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

1. The approach of accepting autism would have been enough on its own for me to like the book, but Susan Senator's writing is exceptional, and that is why I love this book. I laughed, I cried, I truly felt she's been through the same trenches I have. She understands. And she exudes a level of empathy through her words that brought me more comfort than any other book about autism I have read.
   
   The book is presented in a mostly chronological format, discussing her son's early years, her reaction to the diagnosis, going into depth about her emotions and listing all the questions that those of us who have been through it also asked. Senator includes a sidebar in this chapter called "Suggestions for Getting Through the Early Days, After Diagnosis," which lists some helpful tips, along with other topics such as "Beginning the Healing Process as a Couple" and "Making Crisis Storybooks for Your Child," known as 'social stories' in some areas. The following chapter describes the various early school programs in which her son was enrolled, and includes tips on preparing for IEP meetings, and what to look for with school placements. This information is invaluable for parents whose child has been recently diagnosed. I found myself wishing this book had been published in the 90s!
   
   The book addresses sibling interactions and traveling, including tips for successful family vacations. Following that is a chapter on sleep problems and the use of medication, with a thoughtful debate on whether to medicate or not. Basically, Senator urges parents to trust their instincts and educate themselves. She also lists strategies for dealing with problem behavior. The remaining chapters deal with more family issues, such as preparing for a new baby in the house and nurturing your marriage. Senator also mentions important information about leaving your child with others and making sure to carve out time to rest.
   
   My favorite part of the book is when Senator discovers that her son is trying to connect with her by laughing. I, too, made this discovery with my own son years ago. My son's sometimes annoying fake laugh is really the way he reaches out, wanting to have fun like everyone he sees around him. He is not completely closed off, in his own world. He has autism, but he is still there with us, interacting. Just on his own terms. It was so affirming to read that other families delight in this discovery as well.



2. 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.



3. 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.



4. 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.



5. 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 comments about Here and Now: Inspiring Stories of Cancer Survivors.

1. I am a patient currently going through treatment for stage 4 Lymphoma, and this book was SOOOOOOOO depressing. Yes, it tells it like it is, and sometimes you don't need to hear that. And if that's what the book is about it, it shouldn't be listed as "inspiring", because the only thing it inspires me to do is give up the little hope I have. My copy is holding a lovely spot in the trash.



2. If you are looking for another most inspirational story about a cancer survivor, read Tapestry: The Journey of Laurel Lee. CBS turned her hospital journal into a movie several years ago. Tapestry is her entire life story - it is filled with laughter, tears, hope and grace.



3. I am a cancer survivor and a personal coach for cancer survivors (rle444@yahoo.com). I have recommended this book to all of my clients. The stories tell it like it is: the good, bad and ugly. It's so important for current cancer patients to see the possibilites through the angst of having cancer and cancer survivors to have examples of the various tribulations and exhilaration of "cancer after life." cancer (little "c") is what you have, not who you are. I thank the authors for this beautiful and powerful evidence of the human spirit.



4. Everything the earlier revieiwers have said is true. This book inspired me to live my life more fully. You do not need to be a cancer survivor to be touched by these stories. They are stories about being human, and being ALIVE.



5. What characterizes this book is its intellectual and emotional honesty, and in that spirit, this reviewer acknowledges he knows one of the authors.

   The book tells the stories of 38 cancer survivors-38 very different individuals with very different stories to tell about how they first learned of their cancer, how they coped with it, how it changed their lives, how they face the world now.

   There is no false sentimentality, there's no polyanna, no posing. This is truth, not always pretty, but real. The two authors, themselves cancer survivors, have produced something that is greater than the sum of its 38 brief narratives. There is a powerful cumulative impact on the reader that lingers.

   What I was left with was a recognition that all of the very intense personal experiences these people had, making each one of them so very special, ultimately makes them very ordinary, just like you and me. And the scary, diagnostic names of their cancers also become strangely ordinary in their hideousness.

