5 comments about Breaking Free: My Life with Dissociative Identity Disorder.

1. This diagnosis is a complete fraud. Not just Mr. Walker's case, but almost all of them. In over 20 years as a therapist I have never seen one legitimate case of MPD/DID. It is a diagnosis created by unethical mental health professionals and claimed by patients with overactive imaginations. Read the book "Creating Hysteria" by Joan Acocella if you want the truth on MPD/DID.



2. This book was very informative. DID is a mental health issue that is not often spoken of in such a positive light. Hershel tells his story in a very intelligent and gripping manner. Please try it for your self.



3. Amazing that the title is My Life with Dissociative Identity Disorder. He barely mentioned the DID unless it got him out of hot water. The final chapter of the book was a short explanation of what DID is. You could get this info from the Sidran web site and save the cost of the book. Most of his time was spent either stroking his ego or offering an excuse for all the controversial things he has been involved with.
   
   He claims that the splits in his identity occured because of nightmares and some bullies at school. Yet he was able to find solace in a loving and close christian family. Every DID case I have ever heard of, has suffered through horrendous abuse, usually from primary caregivers. Herschel Walker makes light of these survivors.
   
   Save your money.



4. This book was easy to read and informative. There was no bragging -- just a genuine quest to understand and to share with others his struggles. It was brave to reveal so much of himself in the effort to help others. To me, this book is his greatest victory.



5. Overall, I liked this book. One has to admire Herschel for going public with his diagnosis, one poorly understood by the general public and often associated with severe pathology. That took courage, which the author seems to have in abundance. His writing shows an intelligence not commonly associated with sports, and he gives articulate expression to the various manifestations of his version of DID. A real plus of Walker's account is that he describes an "up" side to this condition, stating clearly for the layperson that it has certain adaptive and self-protecting qualities.
   
   That said, I was left with some questions. While the book seemed forthright and honest, he describes about a dozen different "alters" (formerly called multiple personalities) that he claims have arisen from his being tormented as a fat and stuttering schoolboy--while undoubtedly painful, his schoolyard abuse is hardly the type that normally spawns this fragmented condition. And as a clinical psychologist, I have treated DID patients. A more common presentation than his involves distinct changes in personality including voice, body posture, emotional expression, etc. . . . like you are really seeing different people. He says that his shifts were more subtle, nothing that could be seen externally, more like discrete changes in mental state known only to him at the time. That raises (for me, at least) the issue of whether or not this devoted and highly focused athlete is not simply given to a rather strict compartmentalization of his feelings, a medium that he would admit he is not comfortable with. Even his most personal relationships have suffered from his tendency to be so self-contained. Or perhaps DID is best explained as a "spectrum" disorder, ranging in degree of severity, as we now know autism to be. Who knows?
   
   While he talks about his repeated "thrill-seeking" with Russian roulette, Walker notable leaves out of his story the fact that he several times put a gun to his ex-wife's head. And he glosses over a bit the fact that he had an affair despite his born-again Christian beliefs. When a "tell all" book tells not quite all, you are left wondering what more has been left out.

5 comments about Rewind, Replay, Repeat: A Memoir of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

1. Jeff Bell uses the metaphor of a tape player to describe his struggle with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in his harrowing memoir, "Rewind, Replay, Repeat." Bell has been a successful radio personality for many years, which makes his willingness to come clean about his illness all the more remarkable. He is a doubter, who states, "I have all five of my senses, but tend not to trust any of them." Because he does not believe what he perceives, Bell mentally replays entire sequences of his life over and over again. He also revisits places to check that he has not harmed anyone or failed to do something essential. He calls his story "a tale of fear and torment and agony and shame."
   
   After experiencing a few OCD symptoms as a child, Bell enjoys a normal adolescence, goes on to college, earns an MBA, marries his college sweetheart, and starts a career in commercial radio. He and his wife, Samantha, have a little girl, Nicole. Everything is going wonderfully. Unfortunately, the peace of mind that he enjoyed for so many years is shattered when his OCD returns with a vengeance. He begins to obsess about a near-collision that occurs while he is piloting his father's boat. He spends hours worrying about some minor damage that he may have inflicted on someone else's cabin cruiser. Not only does he think about this event constantly, but he also visits the marina over and over to look for physical clues. This fixation on an unimportant incident takes over his life to such an extent that it begins to affect his marriage and his ability to concentrate at work. He stays up all night worrying, and his sleeplessness makes him groggy during the day. Rather than owning up to his condition, Bell makes a valiant effort to hide the truth from his colleagues, friends, and loved ones. He is living a double life and it is destroying him emotionally.
   
