery, unlimited drugs, alcohol, and sex. In the beginning he would not "shoot" himself with drugs but eventually he was led to doing that along with anything that would give him, in his thoughts, a better life.
   
   As Daniel lived on the streets as a homeless man, he performed so many disgusting things to himself and others, that friends were hard to keep from day to day. He used them as a drug. He stole from establishments and humans not caring who he hurt. Afterwards he sometimes would feel bad for what he had done but he needed things for his lifestyle. These actions placed him in jail or prison from time to time only to get out and start the same things over again.
   
   Being a homeless junkie Daniel realized this was not the life he wanted so several times he started in some programs to assist in fighting his habits only to go back to his abusive living again. He would work at a job, even got married for a short time, thinking he had found the "right" person for his life. All the time Daniel was fighting his demons of organized religion as opposed to his own thoughts that differed from most every religion. In and out of rehab became a life. Eventually Daniel found the true woman for him and they married and he went into the plumbing business. He had worked for contractors previously so knew the basics. Daniel and his wife were not Christians but they thought they believed in some religion, just not certain which. They tried attending churches of different faiths but received no personal satisfaction.
   
   Then Daniel takes the book in a direction where he gives the reader history lessons about past civilizations, past religions, leaders that formed their own followings and followers, and, in general a long tirade of his thoughts why he and the world didn't agree much on life and followings. He did listen and read about religious fanatics, atheists, conquerors, and others that, through history, helped or harmed civilization with their thoughts and actions. I sort of got lost in what Daniel was trying to tell me. I am a very spiritual and religious person but not a fanatic. I agreed with Daniel in his thoughts of loving everyone in the world for the good they have inside.
   
   Daniel then takes us to his life of today and how he lives with his wife and children. His spirituality and progressive life is one he has formed by and for himself. He believes in God as The Creator but not Christianity as such. He seems to be very happy with his life especially when he goes back in memory to his days gone by. I feel that Daniel enjoyed those days with what he learned but certainly not for his way of living. The way he lives today helping others along their path of life is to be commended. He knows that while he made mistakes he feels he has done much to help those around him today. Thanks Daniel Martin for your story.



3. Who Lied and Said We Left the Garden of Eden: Memoirs of a Homeless Man is a book full of hope and survival after a rough start in life. This book is about learning the lessons of life the hard way. From drug and alcohol abuse to mental and physical abuse, Martin tells the story of how he finally found balance in his chaotic world.
   
   The first half of this book deals with Martin's childhood - and to say he had a rough childhood would be an understatement. He was raised with a fanatical religious fervor and has ran the gamete from all types of abuse to petty crimes to homelessness, all by the time he was 18 years old. He also suffered through an unsuccessful marriage and several unsuccessful attempts at rehab.
   
   The second half of the book focuses on the eventual successes of Martin's life. He is now clean and sober. He is happily married with children. And one of the biggest changes is his personal relationship with God. He no longer allows "religion" to rule his life, but looks to God as the ultimate creator.
   
   Martin knows what it is like to struggle with the stigma of drug abuse and homelessness, but he was able to pull himself together and turn his life around. For that I give him high praise. This book teaches the lesson that everyone is worth saving, but sometimes change doesn't happen over night.
   
   Who Lied and Said We Left the Garden of Eden is a heartwarming true story and good reading, not only for the average reader, but for people who are trying to overcome adversities in their lives.



4. 
   There were about 744,000 homeless people in the United States in 2005, according to the first national estimate in ten years. Chances are that number will increase dramatically as our economy slowly spirals into decline. Like it or not, homeless people are an integral part of the urban fabric; a ubiquitous legion of faceless persons who pass through our daily lives scarcely seen and mostly unnoticed. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a homeless person; to live a life of abject misery with no hope or respite in sight? If so, Who Lied and Said We Left The Garden of Eden? is a must read for you.
   