   These survivors tell us about themselves very simply; they demystify themselves. And they demystify the pathology of cancer. Ultimately the reader gets to see beyond the emotional fall-out of confronting cancer--the fears, the feelings of hurt and unfairness, of rejection, of loneliness, and so many more.

   This is a fine book. I'm sure it will have special meaning for both cancer survivors and cancer victims alike. But just as importantly, for many of us who are neither of these, it also helps us better understand ourselves. "The proper study of mankind is man," said Alexander Pope. You might adapt that truism to the study of mankind through this book.

5 comments about Blind Courage.

1. I first heard of Bill Irwin threw my sister and her husband as they are great friends with the Irwins. I got the book blind courage and read it , it was the most awesome book I have ever read and I have since met the Irwins and had Thanksgiving Dinner with them at my sisters and they are such a great couple with the love of God and life. Bill being blind is not a handicap at all to him , and those around him, he is the most sincere and god loving man Ive known. The book is great, I encourage everyone to read it and there is also a book called Oreint Express for the little ones.



2. Bill Irwin and Orient leads us down the trail over the mountains and into the forest unlike any other author. We see what he feels and senses around him. With every step we walk along with Bill and Orient, and we camp along with them and met some wonderful people along the way helping Bill and Orient along the trail. Wonderful story. Would love to meet Bill and Orient.



3. The story told in this book is truly mind-boggling, on several fronts. First, there is the adventure of hiking the Appalachian Trail. Secondly, there is the story of a BLIND man doing it! Third, is the whole topic of seeing eye dogs and the bond that develops between them and their owner. It blew me away, that this dog was able to do what he did, thus enabling Bill to complete this hike. Last but not least, it shows what is possible if we put our faith in God. Most of us rely on our own selves--Bill put his faith and trust in God in order to complete this journey. The book is easy to read, short chapters (which I like--makes it easier to pick up and put down), written from the heart. A great gift book!



4. I just finished reading "Blind Courage" for the second time. Bill Irwin's story offers a timeless story of courage, faith, and a triumphant spirit as he was the first "blind" person to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail. I write "blind" because Bill may not have the sense of eyesight, but throughout the book has great insight into persons he meets along his walk, and relates the greatest insight into his own self and his strengths and weaknesses, on a hike (he was not an experienced hiker) all possible by his enduring faith in our Lord and his confidence in his Seeing Eye dog, Orient. The book flows well,doesn't sound "preachy", and reads quickly--almost too quickly as we want to hear more. This is a great story by a great man who spent his first almost 50 years in turmoil, broken relationships, and losing his eyesight, but he finds himself and encourages and uplifts others along his hike. By the way, if you have an opportunity to hear him speak, Bill Irwin is an outstanding public speaker with a great message and is a very friendly individual. In summary, read this book if you are looking for modern heroes and uplifting people of faith doing the "impossible" regardless of whether you enjoy "outdoor/hiking/camping" books or not.



5. My review of this book is one of pure joy and inspiration. From the moment I laid eyes on this book I knew it had a great message written in it. I meet Bill and Orient when they came to the Lititz Grace Brethern Church. Even after reading his story and hearing his testomony it was totally indescribleable. Bill is a wonderful speaker and Orient is just the most lovable dog you could ever know. To have a dog like that which leads you over that terrain from Georgia to Maine is a true friend.

   They both had a good friend in the Lord and he truly lead them on a spititrual path and from all of this a remarkable story. Again I personally give this book FIVE STARS.

5 comments about Phone in the Fridge: Five Years with Multiple Sclerosis.

