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

3 comments about Nurses.

1. I thought that this book was an easy read. I like how it touched on many different departments and specialties.



2. As someone who is beginning nursing school early next year, I looked forward to reading this book. Very informative, but I could do with the author's left-wing bias.



3. Whether you are a nurse or simply curious about the nursing profession, this book will both entertain and inform. I first read it as a pre-nursing student, hoping to catch a glimpse of what nurses really do. I was pleasantly surprised. In fact, several years later, as an RN myself, I still sneak it off my bookshelf to re-read now and again. There are many stories from all facets of nursing subspecialties. Having worked medical surgical nursing, I can personally vouch for the accuracy of my favorite chapter, chapter six, "The Long Hallway." The stories are diverse and compelling. It's a well written book that has potential to entertain a wide audience. Medical terminology is clearly defined for those unfamiliar with it. If you are curious about what nurses really do on any given day, don't pass this one up!

5 comments about Harvey Cushing: A Life in Surgery.

1. The book is a good read, particularly to those interested in medicine and more particularly, medical history. The book is well written, informative and holds ones attention amazingly well. Although I have never read Michael Bliss (author) before, I will certainly be looking out for him in the future. I very much recommend reading the book.



2. Harvey Cushing's life and achievements deserved the very best of a literary recounting and this is it. Previous biographies (including Fulton's "classic") of Cushing, the Father of Neurosurgery, were uniformly dull or disappointing. Michael Bliss has now written the very best Cushing biography and has undoubtedly set the standard for years to come. It is extremely readable despite being detailed in both the technical aspects of neurosurgery and also Cushing's private life. Cushing himself won a Pulitzer Prize for his biography of William Osler and this work is at least as good.



3. It is a strange mystery why a man of such accomplishments and medical innovation in the history of neurosurgery, the American pioneer in fact, is not more well known in popular culture. Dr. Harvey Cushing has to be one of the most fascinating, complex and astounding medical personalities in the last century. He became the first of American medical men to be an international leader in this special field. Harvey was part of a long line of medical men, his great grandfather, grandfather and father were all competent physicians. A Yale graduate, later attending Harvard Medical and working at John Hopkins, he paved the way, as he called "The Northwest Passage", in the area of brain tumour surgery, his OR innovations, insistence on sterile working conditions, the use of clips to prevent excessive bleeding and the diagnosis of brain tumours, were all devised and applied by him, having operated on over 2000 patients with brain tumour related illnesses during his long career. This man takes the term "workaholic" and takes it to an entirely new level. A tireless researcher, recorder, bibliophile, surgeon and prolific writer, his drive and obsession for work and life, set the precedent for future surgeons. A truly remarkable individual.
   
   Michael Bliss, however, is a competent biographer, revealing Cushing's genius as well as his many faults. Cushing was an irascible perfectionist with zero tolerance for any incompetence in the OR. His arrogance and caustic tongue became the stuff of legend; interestingly, as Bliss implies, his personality has become almost a stereotype for the brilliant surgeon, egotistic, sarcastic with no patience for mistakes while in surgery. He was a difficult man to work with and for, however, his care for his patients took priority over all other actions. Ambitious and single-minded with an insatiable appetite for knowledge, Cushing pioneered brain surgery, writing volumes of medical articles and essays, countless lectures, and even a Pulitzer Prize winning two-volume biography on his mentor and world renowned physician, William Osler.
   
   There are numerous anecdotes in this fine biography, but the one that really stands out is Cushing's first experience with a patient who dies in front of his eyes. A young student at Harvard, he managed to get invited to assist with `etherizing' patients for surgery. Weeks pass and everything is moving along fine until one evening he administers the ether to a young woman under-going an operation for a strangulated hernia, whose chances for survival are next to nil. The patient dies before the operation commences minutes after Cushing etherizes her. This of course devastated the young medical student, who walked the streets of Boston deciding to quit the profession. When he returned and told his teacher of his intent, he berated the boy, calling him "a damned fool" and to buck-up, for they had work to do. He continued on, of course, but remembered this incident over thirty years later.
   
   As any good critical biography should be, it is written with erudition, (explaining medical terms and procedures for the laymen) as well as presenting as a riveting narrative- this is an entertaining and inspiring work of an astonishing individual in American medical history.



4. I must second the other positive review of the book. I had previously read his biography of Osler, when it came out a number of years ago, and found it to the most well-rounded portrait of Osler that I have read. His biography of Cushing is equally is good. Bliss writes well and easily. I think his estimate of Cushing is a fair one. He gives all sides: the driven surgical pioneer and mentor who really established neurosurgery as a legitimate field, but also the workaholic who neglected his family and could be cruel and abusive to co-workers.(Great to be his patient but not one of his children) I found the contrasts between Cushing and Osler that Bliss draws out particularly interesting, and I would recommend that the Osler biography be read in conjunction with this one. Also, I also appreciated that Bliss presents the evidence and allows the reader to make his or her own judgements about Cushing, particularly in regards to his racial prejudice. Bliss limits the amount of medical terms, so I think the book could be read by and appeal to someone with little knowledge of medicine. Overall, highly recommended.



