5 comments about The Red Devil : A Memoir About Beating The Odds.

1. I loved this book so much...I even blogged about it:
   
   [...]
   
   I got this book in the mail over the weekend, but I didn't begin reading it until last night. I crawled into bed and picked it up off my nightstand. I was mentally exhausted from writing most of the day, but this clever little book kept me up.
   
   Katherine's memoir through breast cancer at age 32, divorce and career is witty (I have literally laughed out loud), informative (well researched info on cancer) and empowering. She's brave and honest as hell.
   
   Cons (or warning): It can be tough to read the treatment portions, but hey, it's a reality right????
   
   I highly recommend the book for young female cancer survivors, and young female cancer patients. Please get a copy for yourself or a loved one- they will thank you!
   
   The Red Devil Rocks and so does Katherine!
   
   Love & Light,
   
   Regina



2. This book keeps me sane when I start freaking out about my own lousy diagnosis. I first read about it in OPRAH magazine, and bought it after my Stage 3C diagnosis at age 45. Her strength and honesty, and spectacular fight with cancer have really helped me. When you have an advanced diagnosis, and are facing multiple surgeries, chemo, and rads, you don't want to read about some whiney Stage 1 chick who's getting a lumpectomy and rads.
   This author goes through all the horrors of cancer treatment and multiple recurrances, with a sense of humor. I love this book!



3. Katherine Russel Rich's stirring memoir of her struggle with breast cancer takes the reader on a harrowing journey from the end of Rich's marriage in 1988 and her almost immediate discovery that she had cancer, through chemotherapy, to the discovery that her cancer had metastasized into her bones, and finally to her resolute remission and the reconstruction of her life. Rich, who was only 32 and living a fast, glamorous (booze, fatty food, and cigarette filled) life as a magazine editor in New York, was floored by the realization that she had cancer, and at first tried to downplay the terrible physical and psychological effects of her disease and treatment. Yet Rich finds that denial and isolation only make her chemotherapy more painful and exhausting, and that the wry wit she uses to fend off her feelings of hopelessness, victimhood, and dependency can only last so long.
   Despite the way the author lays bare her emotions, this book is no made-for-T.V. movie or sappy Hallmark card. Rich is acerbic and analytical, looking back on her experience and pointing out both her triumphs and her failings. At 32 she considered herself far too young to develop cancer, and her doctors felt the same way. Some of the book's most powerful moments are those in which Rich realizes her doctor's failings--discouraging her from having a mammogram or a biopsy, failing to explain her disease in anything but technical jargon, rushing her into procedures without helping her determine what would actually be best for her. It is in these retrospective moments that Rich provides the most scientific, biological information about cancer; this is no textbook, but the explanations of the multicellular manifestations of cancer and the actions of chemotherapy drugs provide a stable background that would benefit anyone faced with Rich's diagnosis. Stronger still is Rich's candid description of the havoc and exhaustion wreaked by her chemotherapy cocktail. She spares no details, using vivid language to evoke her experience.
   For me, this book gave cancer a face, one with which I could identify. While Rich's battle with cancer began the year I was born, and she was taking far more risks with her health than I do, I was affected by the testimony of an active, intellectual woman, unsettled and supposedly in the prime of life. Rich's use of dark humor and unflinching self-analysis, and her evasion of stick-sweet platitudes about her victory over the disease, make the book not only instructive, but at times even fun. This is not to say, of course, that cancer is funny--but by remaining human, instead of presenting herself as a heroic martyr, Rich made me like her as a whole person, not just a victim. This understanding allowed me to imagine myself in her place, and to wonder how I would fare, faced with the pain, tiredness, and deadliness of cancer.
   Two of her experiences bear important messages for society: First, Rich found herself increasingly isolated once she began telling people she had cancer. Even though she continued working, she had very little contact with coworkers or former friends--only few, including her ex-husband, persevered with her. This isolation made her disease even more unbearable, and slowed her recovery, even dulling her will to live. Second, Rich did not make a full recovery. After being told she was "cured," her cancer reappeared, this time spread through seven sites in her bones. This not-quite success story shows us that cancer remains a mortal threat, and, conversely, that small victories--like Rich's survival beyond the single year projected for her--matter.