1. This book was funny, if a book about MS can be funny. I received my own diagnosis 18 yrs ago (when there really weren't any treatments available). I wish there'd been a book like this around then, because it shows that life goes on, and life is still good, and yet it doesn't pull any punches about how hard some of these symptoms are. The only question I have is whether all of Ms. Moorehead's cognitive challenges really are MS -- I was personally fine cognitively until I had kids, at which point my brain became overloaded with kid minutiae and quit functioning quite as well as it had before! This may or may not be MS, but I feel obliged to question it, because I don't want newly diagnosed patients to feel that all of these symptoms, particularly the cognitive symptoms, are inevitable. Having said this, I applaud Ms. Moorehead for sharing with us as she has. God bless her for the chapter on exercise. I thank her for her courage and her candor!



2. this book is about personal experiences that the author has had. she makes her experiences humerous. those that have experienced these symtoms know it isnt easy but you have to accept what you have. Its easy to identify with her and to see alot of your own symptoms or mine anyways. my husband is reading this book now so he can better understand me. I didnt think Id like this book but loved it. I reccomend this book to anyone with ms, their family and close friends. It is a good example of cognitive issues.



3. This book is very honest and funny! I have so enjoyed reading this as well as her other "coffee in the cereal". They both make me feel that I am not alone with the crazy things this disease does to my body, and better still, they make me smile about it! Thank you, Lorna for putting it all in perspective with humor,after all, it IS the best medicine anyway! :0)



4. I read Lorna's first book and this one is just as good if not BETTER. I have MS and I can totally relate to everything she writes about



5. Just as "Coffee in my Cereal", was an honest open expression of being newly diagnosed, this look into the ongoing saga of living with a disease without a roadmap was a delight to read. Lorna has such a way of sharing that touches people in so many ways with humor and insight. It makes others with the disease say I am not alone.

5 comments about The True History of the Elephant Man.

1. With twelve viewings so far, David Lynch's "The Elephant Man" has been my favorite movie for about twenty years, indeed one of the very few movies I would call a masterpiece. So it is quite a mystery why I should have waited so long to read this biography of its protagonist, Joseph Carey Merrick, whom the movie, following errors in the source material itself, incorrectly names John.
   
   Having already seen a decent BBC documentary on the subject ("The Curse of the Elephant Man"), I was not totally unaware of the facts of the case, and I already knew for instance that Joseph spent some time in the countryside, something which Lynch decided not to depict in his film so as to achieve a more complete immersion in his bleak, black and white vision of Victorian London (indeed, one type of shock a fan of the movie will encounter while reading the book comes from its occasional touches of colour : I remember being struck by the blue bunsene light that lit the Elephant Man's face when Treves first met him.)
   
   What is most surprising about the book, is how the film managed to be so faithful to Merrick's psychology (Lynch's John is the true Joseph, not some Hollywood fantasy), while altering many elements in the background, most of the secondary characters being dramatically different.
   
   To mention a few of the changes from reality to film :
   
   Joseph's manager as a freak, Tom Norman, was turned by the screenplay into Freddie Jones' very Dickensian Bytes, who beat and exploited his freak. Actually, Tom Norman was one of the few decent persons whom Joseph encountered before his change of fortune, enabling him to save as much as £50 (enough to live for a year without working) over his short career. The true evil was in fact the British government, which decided to ban all exhibitions of freaks as indecent (and references to Joseph's "nakedness" suggests that they may well have been), thereby forcing them out of the market and depriving them of their livelihood. To the writers' discharge, though, it might be argued that the fictional Bytes was a composite of Norman and the evil Austrian impresario who robbed Joseph of his savings in Belgium, which somewhat minimizes the gratuitousness of an all-too-typical Hollywood slur on the entrepreneur.
   
   One of the famous scenes of the movie, in which Joseph attends a pantomime, is asked by Treves to "stand up" before the audience and is applauded by them, is a complete reversal of the true incident. Actually, Joseph attended the show incognito, and the most stringent precautions were taken to keep the rest of the audience unaware of his arrival, presence and departure (but then, the screenwriters needed their second "stand up" scene for dramatic reasons.)
   