   Even after he reluctantly shares his secret with his family and agrees to seek help, the first therapist that Bell consults has no useful answers for him. Although his devoted wife is steadfast in her support of her beleaguered husband, she finds his behavior increasingly unsettling. After sixteen months of "pent-up rage," Bell curls up on the bathroom floor of his house and bawls like a baby. He is deteriorating and he has no idea what to do to make things better.
   
   "Rewind, Replay, Repeat" illuminates the agonizing world of doubters and checkers--those unfortunate souls who cannot leave well enough alone. OCD sufferers include: the woman who must unlock her front door repeatedly to check the stove; the driver who feels compelled to circle the block to make sure that he didn't run over a pedestrian; the terrified child who keeps asking his mother the same question a thousand times and is never satisfied with the answer; the washers who scrub their hands dozens of times a day until their skin is raw and painful; and the savers who hoard objects of no value until their homes resemble garbage dumps. Medical science has yet to pinpoint exactly what causes the brains of OCD patients to misfire.
   
   This is an intensely personal, painfully honest, and extremely detailed look at one man's journey into the abyss and back. After he learns that he has OCD, an incurable condition, Bell struggles for years to get his life under control with a combination of spiritual awakening, a support group, cognitive behavioral therapy, and drug treatment. "Rewind, Replay, Repeat" is an informative, touching, and vividly written first-person account that will give hope and comfort to OCD sufferers and their families. It is a welcome addition to other excellent non-fiction works on this subject that include the classic "The Boy Who Couldn't Stop Washing" by Judith Rappaport and "Brain Lock" by Jeffrey Schwartz.



2. I originally picked this gem up thinking it would be interesting to read from a psychological point of view. Once I started into it, though, I began to recognize certain elements of my own behavior. Though I would not say I am a full-blown OC, I do sometimes have obsessive-compulsive thoughts and behaviors (probably as most people do at some time in their life). Just the title and him referring to the tapes that keep replaying in his brain was enough for me to squash my own destructive thoughts. Whenever I start wasting time on obsessive thoughts, I just think of his analogy of the tapes that keep playing, then rewinding and replaying. I then choose to shut the tape player off. Very freeing! A courageous and interesting story. Thank you for sharing, Mr. Bell.!



3. Fascinating look into the world of OCD -- spelled out in an informative, entertaining fashion.



4. I cannot recommend this account of a person's journey into the terrors of OCD highly enough. I suffer from OCD and read as much as I can on this topic, and this is the best personal story I have ever encountered on this subject. Without whining or blaming, the author carefully and honestly shares his torture. With a reporter's skills, he has us on the scene with him, feeling his agony and rooting for his recovery. A close friend who does not have OCD and borrowed my book was equally in awe of the author as she read of his struggle and his eventual recovery. I would recommend this book to family and friends of OCD sufferers as Jeff shares what his wife, children and parents went through during the height of his disorder. Professionals who treat OCD sufferers will benefit from it as well. It will be a real eye opener into our world. You will not be disappointed in this heartfelt, amusing, and heartbreaking story. This is a book I found extemely hard to put down. Please read this book.



5. This book brought me to tears. It so reminded me of my daughter's struggle with anxiety disorders. One thing that all people need to be reminded of is, Jeff, nor anyone with anxiety disorders, is ever cured. It is not overcome. It is coped with - sometimes better than other times. Your life and those around you are still affected by the disorder. You still have symptoms but are better able to not let them control you. This takes energy. If someone you know has anxiety disorders, remember this.

5 comments about Waking: A Memoir of Trauma and Transcendence.

1. i am thrilled by the universality of this memoir and how it speaks to all of us, regardless of our physical status. with lyrical grace, humor and honesty, matthew confronts the messages of western culture and medicine regarding the relationships we have with our bodies. he reminds us to trust our own perceptions in a world where these are so frequently dismissed. for anyone who has known trauma, illness or over-work, this book will speak to you. -lauren elise daniels, prose editor



2. Matt Sanford is my hero!!! He has tremendous courage and wisdom despite being dealt some really tough blows in his young life. Somehow, he has managed through a lot of hard work to use what he's learned and share it through words that speak volumes to me about what's really important in life. I read a ton of books; this one is in my top 5 book ever. It made me cringe, wince, laugh, remember, cry, hurt, and most of all cherish my life in a deeper way than I ever knew possible.
   