   Daniel Martin is eminently qualified to chronicle the homeless condition. His own personal journey through the mean streets of Texas and California began as a teenager when he turned to drugs as a way of escaping his Christian fundamental upbringing. Soon he was routinely committing burglaries to pay for his drug of choice: speed. It was just the beginning. Before he reached his 18th birthday he was a ward of the state and soon thereafter, he found himself living out of a shopping cart, selling his body to buy drugs.
   
   Literary purists can find much to criticize about Martin's writing style which tends to ramble and be disjointed in places. On the other hand, I found his writing both effective and disarming; and at times, I could almost feel his hands tugging on my lapels, his eyes plaintively beseeching me to listen carefully to what he had to say.
   
   Who Lied and Said We Left The Garden of Eden contains a powerful message of hope, faith and perseverance. It also chronicles one man's struggle with the most dangerous enemy in his life--himself. Read this book and you will never look at a homeless person the same way again. I guarantee it.



5. Daniel Martin was a man who experienced a tough upbringing. He was abused and subjected to extremist religion. He turned to drugs as a coping mechanism and took part in acts of thievery to pay for his habit. Later, he wound up wandering the streets as a homeless addict, prostituting himself for money and caring about little more than when he could get his next dose of hard drugs.
   
   Martin's story is told in the pages of Who Lied and Said We Left The Garden of Eden and his is a story of growing, maturing, and transforming. The author was abused as a child and was raised in a strict, Protestant fundamentalist. Childhood experiences like his would have been enough to send many children over the edge and that is exactly what happened in Martin's instance. His internal battle with extreme religion and abuse led him to drugs and a stint as a homeless man at the young age of eighteen. His life had little direction and seemed completely without hope. But thanks to the help of support groups and some total strangers along the way, the author slowly began to pull out of his personal hell. Today, he lives a normal life with a loving wife and family.
   
   How the author got where he is today and his evolving attitudes toward life, religion, planet Earth, and other topics are the main focus of this book and Martin's maturation and personal development will inspire many who have been in a situation similar to his or who known someone who has experienced life events like his. The author makes many insightful discoveries about religion and he basically rejects the extreme authoritarianism of the religion of his youth. He came to the understanding that religions have limited usefulness and no one group is completely in the right. He also becomes enlightened about the planet on which we live and realizes more fully the importance of protecting the land and its inhabitants.
   
   This book is written in a personal way, but not in the most professional manner and some readers might be turned off by the book's simplicity in style. I got used to it after a while, but one thing I didn't like was the briefness of the chapters. The book is already very short, but it is divided into seventeen chapters, many of which contain only two or three pages. This is especially true in the book's second half and the briefness of these chapters is frustrating. Topics like humanism, spirituality, etc. are mentioned in these final chapters but just when the author starts to express his philosophical understanding of these controversial subjects, the chapter comes to a close. I would have preferred more information and even more bearing of the author's soul. He mixes in some facts and some personal opinion, which makes for a nice balance. But these chapters are too brief to enjoy them the way I would like.
   
   Overall, however, Who Lied and Said We Left the Garden of Eden is still a pretty good book from which many can learn important life lessons. The author has been through some very rough times but he is a much stronger and more satisfied individual because of his experiences. His story is one of personal growth and triumph over circumstances and while it doesn't rank as a great book, it still has some valuable information to convey and it's a respectable effort from this first time author.

2 comments about Uncommon Gifts: Transforming Learning Disabilities Into Blessings.

1. This is a well-written first person account of the LD experience. The author illustrates for the reader not only the academic difficulties experienced by the individual with LD, but also the effects of learning differently upon self-esteem, familial relationships and social relationships (often the pieces forgotten by us, the professionals). I feel that this book can be valuable for practicioners, parents and individuals with learning disabilities (particularly as they move throughout their lifespans and continuoulsy greet challenges unique to those with LD). Overall, this piece is well-written, difficult to put down and offers valuable insights that can benefit those who are LD and/or work with individuals with LD.