   In the film, Anne Bancroft's Mrs Kendal is shown visiting Joseph regularly at the hospital. Actually, the actress never met him in person, though she did send him her photograph and other presents. On the other hand, Princess Alexandra, who is shown much more sparingly in the film, did visit him several times, and send him Christmas cards.
   
   The scene in which Michael Elphick's night porter introduces a bunch of drunks and prostitutes into Joseph's rooms may also be an exaggeration from much more minor real-life incidents. Also, on his return to London, Joseph did not find refuge in the toilets, but in the waiting room of the railway station. As for the model church he made, Lynch hides the fact that Joseph was actually using commercialized cut-and-assemble models from the local bookstore, which the nurses helped him assemble. The film makes it appear that Joseph had some wonderful artistic gift and was very dexterous, whereas his enormous right hand prevented him from even working in the cigar industry.
   
   One thing I was curious about was Joseph's religion, as the film has very little to say about it, or about religion at the hospital in general. His mother was a Baptist, and the Bible was a book he had read several times over. When at the London Hospital, he was "confirmed" by an Anglican "bishop" (I am using scare quotes because as a Catholic I believe Anglican "bishops" are not validly ordained and, being mere laymen, do not have the power to confirm anyone) and allowed to participate in church services at the chapel.
   
   Howell and Ford's book is truly a biography everyone should read. It gives an excellent picture of Victorian London, conditions in Poor Houses, the whole milieu of country fairs and freak shows and life at the London Hospital. It also contains a two-page autobiographical piece by Joseph himself, and the relevant extract from Treves' famous "The Elephant Man and Other Reminiscences", but it is well-researched enough to point out the few errors and inaccuracies in these primary sources themselves. It also corrects erroneous interpretations in Ashley Montagu's earlier book on the subject.
   
   All in all, this is a superb read, which could serve as concrete argument against a culture of death which is too ready to consider some lives not worth living. "Happy every hour of the day", after all, was how Joseph himself described his life at the hospital. And his happiness is one of the things most readers will paradoxically end up envying him.



2. This book cannot help but touch every human being who reads it! With so many disabled people in our world, and our pre-occupation with appearances and the body beautiful, the elephant man story covers all the physical and emotional aspects of living with an extreme disability with dignity and humility for all readers to experience. Of course the help and support he and others must receive all helps. Peter Ford presents his extensive research findings on those that came to the elephant man's aid in a personable way. Although the film is based on his life, the book reflects Joseph Merrick's life in reality, politely comparing the differences between his film persona and his real life condition. It helped me to fill in the gaps left after watching the film and left me with a thankfulness of how well off my family and I are.



3. The very nature of this topic is difficult to accept given its sadness. However, with only the very-well-made movie to capture its subject, this book helps define everything, thereafter. Nothing can alleviate the weight of its subject matter; but, it does help one to interpret the man, more than the mystique. Ultimately, it makes you glad that Mr. Merrick did have a graceful exit from life given the dire physical deformity that shaped it.



4. Very good and in-depth book on the life of not only Joseph Merrick, but also Mr. Treves and many other people who happened into his life. Can you imagine even for one minute being in this guys shoes? I mean can any of us even begin to grasp the sort of life Joseph must of had to deal with? Can you imagine being so utterly repulsive looking (sorry, but he was) that just one glance at your face would make people flee, children cry, and women pass out, I mean think about just how horrible that would have been. He also suffered from chronic pain, and smelled something awful. Yet, beyond that he was such a kind, gentle, shy, caring, lovable and curious individual, who by all accounts would of been completely normal and was highly intelligent. What a life, what a great true story of a very strong determined soul.



5. 'Tis true my form is something odd
   but blaming me is blaming God,
   Could I create myself anew
   I would not fail in pleasing you.

   If I could reach from pole to pole
   or grasp the ocean with a span,
   I would be measured by the soul -
   the mind's the standard of the man.