   Even if you think that you don't want to read anything that would make you "hurt or wince", this is one of those books that also reminds us to appreciate our connection both to our inner selves and others.
   
   Thank you Matt. . . you're too awesome for words!



3. This memoir was a very fast read for me. I got very interested in the many directions that the authors life went. It awakened something in me as well. I will look up the authors website..to learn even more. This memoir was also very touching.



4. I have read this book now three times over. It is one of the best books I have ever read. It is one of those books that makes you stop and take a look at your life and make changes. The book is extremely well written. The way Matt tells his tragic story and adds his insight makes you admire him greatly. The way he worries about his family in the midst of his own tragedy makes you fall in love with him. The way the story turns out and the way he lives his life presently makes you want to meet him and tell him how much his story has touched you.



5. Incredible story. So sad and yet the dominant feeling is truly one of transcendence and the inner strength of Matt and his family. It certainly puts life in perspective and insires us to focus on the wholeness of our lives as he does, not what we sometimes perceive as lacking. It's a quick read and one that every yoga student should read.

5 comments about In an Instant: A Family's Journey of Love and Healing.

1. Having been tossed into an experience of a spouse of 30 years having a critically serious brain surgery, this book rung so true to the joys, deep depression, and aganizing experience of TBI. While my experience had nothing to do with a public figure as large as Bob Woodruff nor a war injury, the end result of a TBI aptly descriped the hell that the injured, as well as the spouse/caretaker walks not just immediately, but for the long haul. The caretaker, in this case, Lee Woodruff was brutally honest about the emotions and the sheer exhaustion that the caretaker undergoes. I read this book in less than two days. It also shone light on the truth of miracles of the human brain to "rewire" itself. I applauded both Bob Woodruff and Lee Woodruff for their unending honesty in dealing with the topic of TBI.



2. This is a love story. One might question this when a journalist has to fight for his life after being wounded while covering the Iraqi war, but not once you read Lee and Bob Woodruff's amazingly poignant story. This is their love story-the story of Bob and Lee, and how their love came to be and sustained them through a year of pain, hope, fear, recovery, and dedication.
   Told in alternating time frames from the dreadful moment when Lee is called and told that Bob has been critically injured to how they met and fell in love. Lee tells her account of their love story with passion and feeling, while Bob is as always the accomplished journalist with his fact based style of recollection. Both Lee and Bob are heroes in this story. Bob's valiant effort to handle his severe injuries mostly to the brain, and Lee's courageous, steadfast support and love throughout the entire process make up this amazingly miraculous story.
   Bob, only recently having been named co-anchor of ABC News, was in Iraq imbedded with troops covering the Iraqi war while Lee and their four children were at Disney World. While that may sound almost callous to many, this is the life a journalist and his family. When a bomb explodes and Bob is literally blown to pieces, not much hope seems to exist that he will survive as Lee is rushed to her husband's side. Telling about how she got the call and what immediately transpired, Lee aptly recounts their story first hand and truly earns the title of In an Instant: A Family's Journey of Love and Healing because that is what happened to this family in just one minute.
   In the above-mentioned alternating writing style, the story goes back to Bob's leaving a profitable law profession to pursue his dream of being a journalist. Bob's hard work and passion for covering the news takes him through the rank and file in many amazing places and stories as he works his way up in his journalism career. The part of the story of Lee and Bob's personal life is interspersed with the realities of Bob's day-to-day survival and recovery following the bomb in Iraq.
   Bob's 5 week coma, swelling of the brain, and many near death complications are told with detail and clarity so that the reader really experiences, as much as possible, first hand what this family went through. The never ending waiting to see if Bob will survive is a story of such devotion that in reality, you wonder just how someone can go through something like that. Lee tells this story in a way that makes you realize that you can never know, as did she, until you are tested, how you would respond in a situation such as this. At one point, after about five weeks, Lee crawls up into bed with Bob to try and hold him, with all his medical contraptions and tubes, and she tells him that he must fight for his life because she and their four children need him. Barely leaving his side, Lee is shocked when a few days later she walks into his room and he is sitting up and asking her where she has been?! It is at that point that the real fight begins for Bob to work hard to return to his life as he knew it. Meanwhile, Lee must juggle duel roles of parent and caregiver.
   This compelling story of love and devotion is told with honesty, humor, and hope. The friendships both Lee and Bob have, the love and family they share, guides one through an often graphic but also witty and very human novel. Get the book In An Instant and you will find it won't take much longer than that to be hooked and not want to put it down!
   Submitted by Karen Haney: Originally published Curled Up With a Good Book (www.curledup.com)