2. James Evans' candid and clear testimonial about dealing with his ADD is an important story to be told. Autobiographically written, he manages to bring out his pain in the midst of struggling through ADD as well as his spiritual growth.
   
   I never would've read the book had a dear friend not given it to me, just as I was learning about my own ADD. I thought it might be trite, but Evans' story of his life is filled with depth and passion. His life is far different from mine, but, boiled down, we have shared similar experiences.
   
   Other books on ADD are out there, but for the spiritual person, especially Christians (Evans is a Presbyterian pastor), there are few sources for encouragement.
   
   Balanced in his book, Evans shows his struggles were real, drawing him to question his gifts and wonder where God intended him to go. Through the help of a theater coach and a family who cared deeply for him, he learned how to manage his focus better.
   
   Any person with ADD who can learn as Evans' learned to focus will see improvement in his or her job, relationships and internal life. Anyone with ADD or another LD issue knows the workplace is affected, but social (platonic) and romantic relationships are where the biggest hurts are felt. Jobs are easy to find. Friends and significant others are harder to replace. The pain of losing a job via ADD-related matters is minor when compared to losing a close friend.
   
   The gift of this book didn't transform my life, but it did encourage me through the toughest diagnosis of my life. Like my friend realized, I needed to know other people could live successfully with ADD. Evans' shows it is a long road, but on the road is evidential growth.
   
   I fully recommend this book.
   
   Anthony Trendl
   editor, HungarianBookstore.com

No comments about Life in Rewind: The Story of a Young Courageous Man Who Persevered Over OCD and the Harvard Doctor Who Broke All the Rules to Help Him.

5 comments about Speak to Me: Grief, Love and What Endures.

1. To face your fears, to really dig down deep and write from the heart, is the biggest challenge for any writer. Marcie Hershman more than scales a mountain in SPEAK TO ME. This book is smart and serious yet it ends with such hope and joy, I was sad to put it down. Bravo! A beautiful tribute and memoir.



2. Marcie Hershman's Speak to Me is simply one of the most beautiful books I've ever read. On one level this is "about" the death of a beloved sibling; on its other levels, it engages us in the power of the human voice to speak in so many ways about love -- the love that moves us out of grief and into a richer sense of our lives. That we might hear again our loved one's voice in dreams, or "play" that voice again on audio tape, or have it echo again in memory, and that there are mysteries, too--voice after death--all these aspects of our connection to each other Marcie Hershman reminded me of. She has wit, wisdom and an honesty that reveals the heart of the matter. Her ten meditations, so gorgeously written, and so deeply felt, told me not only about the special bond she and her brother Rob shared, but of the bond I too have felt with family members I have lost. There are so many voices I still long to hear. I am extraordinarily glad to have read Speak to Me. I urge others to read it and share it. This is beautiful, heart-stirring work!



3. I read Marcie Hershman's book to give me insight on grief and mourning. Although the topic of voice is intriguing & often neglected, I found the writing to be very dry and difficult to read. The book is brief (100 pages) but for me, I found it hard be propelled forward with detailed descriptions of metaphysical topics. It was excrutiatingly dull for me to complete this short book.



4. Not many books deal with the loss of a sibling and how the death of a brother or sister changes the way you see the world. I found this book extremely helpful to me, although I did not lose a brother, but my husband of sixteen years. Once I started reading, I couldn't put this book down. I started in the afternoon and kept reading through the night. I felt like I was having a heart to heart talk with a good friend. I was happy by how different it was from the usual "how to get over grief" type of book, full of rules and advice. Highly recommended.



5. My brother died almost three years ago, but it took me almost two years of Marcie Hershman's book sitting on my bedside table to get up the courage to read more than a few pages now and then. I finally finished the whole thing today, in one sitting, and am sorry now that I waited. It has been cathartic, enabling me to mourn and to cry in a way that I couldn't before. Her book is full of gentleness, love and writing that flows straight from her pen into our heart. In "Speak to Me" she crosses over boundaries and in between worlds as if they are water. Dreams, spiritual thought, a sometimes complicated childhood and the here and now of her brother Rob's TV producing - she does not limit herself because the story is not one of limits, but of expansion. She has touched a chord that those of us who have lost somebody can identify with. There are many of us who have probably heard the voices, and dreampt dreams about loved ones who are gone. Marcie Hershman, who writes so lovingly about her brother's voice, is, in fact, OUR collective voice to the world.