4. I would recommend this book to anyone with breast cancer who enjoys reading other's story of breast cancer. It is well written, easy to read and hard to put down. If you don't like reading books that show the darker side of breast cancer and all that entails, then don't buy this book. Not only does this book show you the dark, miserable, lonely side of dealing with breast cancer, but gives you many examples of miracles, hope, humor and I laughed out loud at the ms patient who decided to join the breast cancer support group. Hilarous. I loved it because of the truthful way she portrayed this disease and it's impact on the woman, her mate, her family, work and work relationships, oncologists, the medical system in general etc. She has a wonderfully delightful way of writing her story. Would read anything else she publishes based on that fact alone.



5. For a cancer survivor to record the whole nasty experience and not succumb to the fear that the words she writes will be her last is so courageous and selfless. They don't have to share, but they do. My mother-in-law is in her second remission from ovarian cancer. As a family member who so dearly loves her and wishes this evil cancer would be silenced, Kathy's novel is refreshing. I agree with the fact a cancer patient has to keep her head in the game. Trusting one doctor is foolish when you're gambling with your life. It's better to ask, then lose time. Loved it.

2 comments about Ernie Davis : The Elmira Express, the Story of a Heisman Trophy Winner.

1. The Elmira Express (on which the movie, The Express, is based) may not be the most literary piece of work ever written, but it the real story of Ernie Davis' legacy. The movie may make for good "family viewing", but this book explains the TRUE story of just how brave, unselfish and caring this young man was, right up until his death. The book explains the indepth accounts of not only Ernie Davis' plight, but also of those who coached him, loved him, and experienced his untimely death. If you have a teen-ager, please try to get him (or her) to read this book. It may just change your child's view of the world. Well... OK...Just maybe.



2. This isn't the greatest book, but a very good and emotional read about a guy that a lot of people should strive to be. Hopefully the movie coming out next year will capture the true heart of Ernie Davis.

5 comments about Making Peace with Autism: One Family's Story of Struggle, Discovery, and Unexpected Gifts.

1. This book was honest and heartfelt. Our family is at the beginning of our journey on the autism spectrum, but there were so many things in this book that we could relate to already. I couldn't put it down when I read it. It was refreshing to read about how another family has coped with this tragedy and how it has survived and even grew stronger without the affected child having necessarily been "cured." It has helped me realize that the most important thing for any family is acceptance.



2. Sue Senator's autism book is not just another parent's story about facing autism. She has something to say, useful information to immpart, and she is not looking to find or share a miracle cure. She is a little ahead of the curve on the autism epidemic - her son is nearly grown - and thus her perspective is very useful for parents with younger children (and typical siblings) wondering about the future and coping with diagnosis and the larger issues of long-term advocacy.



3. After reading countless books on autism, mostly about theories and treatments, this book is a breath of fresh air! It was so encouraging to read an honest, open life story of a family living with autism on a daily basis. It doesn't give false hope, nor do the family members act like little stoics. They're just real people who are dealing with life every day, and who try to find real happiness in just taking life one day at a time. I admire Susan Senator's positive attitude. She admits that she has a tough time, but picks up the pieces and goes on from there. I thank her for sharing such a personal story; it will help countless families.



4. This is a good read for young families first struggling with a new diagnosis of Autism. Also good for families with siblings, with advice about how to care for their needs.



5. Parents of autistic kids and any who work with autism need MAKING PEACE WITH AUTISM: ONE FAMILY'S STORY OF STRUGGLE, DISCOVERY, AND UNEXPECTED GIFTS: it provides important keys to coping and discusses the challenges of raising an autistic child. Susan Senator raised a child with a severe autism spectrum disorder along with two other normally-developing boys: her strategies offer invaluable coping insights and shows how the entire family changed and adjusted.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch

5 comments about El Niño Sin Nombre: La lucha de un niño por sobrevivir.