3. This is a memoir written by Bob and Lee Woodruff. The passages are divided between Bob and Lee, each giving their recollection of the way certain events unfolded. I found Bob's accounts to be gripping and interesting, maybe because he is the one who received the traumatic injury. I found Lee's writing akin to reading a bad soap opera script. It was almost unreadable at times. I understand that she is facing hardships with her husband in a coma, but it nothing like what your typical family has to face under the same circumstances. At one point, this Colgate educated woman wonders how she is going to pay the bills with her husband in a coma? When I read this, I got the feeling that she didn't know how to pay the bills, i.e. write out a check and mail it. I don't think money is an issue for this Westchester County, NY family. It was passages like that which detract from the book. I found Bob's account of his therapy and what he had to go through to get back to himself very interesting but too brief. In the after forward, Bob mentions he is working on a documentary about his journey and the journey GIs have to make in recovering from traumatic brain injuries. I don't know if this has come out yet, but it would be an interesting show.



4. This story recounts the miraculous survival of news anchor Bob Woodruff. More importantly, it exposes the fear, frustration, and fatigue that Woodruff's family experienced as they guided him through months of trauma.



5. This book tells the serious story of the tragedy and triumph shared by Bob Woodruff and his wife, children, friends and co-workers when he was devastatingly injured while reporting in Iraq. The trauma of his head injury is explained in a very detailed manner, and his subsequent recovery is followed mainly from his wife's point of view, describing the horrors they all went through. The ability to deal with all of this makes this book a very moving and uplifting tale of how Bob and also our brave soldiers are coping with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and why it is important for all of us to become aware and understand this signature war injury of Iraq and Afghanistan.
   
   The poignant and matter of fact telling of the process to recovery is sprinkled with humor and makes a great read for those interested in learning how to move through this difficult situation.

5 comments about The Tiger's Child.

1. I THOUGHT THIS WAS A GREAT BOOK AND I RECEIVED IT FAIRLY QUICKLY AND IN GOOD CONDITION. I WAS EXTREMELY PLEASED!



2. In "One Child," Hayden first told the story of Sheila, a seriously abused, violent six-year-old who was placed in her special ed classroom as she awaited placement in a state mental hospital for setting a younger child on fire.
   
   Although just about everyone else -- including her own alcoholic father -- had given up on Sheila, Hayden realized the little girl was keenly intelligent. Doggedly, she began testing and teaching Sheila, all the while showing her patience, love and understanding. And despite the occasional setback, within months, Sheila was an entirely different child.
   
   Then the school year ended, Hayden took a different job out of state, and she lost touch with Sheila. Despite searching for her former student, Hayden was unable to connect -- until a coincidence reunited the two when Sheila was 13. Hayden was ecstatic -- and Sheila claimed not to remember the time they'd spent together.
   
   Undeterred, Hayden persisted, inviting Sheila to help out with a summer program for disturbed children she and another clinician were running. Soon the bond they'd once had seemed resurrected. Yet each time Torey and Sheila's friendship seemed to be going smoothly, something happened to test it fiercely -- interference from Sheila's father, or a facet of Sheila's own unpredictable adolescent persona. Despite her best intentions, Hayden often wondered why she persisted -- was there any point? Was she hurting Sheila more than she helped?
   
   Hayden's experiences with Sheila and her other students serve as complex and engrossing material for this book, a simple yet realistic portrait of the world's ugliness -- and the few, stubborn individuals who are determined to make a difference in others' lives.



