2 comments about Ultimate Challenges.

1. This book is a timely example of what a true athlete is. With what is going on in the so called "real world of sports", with players in baseball, football, basketball, golf and so on asking for and receiving more money than ever before, putting the fan completely out of reach with their ability to attend or even take part in the sport, you have Dr. Emener's book, showing us a different light. Ultimate Challenges shows us what kind of courage and dedication it takes to be an athlete, the Ultimate Athlete. It is also heart warming to know that Dr. Emener is donating the royalties of this book to the United State Olympic Committee. Just one more reason to buy this book and support these athlete's who have no real corporate sponsorship, unfortunately.



2. Dr. Emener has successfully defined 'heroism' in presenting these vignettes of athletes who have overcome tremendous hurdles. Need a huge shot of inspiration? Then this is a 'must read'! You'll move through your everyday problems with less whining, for sure.

No comments about A Handful of Empty : But a Heart Full of Love.

3 comments about Friendships in the Dark (Friendships in Dark).

1. As a country girl I have always loved the books written by James Herriot. When I read "Friendships in the dark" I knew that I had found another such writer. She knows the importance of a farm horse, the loyalty of a good old dog, and the companionship of a cat. I am not blind, but followed her and her dog guide Lear through every adventure, and cried huge tears at his death. I would recommend this title to anyone who loves animals, or to one who simply wants a good read. If you aren't an animal lover you may be one when you finish the book.



2. Review of Friendships in the Dark Phyllis Campbell is a writer, teacher, counselor, and musician, who happens to love animals. Her autobiography, Friendships in the Dark, chronicles ordinary events; leaving home, going to school, getting that first apartment, meeting her future husband - made magical by the intervention of the pets and people in her life. Blind since birth, Phyllis left home at six to attend Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind, where her sister Inez was also a student. Just as the blind seek a physical connection with objects and people to make the meanings denied by sight, Phyllis weaves emotional connections to the events in her life. Thus, the ill and homesick child, away at school for the first time, hears a dog that barks nightly on Beverly Street as a messenger from her dog Sly, at home 70 miles away. The prayer of the five-year-old Phyllis, "Please God, bring my cat home." is answered 20 years later when Phyllis and her sis! ter rescue the lost cat of another child. Her husband Chuck designed the wrist corsage Phyllis wore to play the piano at her senior dance, although the two were not to meet until years later. If you can't imagine what it is like to be blind, this book will enlighten you. You'll learn what braille is and how it's taught, and what it's like to lie in the school infirmary 50 years ago, haunted by grim ghosts of blind girls from a century before. You'll feel her anxiety when Phyllis flies alone to New York for 4 weeks of training at Guiding Eyes for the Blind, and the connection when she and the dog, Lear, suddenly bond. You'll understand her doubts as a blind woman contemplating marriage to a man with normal sight; "For me, there was always that fear that I couldn't take my place as a normal wife. What if I failed?" But it is the people, blind and sighted, and especially the animals in Phyllis's life that illuminate this book. From Gray Boy, the cat left home! when she went away to school, to Lady Jane Gray, the cat t! hat came with her first house and still commands the castle, to wonderful Lear -- the dogs and cats stalk and scamper through her book, dragging mayhem and laughter behind them. Like the good Virginia wool in the socks she knits, Phyllis Campbell's memories of pets and people in the past are woven together in a rich fabric. This book makes a great gift. Better yet, buy it for yourself.



3. Our world is for those with eyesight. Looking a loved one deep in the eyes, carefully avoiding getting hit in our busy traffic, watching our favorite movies or tv-shows. Who doesn't know the feeling of stumbling around in a dark house trying to find the lightswitch? But who can really imagine what it is like to live in this world without that sense of sight. Reading the story of a remarkable woman, who has never been able to see, but faces the world and her daily problems with great optimism, makes you reflect upon how our lives would be if we were unable to see. Would we have the courage to get up in the morning and face the day. I wonder. I really enjoyed reading her story, because it is so recognizable. Because we can see the dogs, the cats, the horses and her husband. Take an evening off and read her tales.

No comments about Far from Home: Memories of World War II and Afterward.

No comments about Cancer at 3 A.M..

1 comments about My Walk on the Parkinson's Path.

1. My Walk on the Parkinson's Path
   Excellent reading about a subject I knew little about.And how Parkinson's can effect a person and those around that person.(Read the Book) This is a must read My Walk on the Parkinson's Path.Thank you Kenneth Delabre for your story.

No comments about Pawn on a Chessboard.

2 comments about Silent Cries of Victims.

1. The author of Silent Cries of Victims takes you through a world of reality, yet you walk in the doors of terror. If you wanted to relate to world issues, violence against women, child abuse, multiple personality disorder-MPD, posttraumatic stress disorder-PTSD, as well as other mental or neurological disorders, step inside Silent Cries of Victims to see what truly goes on in our word. The author will take you through valleys of wars, while telling the audience just how it is. Pictures are posted in the book, which is a bit graphic, but the pictures drive the point home.
   
   Be prepared to face reality!