1. As a Psychotherapist and campaigner for the rights of children I would recommend this book as a compulsory text for any course on child care, therapy or education.
   It is gripping, moving,shocking and eye-opening. It is particularly relevant to understand the capacity of disturbed parents to hide and disguise their cruelty and the mind confusing, emotionally scarring dilemmas faced by the abused child.
   And yet it is hopeful and heart warming.



2. I am a special education teacher at a residential treatment facility that works with children in similar situations. As an end of the year project, I read this story to my 16-18 year old high school girls. They wouldn't let me put it down. The emotions, empathy, and similar situations my girls experienced were finally put into words. David, to them, is a survivor and has given them hope for their own future! Thank you Mr. Pelzer for sharing your story and helping my girls know that they are not the only ones!



3. The story a child called "it" it shows us the life of a boy longing to be loved. he is abused by his alcoholic mother. his father is torn between the two but chooses not to tell anyone. all his younger syblings are treated with love and care. he is trying to survive in his mothers 'hell'. i recommend this book to teens and young adults it will open your eyes to smoething you might have been blinded by but yet still happens in the world today... Abuse. some people just dont have the courage to stand up for what they know and believe is right. but just think about it you would be saving and inoccent life and giving a chance that wouldnt have been givin.



4. This book was about a boy named David who went through a rough time when he was younger. He would get abused by his mother and his dad was an alcholic. The boy had no right and no say in that house hold his younger brothers had more say then he did. he would get tortured everyday and his mother would make him stay and live in the basement with nothing. Later in the book he finally gets rescued and is put into a shelter home. His life isnt how it use to be anymore.



5. As I read this, parts of the text were unbearable. Yet, Dave's story is an unfortunate reality of the deviance that exists within the human psyche to control, manipulate and abuse another. Anyone involved with educating children in whatever form they chose should read this because the truth brings to light what is hidden in the darkness. Dave is definitely an overcomer and his book will challenge you to look at the little boys and girls we see each day...a bit more carefully and mercifully.

5 comments about The Soul of Sponsorship: The Friendship of Fr. Ed Dowling, S.J. and Bill Wilson in Letters.

1. The Soul of Sponsorship: The Friendship of Fr. Ed Dowling, S.J. and Bill Wilson in LettersAn excellent historical portrait of Bill Wilson and his relationship with a spiritual sponsor.



2. This is an important book - a good piece for the total A.A. picture. I cite the book frequently in my books (http://www.dickb.com/titles.shtml). I had a long chat with the author Fr. Fitzgerald just after our History Conference in Minnesota. And I found the priest to be genial, tolerant, inquisitive, and quite willing to swap views and trade laughs.
   
   The book's importance lies not so much in what Father Dowling and Bill Wilson said to each other. Dowling was not part of the founding of A.A., but a very big part of helping to shape what A.A. became during and after Bill Wilson's long years of depression after he wrote the Big Book. And when Bill emerged from the dark cloud in the 1950's, he turned to two Jesuit priests - Father Ed Dowling and Father John Ford - for consultation and editing of two A.A. books that dramatically changed how A.A. looked at itself. The books were A.A. Comes of Age and Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Real Twelve Step Fellowship History.
   
   But it has taken a long time for writers and publishers other than A.A. to depart from story-telling and drunkalogs and turn to feature facts about some of the great individual contributors to the biography of A.A. itself. Father Dowling was one such person, and Fr. Fitzgerald puts him in context. Sister Ignatia was another, and Mary Darrah put her in context. Clarence Snyder was another, and Mitch K. put him in context. Dr. Silkworth was another, and Dale Mitchel put him in context. Lois Wilson was added to the group with the new When Love is Not Enough. And even Bill's own long-submerged partial autobiography only saw the light of day toward the end of Bill Pittman's life. And now we've had more than a dozen biographical efforts at the life of Bill Wilson. Even Nell Wing's story and the story of Dr. Bob's kids have hit the light of day. They are all important--not so much for content--as for meeting the hunger of AAs and others for something other than abstinence and meetings, for some real spiritual insight. A.A. now calls itself a spiritual program. The courts rule that it is a religious program. But history defines it as one where early alkies sought recovery through establishing and growing in a relationship with their Creator God and Alcoholism: Our Growing Opportunity in the 21st Century. The role-players in that drama are what this book is about Making Known the Biblical History and Roots of Alcoholics Anonymous: A Sixteen-Year Research, Writing, Publishing, and Fact Dissemination Project, Third Edition.
   