3. Sad story, will make you cry. Too bad some children have parents that abuse them and make them suffer.



4. This is the sequel to One Child so it's best to read that one first. This book is fantastic. I loved it. It continue's the story about Shelia as a teenager and how she had blocked a lot of her childhood out. Her memories came back the more she talked with Torey. Also worked with Torey with some disturbed kids which was good for awhile. This book tells how Shelia overcame her very abusive childhood and how Torey encouraged and helped her long after she left her class. If you read "One Child," then you must read this one!
   
   Karen Arlettaz Zemek, author of "My Funny Dad, Harry"



5. This is a follow up of One Child, I could not put this down. I wanted to she how Tory's impact affected her. It does go over in the first couple of chapter's some of the history of the child but If you read One Child first it explains a lot more of her past and give you a true understanding.

5 comments about Riding the Bus with My Sister: A True Life Journey.

1. This book is an engaging, fast read. I was especially interested in Rachel Simon's flashbacks. We learn what caused her mental retardation, we see her experiences and Rachel's, we also suffer with the children as mom continues in a downward spiral. All of these flashbacks, distinguished by italic font, are worthy of a book all their own.
   
   Beth Simon is hard to like. She is loud, immature, unhygenic, and self-centered. She is also capable of holding down a job- she just chooses not to. What makes it worse is that she tells her fellow passengers that she doesn't work because she doesn't want to- always reminding them of her disability check. What type of endurance would you need, if you were riding the bus with Beth, heading to your job? Many people can't handle it. And Beth is oblivious to the reasons why people dislike her- she's a capable woman who won't better herself.
   
   In Rachel's relationship with Beth, the story is not sugar-coated. Rachel gets very annoyed with Beth: ' Damn it Beth, shut up! my dark voice erupts. Look at you- same expression, same seat, same stupefying conversation.
   and
   "When I started riding the buses, I remember, I thought of the people who didn't like Beth as insensitive and narrow-minded. Now I find myself more sympathetic to their point of view. Yes, some of them are coarse and offensively vocal. But she is so loud. And she talks all the time. About nothing. I know many of us babble on about nothing, too, but she does it over and over and over- and over and over and over- and it's really eroding the limits of my endurance. Dad used to tell us he came to dread their car rides to work for precisely the same reasons. That was twenty years ago."
   
   However, Rachel's interaction with every bus driver are so profound. She always seems to be learning something from them. And it's always about how they changed their philosophies so they could lead happier lives. Ugh, it was too corny and simplistic for me!
   
   Further, I was uninterested in how Rachel changed in relations to men and other people. I only wanted to see her relationship with Beth. Yes, Rachel Simon gives Beth and the bus rides credit for changing her life- but I really have no desire to know anything else about Rachel Simon in the late 90s (when the story takes place). Tell me more about Beth, including more altercations with drives and passengers, more about her obsessions with the drivers, more about her self-centered domination of every bus ride.
   
   " Beth is ignoring the parade of costumes in the street and gazing adoringly at Cliff- and with a jolt, I know what scares me.
   It's not just the same old crush with a new face, or the same olf song with the same wrong words. It's not just the pattern she doesn't see, or care about, and therefore cannot or will not change.
   It's that Beth seems to need a cataclysmic event for her to change in any way- an event like our mother's complete abdication of her responsibility to protect her own child, Juanita's rejection, or Rodolpho's abandonment. This seems true whether she's being called upon to develop resorucefulness, assertiveness, or just basic self-restraint. I look at her and feel a clutch in my throat. What will it take now?
   Is this all there will ever be to her life? "



2. This is not a book I would have chosen, but I read it for my book club and was pleasantly surprised. When I saw an endorsement from Rosie O'Donnell on the front cover of this book, I was expecting something more sentimental, along the lines of a Lifetime Channel movie, to lie within the pages. Instead, I found a powerful tribute to people on society's fringe and a meaningfully insightful story.
   
   The story centers around a workaholic writer/teacher, Rachel Simon, who runs out of ideas for her newspaper work and decides to spend a year shadowing her mildly mentally retarded sister, Beth. Beth has chucked working and living in a group home for a hedonistic life in her own apartment, filling her days happily riding the city's busses. Simon takes what could be a boring or sappy story and makes something marvelous out of Beth's mundane, repetitive life by her keen observation and analysis of the details of this routine. She does an excellent job of looking at life through Beth's eyes and of showing how the mentally challenged are at times similar to the rest of us and yet at other times vastly different and difficult to comprehend.
   