2. If you enjoy this book, you must check out Gravesite and Maggie's Book of Poetry. Also, checkout Lynquest in Search of the Greatness by Brian Hess in Dowagiac. Both authors bring originality back to its proper place.

5 comments about Not by Accident: Reconstructing a Careless Life.

1. I happened upon Not By Accident, at a yard sale of all things. This was a very lucky find. Samantha Dunn is an incredibly talented writer. Her story is courageous, honest, and intelligent. Her stoic and quirky humor propelled me on with an odd curiosity, only to watch her become vulnerable and naked in her healing process as well as her writing. I loved her internal musings and mental wanderings, it made me feel less alone, as though I were a part of a greater whole. I have recommended this book to many people and plan to read Failing Paris, if this is any example of what Samantha Dunn is capable of, I'm there.



2. ...you'll love this book. Dunn never met a comma she didn't like. After a while, her lack of attention to form becomes irritating. It's not just a stylistic affectation--it's an affront to her readers. I felt like asking the publisher for my money back. Is it too much to expect that the publisher give the book a decent copy-edit before asking customers to pay good money for it? Despite this gaping flaw, the story is interesting. Just don't expect a finished product.



3. I read a lot of memoirs and this one was very scattered. I couldn't keep track of where the author was a lot of the time. She grew up in many different places and she must have adopted that way of being--because that has become her writing style. I thought the cover looked good; but in this case 'don't judge a book by its cover.'



4. What a beautiful book. I felt her pain and her triumph. I recommend this book to everyone. I was truly touched by Samantha Dunn.



5. I read this book when it first came out, about eight years ago. It has always stayed with me, so much so that I am buying another copy now to read it again (I lent my first copy out, and hopefully it is still traveling around out there somewhere!). The story, beautifully told, is about a horrific accident and lengthy recovery, yes, but more than that, it is about a spiritual journey and transformation. Buy it, read it, you won't regret it!!!

4 comments about The Fire Within.

1. I think The Fire Within is a great book. It talks about someones fight with epilepsy. I understand that because I have it too. She talks to the reader like she is sitting next to you and I think thats cool. Its sad at times, but also shows how much she can get through with the love of her family. Her poetry is great too! Great book!



2. The Fire Within touches on the heartstrings of anyone who has epilepsy or knows anyone with the illness. It tells the true story of the young authors lifelong battle. Through times when it was believed she cried wolf until the seizures overpowered her and people had to believe. It shows her struggle in relationships, and with employment. Ultimatly, her struggle to find happiness again with the pain that she was fighting inside silently. Read the book its a fabulous find!



3. "...Like a ghost in the night and a stalker by daylight, its shadow captures my soul. Surrounded by heartache and pain it withers within. Empty feelings persist as the mind starts to wander-to places unknown. It's a feeling like no other. Air inflates the mind, making it impossible to think or speak. Like an explosion, the body falls prey to special demons waiting to pounce on their victim. Many do not understand these feelings. I know all too well for that is the fire that rages within me every hour of every day. I never know when it will taunt me in its own bizarre way or when it well release its venom through my veins. I think everyone has their own special demons or creatures within them. However, many do not have a name for them. Mine is epilepsy..."
   
   As a young girl, JoAnne Thornton-Ben Dchiche began journaling as a way to express the pain, the fear and the frustration of dealing with what she describes as her demons.
   
   As an infant, JoAnne survived meningitis and although she was on seizure medication for a year, it appeared that the meningitis left her with no negative after-effects so she was taken off the medication. The youngest of six children, JoAnne appeared to be normal, happy little girl. She was known as the `drama queen' of the family, so when she would attempt to describe her nightmares or blackouts, her family would often brush her off and tell her to stop pretending she was another soap opera character. Since what JoAnne was experiencing were petit mal seizures, no one noticed that there was a problem. When she tried to talk to a school nurse, she was told to stop faking sickness in an attempt to get out of school. Nobody believed her. So she started writing.
   
   It was not until she was working a full-time summer job and looking forward to entering college in the fall that her family began to notice bizarre physical changes and behaviors. Her voice and mannerisms would change; she would spill things or throw objects and not remember. What was happening is that the seizures were changing and increasing in intensity. Her body language finally proved what she had been trying verbalize all along: she needed help.
   
   The Fire Within is a compilation of JoAnne's journey into and through the fire that rages within her. Her story follows her life's ups and downs, twists and turns. At times painful to read as she describes her childhood and her first marriage, her sense of humor, her love of family and her ability to forgive comes through.
   
   It took great courage and commitment to produce this book. JoAnne's hope is that by sharing her story the general public will have a greater understanding of epilepsy and maybe a hope that adults (and school nurses) will learn to listen a little harder when a child is desperately trying to tell them something.



4. Before I read this, I always thought that I was all alone that there was no one else just like me out in the world. Now I know different. Its nice to know that just because I have something going on in my head that is different than most people, it isn't something to be ashamed of.
   This book showed me that. I may not be very old and haven't been through everything that the writer has but she showed me that you can overcome alot of problems in life just taking things one step at a time. I thank her for that. Its a really good book an easy to read one too. Thanks again.