   There are more figures to be studied. Bill Pittman and I did a short piece on Reverend Samuel M. Shoemaker, Jr.; and I did an exhaustive study of Shoemaker's writings, friendship with Wilson, and role in A.A. long ago.New Light on Alcoholism: God, Sam Shoemaker, and A.A. (2d ed.). I obtained Anne Smith's Journal and brought that important historical piece to light.Anne Smith's Journal, 1933-1939: A.A.'s Principles of Success. Of late, I did what I could with the A.A. role of Henrietta Buckler Seiberling.Henrietta B. Seiberling: Ohio's Lady with a Cause, Third Edition. To a limited extent, I have been able to provide some material on T. Henry and Clarace Williams, in whose home the formative meetings were held The Akron Genesis of Alcoholics Anonymous.
   
   There are still many pieces and much more detail that need illumination, and I believe they will receive treatment now that the history rush has become acceptable. The pieces include the Bible, Quiet Time, Professor William James, Dr. Carl G. Jung, the rescue missions, the Salvation Army, Christian Endeavor Society, the YMCA, and the New Thought writers. Both Mel B. and Glenn C. are chugging away at the latter.
   
   Love and tolerance will be the code, as the Big Book suggests, if and when the A.A. heirarchy and AAs themselves are willing openly, freely, and discerningly to look at all the spiritual roots of their program and look at them in depth and tolerance. This means going beyond the usual chatter about Bill Wilson's violin and boomerang or about his shortcomings. I've tried to take the new approach in my recent books about the youth of Bill Wilson and Robert Smith and their religious training Dr. Bob of Alcoholics Anonymous: His Excellent Training in the Good Book As a Youngster in Vermont.
   
   Fr. Fitzgerald's book is part of the story too. For it must be remembered that even Bill Wilson thought enough of the clergy to have Father Dowling and Reverend Shoemaker speak at the St. Louis International Convention. And then in Long Beach, Bill had Shoemaker and another high-ranking Roman Catholic clergymen address AAs at their convention. And why not! Drinking stories are perhaps best told by drunks. But religious and spiritual matters are certainly enhanced when we open our hearts to what the clergy said and have to say.



3. This small book packs a powerful punch not only in it's historical value but in it's messages of discernment, humility, and thoughtful soul-searching. Following the relationship of a Jesuit priest who was having his own spiritual doubts with that of a former stockbroker who helped to found Alcoholics Anonymous, one is drawn into the very human quest not only for friendship and acceptance from another human being but the added bonus of a profound insight in one's psyche of a Higher Power .



4. It is always fascinating to learn about the beginnings of the 12 step movement. From this book it is clear that Bill W. utilized the Ignatian discernment criteria for writing the Twelve and Twelve with the support and guidance provided by Fr. Ed Dowling at Bill's request. Learning that very early on Fr Dowling considered food addiction an issue was a help. The book is well-researched and provides important insights into recovery, sponsorship, and the frienship between these men. It is clear that Fr. Dowling had a profound influence on the movement and gave it practical as well as spiritual support. I can't help feeling grateful.



5. I found this book to be of interest in my addiction. It shows that the incurable can be greatly helped in restoring the alcoholic(addict) in returning to a productive life among his fellow man by following a spiritual path.

3 comments about The World I Live In (New York Review Books Classics).