   Naturally Beth's efforts to live independently in the manner she desires create enormous frustration for her family and even the professionals involved in her "case." How to help someone in Beth's situation is complicated. How much help can family and professionals give versus how much help should they give? How many decisions can she safely, competently make on her own? Simon shows us that there are no easy answers, as she attempts to establish her own place in her sister's life.
   
   The book is beautifully written, hard to put down, and filled with insights and wisdom that would make Irma Bombeck proud. The author was surprised at how much she learned from Beth's limitations and her world, and you will be too.



3. I found this book to be very interesting and moving. It has really made a mark on my heart. I have a special needs child who unlike "Cool Beth" is not treated differently by many, yet sees some of the same prejudices. It was nice to read a book that shows how a person can live on their own and have the same things that so called "normal" people can. I appreciated that Beth knew right from wrong and is not afraid to express that to the world around her. We can all learn from that. The annoyance that Rachel gets from Beth is such a tough feeling for a sibling/parent, but a genuine one and written with such truth. This will not be enjoyed by all, but all can learn from it.



4. This book isn't for everyone, but anyone who lives with a mildy retarded family member will see this book as an eye-opening and touching memoir of the highs and lows of living and coping and dealing with a person such as Beth, the author's sister, with whom she agrees to ride the city buses with over the course of a year.
   
   The chapters are beautifully interweaved with flashbacks to the author's childhood with Beth, who is 18 months younger than the author. The parents' coping with Beth, and how the rest of the family deals with this headstrong and independent girl without once ever mentioning the words "mild retardation" and yet determined to keep together as a family in the early 1960s bring this book to life for many Babyboomers. Rachel did a lot of research on the subject to write for this book, and inserts statistics at logical moments without ever tiring the reader.
   
   Along with the encounters on the bus are small vignettes of the various and varied drivers who deal with Beth on a daily basis. Bus drivers are profiled coming from all aspects of society. Some like Beth, others do not, and many came forward to talk about Beth and her incessant chats while sitting in the front of crowded buses with strangers all around her. Bus drivers are her friends, are her mentors, are her romantic interests and Beth at times reminds us of our girlish teenage crushes...and she is 39 years old while the story takes place.
   
   Although this book mostly deals with Beth and her daily bus rides around town, the author also talks about her own failings; her recent break-up, her move to a new apartment, and we see how dealing with Beth, and talking with bus drivers, help Rachel find the answers for her own troubles.
   
   This book may not be for everyone. One must have a close experience with a person such as Beth to understand the many detailed and sometimes long-drawn-out episodes of city bus travel to truly appreciate this book. Beth is beautifully portrayed in this book, and with all her flaws and handicaps we can see a bit our ourselves through her daily bus journeys.
   
   Read this book with patience and understanding for the mildy retarded people in our society. We all know and have dealt with our own Cools Beths.



5. Okay, so maybe not the most original title in the world, but the story sure is. The author decides to spend some quality time with her mildly retarded sister, Beth, (whom she never fully understood). Simons basically takes a very long leave of absence from work and totally immerses herself in Beth's world - which consists mainly of riding the bus system in an unnamed Pennsylvania city. But this is not just a simple journey. She experiences how Beth has carved out a life for herself, the people she has connected with, the joyful outlook she has on life, and realizes that maybe Beth's life is fulfilling in its own way. This is also a journey through her childhood as she
   reflects on her memories, her relationship with her family as well as her sister. By slowing down her fast-paced existence and taking the time to experience a year with her sister, Simons certainly discovers a lot about herself, and comes away with a different, more appreciative view of her life. Hopefully you will too. I know I did.

5 comments about Nobody Nowhere: the Extraordinary Autobiography of an Autistic.

1. As the parent of an autistic, I have searched near 30 years for answers of my sons strange self. Medical persons were unable to help and autistic Eli had no speech. Donnas book is an unusual write as she gives depth and reason to many autistics traits with reasoning and feeling. Her journey is one of incredible strength and she is brilliant in her words and talents today. Her childhood was tragic but she managed to find her way..on her own. To combat and bring herself to a level of functioning acceptance. I shall read this again and would like to recommend- Nobody Nowhere-to each person searching for answers about autism or any person looking to experience a wonderful read. Thank you Donna for sharing your life. it certainly has helped mine. Carol



2. I was mesmerized the first time I read this enchanting book; not only was the subject matter interesting and well represented, the selection and particular combination of word choice makes beautiful reading.... she could write about underwater basketweaving and make it magical, so stunning is her prose; I use excerpts from this book with my students as an example of beautifully written, highly descriptive (in an innovative way) writing. She takes the reader on an intense, personal journey inside the mind of autism and rewards them with a new comprehension and understanding. I love the way she so matter-of-factly expresses internal thought processes using such original language. This book provides a new appreciation of verbiage for readers and will whet their appetite for more.