   I bought this book many years ago, unfortunately I made the mistake of lending it to someone and I never got it back. This is a remarkable book. I was touched by Joseph Merrick years ago. For the past nine years, I have been running the Joseph Carey Merrick Tribute Website. It is a site dedicated to Joseph, the person - not Joseph, the disability. I'm presently heading a London and Leicester (UK) campaign to have a commemorative plaque erected in his honour. He deserves to have a permanent tribute. He has done a great deal to advance medical science, through his skeleton, and thanks to him, there will one day be a cure for Proteus Syndrome. It's time the world said 'thank you'. Please give your moral support by visiting the site. I'm not sure if web addresses can be mentioned here, so simply type the following in your web browser: Joseph Carey Merrick Tribute Website

5 comments about The Little Locksmith: A Memoir.

1. This book has been sitting around on my shelf since I was a child. I thought it was a child's book when I was young, but couldn't read it. I just pulled it off the shelf again, and have discovered what will become one of my favorite books about hope, determination, the power of positive thinking, and art - its struggles, its blisses, its importance. It is a must read for any writer, or for that matter, any artist who struggles with stealing time to do their art without feeling somehow guilty, or fearful, or terribly isolated. It is about transcendance despite ridiculous odds. It is an amazing, amazing book. I'm so glad I got around to it.



2. This book is enchanting, wonderful, and beyond description, except to say it is a testament to the human spirit.
   
   If you read this and loved it, also look at "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," by Jean-Dominique Bauby. If you can't imagine living on your back for ten years, try imagining writing a book using only the ability to blink one eye, to dictate letter by letter. Tis book is another testament to the human spirit.



3. This book is amazing, I am 15 and I read it, my mother at 39 read it, my grandma read it and my younger sister at 13 read it. Everyone takes away some different, but something wonderful from this book. It is absolutely indescribable, you have to read it; right now, order it, read it, it will change your outlook on life.



4. This is a beautiful book on so many levels. The author's voice, the author's spirit, the author's technique of storytelling are awe inspiring. If you have been led to this page, take it as a sign and order this book, reading it is an experience and I can't wait to read it again. If you are looking for a gift to give someone else then this is it, but read it first yourself so that you can trully share it.



5. My husband gave this book to me and I am truly enjoying it! Katharine sees things from a rare perspective. Her life transformed her into someone that could see deep into even the most mundane subjects. I feel a new appreciation for even the sounds of crickets! She was certainly a person who's cup was always half full! This book is like welcome raindrops, enveloping you and staying with you long after the drops have evaporated!

1 comments about Asperger Syndrome - A Love Story.

1. This is a great book. It's funny and charming and honest. I love the bluntness that Kevin exhibits (even if we're just going to attribute it to AS.) For example:
   
   S: Darling, why won't you marry me?
   K: Because you might have an aberration and I might want
   to get rid of you. If we were married I would have to give
   you half my stuff, and I wouldn't want to do that.
   
   Ha ha ha! Awesome.

5 comments about Bill W.: A Biography of Alcoholics Anonymous Cofounder Bill Wilson.

1. I've been a "friend" of Bill and Dr. Bob since Christmas 1990, and have read a lot of material, both "conference approved" and other, and this book is probably the best biography of Bill W. that I've come across. I have to disagree with the reviewers who gave this work a low rating... I do not see this biography as a "hatchet job" or any sort of attempt to demean or diminish the memory of Bill Wilson.
   
   Bill was not saint, and he never really sought sainthood. If some hold him to saintly standards or infallible behavior, those depictions were\are pressed on him.
   
   Hartigan successfully describes Bill's childhood, young adulthood, service years, marriage and the early years of AA's struggles in great detail. Until I read this book, I knew from other readings that Bill had many faults, but I did not fully appreciate the depth of his alcoholic behavior, and its effect on both Bill and Lois. I also did not appreciate the severity Bill's lifelong struggle with deep depression.
   