5. Another excellent book from the Canadian historian Michael Bliss. This biography is a companion volume to Bliss's outstanding biography of the great William Osler. Together, these biographies tell the story not only of their subjects but also of the rise of North American medicine from provincial status to equality, and in some respects superiority, with the great clinical centers of Europe. Harvey Cushing was the first great pioneering surgeon produced by the USA or Canada. As much as a single person can be said to generate a field, Cushing was the progenitor of neurosurgery. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Cushing was the product of a line of respected physicians of New England extraction. From his parents, he inherited a Puritan sense of mission, rectitude, and a remarkable dedication to work. Educated at Harvard Medical School, he sought post-graduate training at the epicenter of the revolution in American medical education that was Johns Hopkins University Hospital. At Hopkins he became a protege of Osler and started his surgical career under the direction of the outstanding and rather erratic William Halstead. Ambitious and remarkably diligent, Cushing set out to make his mark by pioneering an area of surgery avoided by other pioneering surgeons - brain surgery. A remarkably facile technical surgeon, Cushing was obsessed with improving all aspects of surgical care, including use of careful clinical diagnostic methods, improvement of anesthetic management, and post-operative care. Despite formidable obstacles, Cushing succeeded in creating a new discipline. His methods were adopted widely and his trainees became the founding neurosurgeons in many regions. Bliss gives a vivid impression of surgical practice in this period and of Cushing's innovations. To read these sections is to appreciate the remarkable progress made in the last century. At the end of his career, Cushing was pleased to attain 10% operative mortality for operations on intracranial tumors, a figure that seems horrifying today. Bliss is careful to note Cushing's considerable defects. He was a stringent, sometimes abusive preceptor. His ambition was manifested not only by his drive to do the utmost to improve clinical care but also by considerable arrogance. He inspired great loyalty but seems to have been respected rather than loved by many. He was a difficult husband and an absentee father. But while his relations with colleagues and trainees could be stormy, in his treatment of patients he appears to have behaved with compassion and tact. Bliss does a good job of putting Cushing's achievements in the context of broader developments. While Cushing became the most famous American surgeon with a substantial international reputation, other American surgeons, like Halstead, George Crile and the Mayo brothers, were producing substantial improvements in surgical practice.
   Its impossible to avoid comparing this book with the Osler book. In terms of scholarship and quality of writing, this book is on par with the Osler biography. Still, this is not quite as enjoyable a read, largely for 2 reasons. The Osler biography is also the story of the institutional maturation of American/Canadian medicine, a remarkable story. Cushing's development of a new surgical discipline is not qute as impressive as the institutional transformation accomplished by Osler's generation. As the subject of a biography, Cushing is also not as attractive a personality as Osler. Bliss depicts Cushing as a remarkable man and Bliss clearly respects and admires Cushing. Osler, on the other hand, inspires not only respect and admiration, but also affection. Regardless, this Cushing biography is first-rate and combined with the Osler book, gives a peerless impression of American/Canadian medicine in its first flush of maturity.

5 comments about All Things Wise and Wonderful/the Lord God Made Them All.

1. As not only an animal lover, but (hopefully) an up and coming veterinarian, James Herriots books seemed like a great thing to look into.

   Herriot's books bring the Yorkshire countryside directly into your home. He brings the world of hard work, late nights, confusing symptoms, and the unknown of a vets life into the readers heart, but at the same time he also shows the thrill of pulling an animal back from the brink of death or bringing another life into the world.

   This wonderful combination starts off when Herriot leaves for the RAF to fight in World War II, but as he goes through basic training his mind (and the book) wanders back to his days in Darrowby doing what he loves best.




2. The opening story in "All Things Wise And Wonderful", has got to be one of the best stories I've ever read. It's very touching and inspirational, but it's only the precursor of good things to come. The stories contained in this book can be enjoyed by anyone of any age. Herriot will have you laughing, crying, frustrated and just about any other emotion you can imagine as you follow him on his rounds through Darrowby. Even if you have no interest in veterinary medicine or farming, you can enjoy everything that goes on. A five-star fantastic read.