3. Autism is just one aspect of a person who has it. Donna Williams has autism, and she also happens to have every character trait and ability of a damn fine writer. I've learned quite a bit about autism in my role as editor, but nothing like this. It's as close as you're going to get to understanding the condition without having it yourself, and it's compelling reading. If you're working in the field, or you have a family member with autism, I'll just assume you've already read this. I'm recommending it to everybody else, too. We read to leave our own lives for a while and learn about something we've never experienced, right? Here's one of the best opportunities you'll ever have to do that.



4. If I could describe this book in one word it would be "safe." Donna's world winsomely twinkles, it's no wonder she--and all autistics--find the "real" world terrifying. She describes in childlike trust and a type of naive bluntness her inability to connect with others. Her bluntness is not synonymous with bravado, and that becomes quite clear as she tells of her harrowing childhood. This book is autistic, and beautifully so.
   
   The terror and climax of the book fades in and out, just as she does. In one clip of prose she is talking about her often saddening childhood and in another, fantasms and wisps, or the feel of fingers tapping out a rythym. Five stars and a standing ovation for her dreamy bravery and fighting forthrightness. Anyone who works with an autistic, is an autistic or loves an autistic or even knows an autistic should read this book.



5. The most revelatory things about her state of mind are her claimed psychic abilities (seeing the future in dreams), an amplified sense of personal space (feeling claustrophic when people came near her or touched her), and a lack of understanding of the purpose of commas and periods in writing (just putting them in at random intervals).
   She covers not wanting to be seen as a freak, but acknowledges no motive for human interaction beyond that. She mustn't have been acting dissociative ALL the time, but the book only covers dissociative feelings and as such seems to show an incomplete picture. It's more of an "outsider staring into space" story than an "outsider looking in" story. I was hoping for the latter so maybe I just wasn't attuned to the point of the book.

5 comments about Recovered, Not Cured: A Journey Through Schizophrenia.

1. This writer allowed me to enter his world! This is a very brave individual who gave me a full picture of what it is like to have schizophrenia. Very well written, fast read. A particularly great book if you have a family member with this diagnosis. It gave me more insight into what my family member has suffered.



2. GET this book for yourself and anybody you know that might be influenced by schizophrenia. This biography clearly describes the struggle the author has with schizophrenia. Reading this completely helped me understand the confusion I had about schizophrenia and explained behavior and circumstances in a very heartfelt and real way. I've purchased copies for everybody I know that wants to learn more about schizophrenia.



3. I like to read personal accounts of mental illness. This book is an artwork. It is a pleasure to hold, read, and look at. It is well organized, very entertaining with many drawings made at different times of the author's illness. I felt he was very honest, humble and friendly.
   
   I like the fact that he is a young writer. I guess the book was written when he was just 30 years old, so many young readers can identify with his art and music.
   
   There are many reasons he recovered. Among them his supportive family, supportive friends, he took up humble jobs along his illness even though having a university degree, modern medicines, he was able to balance the pros and cons of his medicine's side effects and keep taking them, ...
   
   [...].



4. I read this book to make a recommendation to the Psychology teacher at the high school where I am the librarian. The teacher created an assignment for her classes where groups of kids would read a book together on a psychological condition in a book group type setting. I read many books on all different types of conditions over a fairly short period of time and then selected twelve books or so for her students to read. This book made the cut. I thought it was a very accessible book on the topic of schizophrenia in terms of language and length for high school students.
   
   I have talked to several of the students who were assigned this book and all seemed to think that the book did a good job explaining one person's story with schizophrenia without boring them with a lot of psychological/medical terminology.
   
   I will recommend this book to students who come to my library wanting to learn about schizophrenia.



5. I stumbled accidentally on this book. Running a search through the online database at a local library branch, the title popped up on the screen. I cross-referenced it with the opinions of other readers from Amazon.com and decided it'd be an interesting overview of this incredible disease - schizophrenia.
   