   This biography also does a good job putting context and details to Bill's lesser known "adventures" which folks hostile to AA use to discredit Bill and the AA program.
   
   Bill experimented with LSD, starting in the 50's and into the 60's... starting when the drug was legal and being investigated for psychotherapeutic potential to help alcoholics and schizophrenics.
   
   Bill actively promoted niacin for alcoholics, dragging the AA name into this promotion, but it was out of enthusiasm and hope to help the still suffering alcoholic. He was called to task for this, and the AA name removed from such endorsements.
   
   Bill was unfaithful to Lois and maintained long term relationships outside his marriage. This biography, written by the personal secretary to Lois at the end of her long life, makes no excuses for this behavior, but does add context.
   
   I came away with greater appreciation of Bill Wilson, the man, who overcame many serious problems to help create an organization that has helped many thousands of people live better lives.



2. The author went to work for Bill W's widow. Eventually this book resulted, after both were dead.
   
   The book provides a much needed perspective. It is clear on Bill's early atheism (which he called agnosticism) and helps focus how AA is a spiritual program and not a religious one and wny.
   
   Over and over again it explains the forces that were being reacted against. If you've listened to Bill and Charlie (they are available for free on the internet as mp3 downloads for ipods and similar products -- or your computer), this fills in the gaps.
   
   For example, everyone knows about Bill as a womanizer in his later years. What people do not know is that about the time he turned forty, his wife decided that she was done with sex. She was older than he was, went through menopause and retired from sex. No wonder that has he got into his fifties he started thinking of her more as a mother figure and less as a wife figure.
   
   In a modern hospital, such as where my wife works, everyone knows about "banana bags" (IVs that are yellow from the b-vitamins, especially niacin, used routinely on alcoholics who have serious problems because of bad diet) -- but I never knew that started with niacin for alcoholics.
   
   Or the rumors of financial misuse -- at complete odds with poverty and the audits -- now I know how they started and how they kept going.
   
   I'm not an alcoholic (well, I've never had a drink, so I'm at least a very dry alcoholic), though I've sent a number of clients to 12 step programs, until recently I did not have the slightest idea what they were about.
   
   With this I understand what makes AA different from every other program out there, why it found that balance and how it was shaped and touched by the personality of its founder.
   
   The book is an easy read, and gripping. I finished it over a weekend, along with other projects and preparing and teaching a Sunday School lesson.
   
   It was interesting, complex, consistent and had a basic appreciation and fondness for the subject.
   
   I'm not sure how it plays inside AA, but from the outside I find myself admiring Bill W and AA a great deal from having read this book. Heck, I even got started on the "Big Book" (I've read about half of it so far).
   
   If you've gotten to this page where the book is advertised, it is probably worth your while to buy it. I got my copy at half price books for six dollars. They had a bundle of them. Used copies in excellent to new condition abound.
   
   Buy it, read it, think about it. Well worth the read.



3. This is an amazing bio of Bill W.
   
   I've read pass it on and afew other AA related books, nothing has held my interest with such awe as this wonderful book.
   
   This book gives you a better understanding of Bill. Everyone has there own opinion.



4. Of late, I have been doing a lot of research work and writing on the differences in religious views, religious background, and religious influences on A.A. co-founders Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith. In that connection, I have found myself turning more and more to Francis Hartigan's account and quoting portions of it in various contexts. The Bill Wilson story itself has been hacked around in so many ways, many of them inaccurate, that I look for the tidbits that show the author's real familiarity and lack thereof with the subject at hand. In Hartigan's case, I found his recital of the "spiritual experience" by Bill's grandfather, Hartigan's details on Lois Wilson, and Hartigan's accurate observations on Bill's decision for Christ at the Calvary Rescue Mission to be most refreshing and quotable. Among the plethora of recent books on Bill's life, I believe this Hartigan biography and the Bill W. Autobiography from the "Bedford Papers" as reported by Hazelden to be two important resources for learning A.A.'s historical, spiritual background. Dick B.