3. James Herriot's books are delightful - A young country vet who moved to the Yorkshire dales in the 1930s and describes his experiences with the land, people and animals. You instantly feel a strong, common bond with the writer, and are transformed to a simpler, better time. He offers a glimpse into a life that was uncomplicated, peaceful, and without all those things that have come to define us in our society. His books are about people and the country, and the animals that surround them. He never dwells too long on something and as a result his writing style is in its simplicity, captivating. He takes a light-hearted view of himself and his profession - he reveals himself as unexperienced, always ready to have a good laugh about himself without condenscending, and as someone who is not morally or intellectually superior as so many of today's books heros reveal themselves to be. Even though his stories took place before and during the second world war, we do not feel out of place, but instantly at home. His books are divided into short stories, and make for excellent, easy reading, and unnecessary to start at the beginning - You can just start at any chapter in the book and instantly feel you know everything about him, even if you have never read any of his books before.



4. This is another wonderful book that makes you feel like you are right there with James. He has a wonderful way to descibe the little things so well you can see it in your mind. I traveled the countryside with him and meeting all types of different folks,down to earth people who touched me almost , but not quite , as deeply as the animals he ministered. As a nurse I appreciated the details he used and as a lover of animals I feel like I know them too. Way to go! I love each of his books more than the last.



5. I loved all the books in this series-I have this one in hardcover on my wish list. I borrowed and read it AND I LOVED IT! I am enchanted by Mr Harriot's writings and his stories. I feel like i am there watching and at times participating! A definite MUST READ

5 comments about Detour : My Bipolar Road Trip in 4-D.

1. As someone who also suffers from bipolar disorder, this book hit very close to home. Lizzie Simon gave us a nice break from the typical scientific terminology, and replaced it with the emotional and mental hardships and experiences that people diagnosed with bipolar disorder know all too well. Her bipolar roadtrip provided comfort and understanding to all of us. Thanks Lizzie



2. I absolutely love this book! When one reads about bipolar, it is usually medical information describing the characteristics and treatments of and for this illness. This raw engaging view from a wise young woman gives the reader a first hand view of the interior landscape of bipolar illness. We go on a journey of discovery with Lizzie. And an amazing journey it is. There is so much misinformation and stigma on mental illness. This book helps to bring forth the reality of the illness and gives one hope. There is still much to unfold in the arena of mental illness, but it is like any other illness, it is an illness! It's so stigmatized because there are so many unknowns. Do we stigmatize cancer, epilepsy, diabetes?! I have a friend who is bipolar and have always struggled to understand it and now the door has opened. I am also currently in the wake of standing by another individual struggling with this illness and have gained greater compassion and coping skills from this book. My own family has a lineage of mental illness, though no one ever truly "coped" with it. I grew up in fear and misunderstanding. Thank you Lizzie for bringing forth truth, understanding and demystifying as best as possible the land of bipolar! This is truly a must read!



3. This is not a scientific book. It is simply one woman's attempt to help us understand what goes on in the mind of a bi-polar person. It helped me better understand but most importantly, sympathize with any one who has the disease. I recommend it if you want a personal account of bi-polar.



4. Lizzie is courageous & heroic! Her memoir of a young woman struggling with bipolar disorder is not only brilliantly & creatively written, but it's incredibly inspiring!!!



5. I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in the summer of 2007, at the age of 41 after being hospitalised. In the years prior, I struggled with depression, extreme emotional turmoil, and a precise feeling of not fitting in, of not feeling normal. After I was discharged from the hospital I sought out books that I knew to be out there regarding others and their experience with bipolar disorder to sort of get a handle on what I might be dealing up against. While Ms. Simon writes from the perspective of an intelligent, beautiful, talented young woman in the glow of her youth, I felt a resonance with her stories and encounters that make up "Detour". She visits with several other people she meets on a sort of mental health road trip and compares notes. Out of that came a dialog of the diffences, similarities, and ultimately the uniqueness of each person's bipolar disorder. If you or someone you love is struggling with an understanding of bipolar disorder, Lizzie Simon's book, "Detour: My Bipolar Road Trip in 4-D" is essential to fascilitating your awareness.

5 comments about Doctors: The Biography of Medicine.

1. I teach the history of medicine and anatomy at a U.S. medical school and I spend a lot of time reviewing the available books so that I can sharpen up my lectures. I'm not going to claim that medical history is the most electrifying topic for first-year medical students, but when it is presented properly it can be very engaging. This is exactly what Dr. Nuland has done with this book.
   
   Doctors is a well-organized and readable text and Dr. Nuland has done a great deal of research but more importantly, he has obviously practiced how to deliver the stories in a way that is suspenseful and satisfying. He starts chronologically and moves from Hippocrates, through Andreas Vesalius, William Harvey, Rudolph Virchow, Helen Taussig, describing the individuals responsible for the good, the bad, and the ugly sides of the history of medical practice as we see it today.
   