1. I received the book promptly. The material was in new condition without any flaws. I was very pleased. Thank you!



2. She tries to help you understand the reality of her life. It is much more than you can imagine.



3. What beautiful writing! It's pointed out in the intro that, more than most of us, her world was shaped with WORDS. I've only read about four essays so far, and am profoundly touched. I've always admired Helen Keller, but am newly re-impressed with her wisdom and vision, and touched that she can write so clearly as to make me feel how little she felt limited by her handicap. If Helen Keller had simply learned to behave and ask politely for her food, etc, it would have been an impressive accomplishment. The fact that she grew to fully embrace her intelligence, her world and her potential . . . wow. I know so many people who are content to just do the bare minimum, to not stretch their limits at all, to not show any intellectual curiosity . . . she had the perfect excuse to exert the least effort, yet she didn't. Once she was given the key, the entree to humanity, she didn't let her handicaps stop her. I love that even all these years later, she is still able to share that.

4 comments about My Body Politic: A Memoir.

1. I would advise the person and the family of the person with a spinal cord injury (SCI) to learn. When you become able to read, that is. I found that I could not read anything at first. Partly because of denial and partly because I was suddenly pluncked down in an alien world, much like the world I had always lived in, just considerably taller. The simplest things I had done before my SCI became incredibly difficult, if they were possible at all. My mind, body and emotions were in such shock that I could not read anything. The information which was given to me became impossible to understand. I didn't ever think that I would just get up and walk, although my dreams were (and still are) full of running, climbing and even flying. I was dealing with pain that cannot be discribed and I got remarkably little help with it. Until my constant pain was somewhat under control, I didn't plan, for the future or even for the next moment.
   
   The idea of having some kind of normal life was not even a consideration for me. Just breathing and existing; in an odd sort of way a kind of Zen "being in the moment," was all I could achieve. And it was NOT a form of enlightenment; on the contrary, it was an "indarkenment."
   
   So I might not recommend this book for the newly injured. It is possible that it would not make sense, even if the newly injured person were able to read. For someone who is past that first shock and confusion, though, this could be very helpful. It is clear in pointing out that there are as many different people with a SCI as there are people without one. Very clear and helpful in pointing out the main directions which are still available for people with a SCI. Get this book for someone you love, but don't push it. Just make sure it is available and, when the person is really ready, it will be there for them.



2. I am happy to recommend this book to anyone who wishes to gain insight into the daily, lifelong challenges faced by individuals with physical disabilities. It is a book which educates without slapping those of us without obvious disabilities in the face using the "you can't possibly understand how it is for me" method of "enlightenment." Instead it allows the reader to peer through a window into Ms. Linton's life, to develop an understanding of the many barriers and related challenges she and others with similar disabilities face related to what most people take for granted: traveling freely throughout one's environment, gaining an education, dancing, making love, making a life. The book educates by engaging the reader in the journey Ms. Linton has taken from her early days as an activist for peace to her later days as an advocate for equality.



3. This is a beautiful book that I couldn't put down once I started reading. Linton's account of her entry into the world of the disabled and her gradual movement toward activism answers questions I've always been afraid to ask. Besides being funny, angry, compassionate, frank, and always interesting--she's a wonderful storyteller. The book reads like a great novel. It's as powerful as James McBride's memoir, The Color of Water, and should become a classic. Read it and you'll see why.



4. I innocently picked up this book from the table at a relative's house, read the first page and could not put it down. The story of Simi Linton's internal and external struggles and revelations in a new world are presented in an effective understated tone that treats the reader as a partner in the adventure. Along the way we get to examine our own attitudes about disability. The book is so well written and real that I feel that I have been taken for that 'ride' the little girl asked about (you have to read the book).

5 comments about Holy Hunger: A Woman's Journey from Food Addiction to Spiritual Fulfillment.

1. I read Holy Hunger because I have a friend who is struggling with an eating disorder and because I had the pleasure of meeting Bullitt-Jonas at a conference. I was glad I did. Bullitt-Jonas is an Episcopal priest, writer, environmental activist, retreat leader, Harvard PhD, marathon runner, and spiritual director. She was also a food addict who writes to share the lessons she learned about compulsive overeating.
   
   Bullitt-Jonas began binge eating in the tenth grade. By the time she was thirty food controlled her body, mind and spirit. She describes her late night forays to the grocery store where she would furtively buy her "drug of choice." Sometimes she would inhale an entire box of donuts in the car. Other times she would wait until she returned home to consume an entire pie at her kitchen counter. In one four day period she gained eleven pounds; on another occasion she did not eat anything for ten days. In one of many turning points, the pleasant lies told at the funeral of a colleague who had committed suicide outraged her. How could the family lie so badly about what had happened?
   