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 Falling: The Story of One Marriage.

1. After finding that my boyfriend's mother had given him this book to read after he had a talk with her about marriage! I would just like to know how other readers would feel about this? I took it quite badly!



2. While the author's writing style is compelling, this story's narrator is not totally credible. The reader may find themselves wondering, as I did, whether this book is truly autobiographical, or a fictionalized and air-brushed version of "One Marriage." Either way, what about the WIFE's side of the story? Numerous infidelities prove that the husband in this relationship certainly lacked committment. It sounds to me as if he didn't think seriously about his marriage until his lack of conviction contributed to its end.



3. After having read the book, then read some of the reviews, I was suprised at how outraged some people were at this story. This is probably the most realistic viewpoint about a relationship that I have read in a long time. Does that mean that every man cheats on his wife? No. Does that mean that every woman wants "maintennance" for the rest of her life? No. What it does mean is that sometimes people make mistakes (in this case, several of them), but they must go on. Granted, there were several times where I found myself angry at the author for his actions, but who am I to judge someone elses misfortunes, when we all have skeletons in our closet.



4. I remember reding about this book when it was first published, but really had no interest in reading about yet another failed marriage. Too depressing. But then after reading The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls and learning that this author is her current husband, my interest was piqued. I LOVED The Glass Castle and was very curious about John Taylor as her husband. So I bought, and read, this book.
   
   I can sort of see why one reviewer here referred to the author as "whining".... But then don't we all when we go through the harrowing, nauseating experience of divorce? I did. And I'm not a whiner. I thought the author was just being as honest as he could. The only part I really didn't understand is what actually happened in this marriage to cause it to be so miserable for each of them. They got married, they did this, they did that, and then he was having an affair since he was so miserable. About what, exactly? Maybe his point is that it doesn't have to be anything specific in this day and age of demanding absolute happiness; anything less means d-i-v-o-r-c-e. Sad.
   
   In any case, I enjoyed the book because men usually don't write about this stuff.... and because I can see why he and Jeannette Walls were drawn to each other. I would have liked to read more about him and Jennette, but maybe that will come in a future book. I do believe that Jeannette definitely deserves a quiet, reassuring, stable marriage and it would appear that John Taylor can provide that for her.



5. Very good read. A tragic biography on how family life can take a wrong turn for no significant reason. I strongly recommend this book.

No comments about Faith, Family and Friends: Based on a True Story.

2 comments about Reading Lips and Other Ways to Overcome a Disability.

1. Tucked away on page 171 is an excellent inspirational story by Barbara Neal Varma titled Claire's First Song. This heartwarming story is worth the price of the book.



2. There is a very nice review of Reading Lips from the popular 'disability community' website, Disaboom.
   
   [...]
   
   The review, written by Debbie Marsh, says: Editors Diane Scharper and Dr. Philip Scharper, Jr. have selected works from gifted storytellers across the country who are united by their experience with disability - either in themselves or someone close to them. What is remarkable about this award-winning collection is the unadorned, poignant style that grabs the reader from the first sentence and shakes up their previous perceptions
   
   From poems to short stories, the collection encompasses a world of viciousness and love, calculated hurt and thoughtless caring that exposes the depth of ordinary lives in extraordinary circumstances. The stories get maximum impact by plunking the reader down in the moment, whether it be immediately before a three-year-old is shot in the face by his older brother, or when a woman of nearly 70 awakes from back surgery completely dependent on those around her.
   
   You can read more about disabilities and assistive technology from one of the contributors of the book, Suzanne Robitaille, whose blog is Profoundly Yours.