No comments about The Singin' Pole.

No comments about Threading the Snail: My Journey Through Deafness.

No comments about Grace Happens.

No comments about Diary of a Patient, Her Illness, Family, and Friends.

5 comments about An Arrow Through the Heart : One Woman's Story of Life, Love, and Surviving a Near-Fatal Heart Attack.

1. When I purchased the book, I thought it would act as a resounding inflection into the life and times of a woman struggling with the horrible aftermath of critical events similar to what I had gone through three years earlier. I did not find that at all. This book came across more as a wishy-washy love story than a tell-all "I'm writing to help others" book of caring and honesty. Her husband must be one great guy! I found nothing in this book that helped me fight my own demons or helped me deal with the personal strife that I've had to live with all these years. I respect Deborah for her willingness to put this all out there, but in the end, her book was an arrow through my wallet and a major disappointment.



2. I read this book when it first was published and again recently. It really is one of the most absorbing and beautifully written books in my collection. I have sent copies to my friends and relatives and have been getting rave reviews. My cousin in England wrote: "I started Deborah's book at 8PM could barely put it down at 11, went to sleep and finished it the next morning!"



3. This is an intimate account of what one woman goes through after having a heart attack. I was surprised about how much I enjoyed it. It is has a great deal of clinical detail of the illness, but it is mostly about the recovery process, the slow, hard, and difficult recovery from the insult to the body. Reading about someone who can't do the basic acts we all take for granted makes it easier to count your own blessings.



4. This was a very inspirational book for those of us who have lived through a debilitating illness and a different perspective on life for those who have not. It made me look at my world differently and appreciate where I am currently. The book was well-written and engaging. I have recommended it to many people.



5. I just finished reading this wonderful book! I was motivated to read this because a dear girl friend is 45( also diabetic) and suffered a major heart attack. I wanted to know more about what happens medically and emotionally.
   Very frightening. I want to know how the author is doing now?

No comments about Autobiography of an Agoraphobic: One Man's Struggle With Panic Disorder.

2 comments about Facing Fear: A Young Woman's Personal Account of Surviving Breast Cancer.

1. "Facing Fear" is an excellent read for young women facing Breast Cancer. It is unique and refreshing because it is written from a young woman's perspective---and it reads like a novel! I recommend this book because it eloquently explains the emotional journey, the importance of support from friends and family, as well as the physical journey. It also gives some practical information about radiation and bi-lateral mastectomy with reconstructive surgery. While "Facing Fear" is not structured and written as a step-by-step guide, it is an excellent account of one woman's journey from diagnosis to completion of treatment. This book will give young women (and their family and friends) support and information about facing Breast Cancer. Bravo!



2. The author was very descriptive beginning with her early detection all the way through her reconstruction. She covered every angle of her ordeal, which I found fascinating and so easy to understand. Unlike reading a 'medical book', this book expresses the author's thoughts and emotions which I found very comforting. Any questions I had in my mind were answered in this book. I felt like it was written by me/for me. Even the time frame was identical. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough! I high recommend it not only for breast cancer victims but also for friends and family. It will help them understand our fears and the physical aspects of dealing with this disease.

2 comments about Aspargus Dreams.

1. In a tone that brings to mind bubbly teenage girls, Jessica Peers recounts five years at a National Autistic Society residential school in the United Kingdom. The back cover of this book suggests that the book will give insights into Asperger's syndrome. On that point, it seems to be wrong. However, it does give a lot of insight into institutional life.

   Peers has a talent for wryly amusing caricature, whether in drawing (her cartoons appear throughout the book) or in sketching out people's character in words. Not everything in the book is amusing, though. There are some truly harrowing scenes of physical and emotional abuse by staff, as well as the usual detached brusqueness that crops up in places like that. The funny descriptions offset the often-heavy situations enough to make it readable to me without causing too much pain, and I almost wonder if the author had the same idea herself.

   One thing that struck me was how much the actions and social dynamics of the people in the book reminded me of the dynamics in every disability-segregated setting I have ever been in, whether there were autistic people besides me or not. This book is one more that convinces me that whether you call it a group home, a psychiatric ward, special education, or a residential school, some things never change. There are particular spins on things depending on what the setting calls itself and what kind of person is placed in it, and this book is no exception. But its descriptions of life there are surprisingly wide in their applicability.

   One thing this book is not, though, is all that insightful about what autism is. It claims to provide insight into autism, but it really doesn't. It describes situations involving a lot of autistic *people*, including the author, but in truth it has ended up more about life in that particular place than about a particular condition. It also contains the common misconception that people who appear "more autistic" are necessarily less aware of their environment and therefore less suffering from what happens around them. People should know that before buying this book -- the real focus is not necessarily the same as the apparent focus.

   This is not a problem, though. There are a lot of books out there already that discuss "autism from the inside" ad infinitum. This book describes institutional dynamics from an autistic point of view, which is much rarer, and to my knowledge this is the only book by an autistic person that takes place *only* within such a place.