   And then the penny dropped. Much of Bullitt-Jonas's book is about unearthing her family archaeology of enormous wealth but deep dysfunction. Her grandparents' home was lined with paintings of Picasso, Matisse, and Gaugin. Boarding school in Switzerland and Maryland was followed by Russian studies at Stanford and then Harvard. Her parents were polar opposites. Her mother was taciturn, private, and emotionally distant. Her father, a Harvard professor, was a volatile and verbal alcoholic who loved to sail his boat directly into a storm. In between were the people-pleasing, the peace-making, the perfectionisms that were pleas for love, and the emotional starvation not for food but for human affirmation. Over it all was an unspoken compact of silence: "we didn't do feelings in my house." The wealth could not cloak the deep emotional, psychological and spiritual poverty of everyone involved.
   
   Eventually Bullitt-Jonas connected with Overeaters Anonymous and Adult Children of Alcoholics. She took an acting class, enrolled in Buddhist meditation, met the man she eventually married, and even rejoined her church community, all of which helped her to listen to her own voices, to discover her personal identity apart from her family, and to begin writing a new story. In the end, she construes her story as a memoir about desire, "the desire beyond all desire," as she puts it. Her words reminded me of the opening sentences of Augustine's Confessions, that "God has made us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee." There are no victims or villains here, no shaming and blaming, either of herself or of her family. Rather, Bullitt-Jonas has written a beautiful story of redemption that combines courageous truth-telling with tender compassion. I hope she will write a sequel.



2. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas has written a compelling account of her addiction to binge eating and the arduous process of recovery through a 12 steps program. She describes with great insight the poison of family secrets, based on her years growing up in a cold household where feelings were buried and everyone ignored her father's destructive alcoholism. During her own recovery, Bullitt-Jonas connects with a deep Christian faith, which is the subject of another book one hopes she will write one day. Bullitt-Jonas provides powerful descriptions and insight into the nature of addiction. This is a beautiful book, well written and filled with memorable stories about family secrets, a daughter's complex relationship with her mom and dad, and her deep need for connection and acceptance.



3. It angers me that a couple of smug and snippy reviewers may have prevented this beautiful story from getting to all the people it could help. In my own twelve-step struggle, Margaret Bullitt-Jonas has become a strong companion on the uphill climb.



4. I could not put this book down. As a person who struggles with compulsive overeating and I have joined Overeater's Anonymous and found the program most effective. The author of this book has also benefitted from the life-saving work of OA and the help of God. A truly beautiful book, it should be read by all women! But especially those struggling with any eating disorder.



5. I don't have much to add to the positive reviews below, but I do want to underscore the quality of the writing, as well as the insight offered in this book. This is a narrative, rather than a 'how-to,' where the author really opens herself up, using her journey as a model for the journey so many of us must take. She is a wonderful example, expressing her life through her excellent writing.

1 comments about Silent Thunder.

1. Silent Thunder is a book that once in your hands you can't put it down. It's a true story of a Deaf football player that Played foe the 2000 National Championship OU football team. He over came domestic and child abuse and witnessed first hand unbelievable violence. But he did over come and eventually succeed in his dreams. A five star review no doubt waiting on the next book!!!!

1 comments about Asperger Syndrome And Social Relationships: Adults Speak Out About Asperger Syndrome (Adults Speak Out About Asperger Syndrome Series).

1. This book sure helps you to strengthen not only your knowledge but strategies of how to cope with your Asperger Syndrome and social lives. So I'd like to recommend this especially to those who remain undiagnosed as AS and bogged down in cruel reality; they may find their unexpected AS symptoms they had never recognized before! It is as if they could finally get out of a long tunnel. And they will get a chance to know themselves objectively.
   Certainly, AS itself won't disappear for the rest of Aspies' lives, where they may feel distant and different from society. However, I'm sure they will make the best use of their own pros of AS!