   I found out after checking the book out that it won the Australian Book of the Year for 2004, which intrigued me further. Having read it, I am also of the opinion that it deserves the award. The book is short and easy to read (in terms of narrative), but it reveals the complexities of the disease. The author narrates his experiences from the moments the symptoms appeared to the medication phase that restored order in his daily existence.
   
   The book is written in snippets of experiences and often the reader is hurled one story after another of the patient's psychosis, paranoia, search for codes or deciphering of codes and secret messages, the delusions of voices the author heard and his reactions to them. In addition to these experiences, he inserts numerous e-mails from other schizophrenia patients he'd received or read on mental illness-online boards, as well as messages from family members of mental patients and how they coped with them. Since he is a graphics designer by trade, he'd added plenty of visual representations of his internal torments.
   
   I recommend this book to all readers interested in learning about the symptoms of schizophrenia, how to seek treatment and how to learn to cope with the disease.
   
   -by Simon Cleveland

5 comments about About Alice.

1. This is one of the sweetest books I have ever read. It is the book I give to friends and family for whatever reason... a recuperation , a "thank you," "love you," or simply, " you have to read this book!" Calvin Trillin shares Alice with us with humor and love and we are all better for it.



2. A touching in memorium to the author's wife, who recently died of lung cancer. The couple's relationship is tenderly depicted, but I found myself not liking Alice all that much. She is definitely a complex person, but she also seems a bit superficial and showy at times. i suspect this is my misinterpretation based on a few episodes described by Trillon. I really enjoyed Trillin's writing and his sensitive treatment of his relationship with his wife, though.



3. About Alice contains some very powerful stories about the transforming power of human love. The story about the handicapped girl at the end of chapter VII (p.65-66) is especially moving.



4. It's all been said before, but never so eloquently. A true loss. An amazing spirit.



5. This is a slim book and a quick read but don't let the small size fool you; it packs a punch. Readers of Trillin's other works may recognize a version (or two) of Alice in this book. He never nails down Alice's essence which may be a disappointment for anyone who picks up the book with the hope that Alice's true personality would be revealed. This is a love letter about Alice and their marriage.
   
   Love can be the culmination of stories told (some details are naturally remembered differently than your partner) and shared experiences. Trillin visits many different stories and memories (his and others') about Alice and their life together. There is no doubt he loved her and was inspired by her to be a better writer and a better person.

5 comments about Learning to Fall: The Blessings of an Imperfect Life.

1. This is about the 7th copy of this book that I have purchased. I keep giving them away because the message is so poignant. It is a wonderful story of courage and acceptance in the face of death at too young an age. But - the story is not sad - the author finds the joys in life and the ability to face each day with a positive outlook.



2. I have read this book once a year at the end of winter since its publication because reading it is a great way to herald in the spring given its life-affirming message. As a disabled person, I find it particularly helpful, but I first started reading it a few years before I was disabled. I purchase at least one copy a year because I not only loan it out, I give it away. Such a gift it is.
   
   I also want to say to the people who are disappointed that Simmons doesn't let us into his pathos and pain: perhaps Simmons did not spend a very long time in pathos and pain, let alone want to write about it (living it may have been enough for him). I am disabled and my disability has left me with little social contact (in fact even my spouse left me because of my disability), and yet I am a happy person. It's not that I don't accept or honor my grief, but I spend more time loving life back rather than standing in the crashing waves shaking my fist at God. I suspect this was Simmons way as well.
   
   No doubt he could have written that other book and even made us laugh at his pain, but that was not the focus of his life. Research shows that happy people do not necessarily have more happy experiences--they just focus on those experiences more and are grateful just for the chance to be alive no matter the suffering. That's a lesson in and of itself.



3. Just a quick note to add my voice to others who love this book by the late Philip Simmons. As moving and beautiful and wise as any creative nonfiction ever written. As a professor of writing, I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about life (and the death that makes life possible).



4. My brother was diagnosed with ALS this last October. I bought this book for everyone in my family...it has allowed us to cherish life and the moments we have with him. This is a great book and I recommend it 100%!!!



5. I didn't enjoy this book at all - its just not my type of book. I was expecting a biography of his life - but this book is a series of short stories about life in general, not necessarily the authors life.
   
   I guess I just didn't read the back cover properly.