2. Neurotypical people read books by people with AS to find out about the condition or gain some illusive insight. As a person diagnosed with AS myself I just read them as most people would read any `normal' persons auto-biography... for interest and enjoyment and because, for a change, I can identify with the experiences the main character describes.
   
   Diagnosed with Asperger syndrome at 12 and sent away to a residential school for young people with autism, this is the tale of the next 5 years of this girls life, the characters she meets, the emotional struggles she faces, and her rebellion against a misguided and inflexible system.
   
   However, Jessica makes clear herself in the introduction that this book is not about naming and shaming people from her past. Names are changed, characters are composite, and she describes the experiences rather than the events, in a way that I at least found meaningful and compelling. My only disappointment was reaching the end and still wanting to know what happened next.
   
   I don't think you'll learn much about AS from reading this, but it is still a worthwhile read in my opinion.

2 comments about Deaf Women's Lives: Three Self-Portraits (Deaf Lives Series, Vol. 3).

1. The collaborative effort of Bainy Cyrus, Eileen Katz, Celeste Cheyney, and Frances M. Parsons, Deaf Women's Lives: Three Self-Portraits presents the lives of three deaf women through their own eyes and in their own words. One works as a counselor for mainstreamed deaf and disabled students; one survived harrowing Nazi attacks upon England during World War II; and one has traveled the world to teach administrators and deaf students how to communicate better. Black-and-white photographs illustrate this inspirational triple biography of women who refused to let their inability to hear limit their lives or their dreams.



2. Being a physician, albeit a hearing one, I considered myself fairly insightful about communicating with deaf people. How wrong I was! This book educated me in terms of "deaf awareness", helping me to understand better the challenges, and above all, the incredible hard work that deaf people face when functioning in a hearing world. For the first time, I glimpsed the rationale behind a deaf culture where sign language reigns supreme, where those of us who hear and talk with our voices are superfluous in a rich, rewarding personal life. I imagine that signing feels like putting on a comfortable pair of slippers after struggling all day in uncomfortable leather shoes that do not fit well!
   
   In the book, the three women profiled show us three different approaches to communicating with others in their world. Most importantly for me is that they tell their stories as women - women who have made their way through life with courage, determination and great good humor. Such is the measure of success. In their work, these women have ministered to the deaf, as well as families, schools, and communities. Through this book, they minister to all of us, helping us understand some extraordinary people who cross our paths.

3 comments about The Dilemma: A Memoir.

1. The Dilemma is an excellent depiction of life with a severely ill manic-depressive parent, and the adaptations necessary for the family to survive as a unit.

   Ms. Goss' attention to detail, her wit, and the story she shares with us make for a spellbinding book. Brew a pitcher of iced tea and get comfortable, because you won't be able to put this book down!

   Treatment of manic-depression, or bipolar disorder, has improved by orders of magnitude in the last few years. But abuses by hospital staffers like the ones described in The Dilemma still continue.




2. Title: The Dilemma

   Author: Tina Goss

   ISBN: 1571971610

   Publisher: Pentland Press, Inc

   Published: 1999

   Tina writes a compelling memoir of growing up with a father diagnosed with Bipolar Affective Disorder (Manic Depression), a major mental disorder. Tina's dad spent a large part of his life in institutions, at a time when there was no real treatment for the illness. Patients at that time (in the 60's and 70's) were treated mainly by the use of restraints...either chemical (heavy anti psychotic tranquilizing medications) or physical (being bound to the bed by straps or strips of cloth). Tina's dad suffered both of these denigrating and humiliating circumstances.

   The Dilemma is a story of unabridged love and support. It is a story of how Tina and her mother coped with his illness. Parts of it will bring tears to your eyes and other parts will have you laughing at the humor they employed to maintain their own sanity. They tried everything and remained ever hopeful that the next thing they tried would prove to be the answer to their prayers.

   Yet Tina's Dad deteriorated. Physical illness in the form of severe emphysema entered the picture and he spent more and more time in hospital. Throughout it all, Tina was going through the normal trials and tribulations of growing up...surely enough for a young person without the added stress of a mentally ill parent.

   Tina was writing college exams, her mother had just had surgery and her father was dying. What was Tina to do? Tell her mother? Keep it from her? It was the biggest dilemma Tina had ever faced

   Read "The Dilemma" to find out more, a book I highly recommend to anyone looking for a personal glimpse of a courageous family living with a severe mental illness.

   Note: Personally I strongly related to "The Dilemma". I grew up with a mother diagnosed Manic Depressive from 1950 until her death in 1974. Tina and I share many common bonds of feelings and experiences, though no two stories are ever the same. In 1979 I myself was diagnosed with the same disorder. Fortunately for me I am one of the lucky ones. Although there is no cure as yet, effective treatment is available. My psychiatrist told me from the beginning that in earlier years I would have spent my life institutionalized.




3. I found the method of writing was quite talented and well written. Though I do not agree with her misplaced anger. It is obvious that the Catholic Church had sustained her family through this difficult time that the war, chain smoking, addiction to valuum, etc. had brought upon their family. I fail to understand why her anger was not directed toward these aspects that were the real culprits in their miserable lives, NOT the church.