5. "Bill W." I feel is a very good book about Bill Wilson and even though I did not like reading it the first time, I read it again with an open mind. It helped me understand the man and why he was able to become co-founder of AA and write the Big Book "Alcoholics Anonymous." If he did not have problems, he would not have been able to do this, and in reading "Bill W.", it has helped me understand what we all go through in life. Be as honest as possible today, do the next right thing and remember "We are not saints."

5 comments about The Red Devil: To Hell with Cancer--And Back.

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.

5 comments about Twitch and Shout: A Touretter's Tale.

1. Taken from the perspective of an author who lives with Tourette's Syndrome, Lowell Handler provides one of the most vivid everyday observances to a most uncontrollable disorder. What most people have little grasp on, Handler often uses humility and humor to set examples of how only one living with this handicap can describe.
   
   Tourette's Syndrome is usually spotted early before the age of eighteen, found to impair males more than females (almost three to one). Tourette's creates involuntary movements and tics that usually cannot be controlled by the person. Vocally, inappropriate language and animal sounds is the most common dysfunction towards the disorder's spontaneous combustion.
   
   Twitch & Shout gives an inspirational account of a man that survives triumphantly, documenting the good and the bad as an author, photographer and moviemaker, on top of personal and love interest. People with Tourette's lead normal and healthy lives, but the journey sometimes is not. Feeling comfortable means comprehending the diagnoses. Handler evokes a great deal of self into the findings of this book.
   
   SIDENOTE
   Handler filmed a documentary also called Twitch & Shout before the book was published. This can be found at select local libraries on a VHS format. The video shows some different perspectives that the book cannot illustrate. VERY RECOMMENDED.



2. Many Touretters will say that Tourette's gives rhythm to not only movement and speech, but thought and life as well. This book, with its energetic, pulsing, and sometimes explosive rhythm, certainly seems to bear that out.

   The author, who has Tourette's syndrome himself, describes the way Tourette's interplays with and shapes his life, in an integrated way even when he sees it as an interference. He meets people with varying kinds and degrees of Tourette's, along with Oliver Sacks, a famous neurologist who studies people with Tourette's.

   As a person whose tics are too mild for me to really consider them a part of me, I found it interesting to see what life is like with tics that integrate themselves into every part of a person's life. I noticed parallels between the attitudes of some Touretters toward Tourette's and the attitude of many autistic people toward autism, where there's not as much of a line to be drawn between a condition and a person's personality as a purely medical/disease model would make it sound. This book was both interesting and genuinely enjoyable to read.




3. Twitch and Shout is a fascinating, moving, and informative account of an artistic young man (the author) who confronts his Tourette Syndrome head on, deliberately living at full tilt in defiance of the much misunderstood disorder.

   Moments of transcendent prose alternate with hilarious and sometimes sad memoir.

   As an artist and advocate of mastery, I appreciated how the author's challenges shaped his journey, bringing him numerous triumphs, as photographer, author, friend and lover. With objectivity and grace, he discovered that Tourette informed part of who he was, and acted almost as a language or culture, at times a heightened state.

   I was moved by this perspective, and aspire to its message, that we should not only accept our rough edges, but see them as the parameters of our genius.




4. I was so impressed with the frankness and openess of this book. Handler allows its reader into a world that there are not many doors for those without TS. He helps the reader explore the humor of TS, the complexity of TS and the comradery between Touretters. This book is profoundly honest. It is a must read for those readers interested in Tourette Syndrome.



5. I was very disappointed that the author spent so much time using TS as an excuse for his immoral lifestyle. I'd rather not have read about his sex life & drug use.

   The book almost seemed to give the impression that all of us who have TS (yes, that means me too) go around living this way.

   The book actually did have a few pages that were worth reading so I gave it two stars rather than one.