   His narrative relates strictly to the history of Western medicine and the influences that have shaped it. He does not go into any details regarding Eastern medicine or other medical practices since this is not directly related to the main theme of the book. The only topic I wish he had spent more time covering was the Islamic physicians of the middle ages. Western medicine (along with all the sciences) were maintained at a high level in the Muslim societies of the middle ages before passing into the newly-founded European Universities.
   
   By following the history of medicine through the persons (and extreme personalities) that influenced it, Dr. Nuland is able to educate and entertain. I have listened repeatedly to the lectures that he has produced with the Teaching Company and it is nice to know that he writes as well as he speaks. I have reviewed other books on the topic but so far this is my undisputed favorite.



2. The book was in good condition. There were a few red lines for emphasis, but not many.



3. With many of my physician colleagues rushing to turn medicine over to PAs, Nurse Practitioners, all armed with HMO guidelines and so called Evidence Based Medicine, this book shows the true nature of both medicine and progress, and may yet become the sad obituary to an once great profession. Every curmudgeon should buy a few copies and gift them to their hospital colleagues. A must read.



4. This is a very well written book especially if the sciences, history or medicine is not your strong suite. Mr. Nuland took a potentially boring subject (what history subject isn't?) and has made it very interesting to read.

   I like math, but in school and college, I never did well with subjects that related to history and especially with science. I don't even read that much. However, I could not put this book down. I liked it so much, I have read it 3 times. It is a very enriching book. Thanks Mr. Nuland for restoring my confidence in being able to comprehend subjects that deal with medicine and history! My wish list is for Mr. Nuland to put this out on audio cassette.

   Thomas Jue




5. In this book Nuland takes the reader on an odyssey of western medical history spanning antiquity to modern medicine. It takes brief snapshots of a few of the physicians who have molded medicine into what it is today. He vividly brings to life colorful people like Vesalius who refused to accept the status quo of his time, but instead rejected popular theories because they did not agree with experimental results.

   This is an inspirational must read for those who are either in the field of medicine or enjoy medical history.

5 comments about I Remember Running: The Year I Got Everything I Ever Wanted - and ALS.

1. I was hoping that this book would be an uplifting account of hope to encourage my husband who was recently diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease. It was NOT. Would not recommend it.



2. This is a book I find myselfing re-reading a couple times a year (and I don't tend to re-read books). Inspiring, truthful, I feel I could really relate and understand the author. Love this book! Truly beautiful. She left a precious gift to her readers. Highly recommend. Please read other reviews to learn about the content of this book.



3. This book is very easy & quick to read - good for those who don't like to spend a lot of time reading one book.
   
   As I was reading this book, I could easily relate to Darcy's frustration. A few years ago, I had a neurological problem where my muscles were slowly becoming weak, and I could hardly walk or move. It was extremely exhausting just getting out of bed. Thankfully, my problem was resolved, but I remember at the time watching other people go about their normal business, like walking etc, and thinking "They are walking so easily, like they don't have to think about it", yet I had to think about everything I did, just like Darcy.
   
   I felt genuine empathy for Darcy, and I am so happy that she lived her last year with so much happiness, despite her terminal illness.
   
   This book reminds me of another I have read recently by Kim Dalton "The Real Fight". Recommended reading.



4. Years ago I took an essay writing class with Darcy Wakefield. She was an aspiring writer and a pleasant person. I'm sorry that her first success at publishing came under such tragic circumstances. Reading her memoir, I wish I had known her better. She is smart, funny, and real. I'm glad she found personal happiness, motherhood, and spirituality before she died.



5. I went to a reading by Darcy shortly before her death. Her sister read short passages, as Darcy with ALS by that time could not do so. Darcy, herself, answered audience questions. She was alight with life and her book, with its candor and humor is a beacon of hope and a challenge for us all!

1 comments about Just One More Thing, Doc.

1. This is truly a hilarious book about the experiences of a maine vet. Dr Brown is a dedicated veterinarian and a credit To his profession.

5 comments about That's How the Light Gets In: Memoir of a Psychiatrist.

1. Rako found the title of this wonderful memoir, "That's How the Light Gets In," in a song by Leonard Cohen. The whole line is "There is a crack, a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in." For those of us who wonder what life experiences might lead a person to become a psychiatrist, I can recommend this book as a fascinating disclosure of one woman's journey -- and as an inspiration to the reader to follow one's dreams. I read the book in one sitting. Couldn't put it down.



2. overall not what I expected, and not interesting to me. agree with PW in that "the narrative's natural flow is often stopped up with word jams, bumpy prose and sometimes grueling therapeutic jargon"



3. Although this book is a biography on the life of psychiatrist Susan Rako, I found the most moving content to be in the insights and advice of her mentor Dr. Semrad that Susan shares during the last third of the book. Susan's life story does have its interesting moments, but, I have to admit that the details of her childhood days, life choices, and failed marriages were not nearly as compelling as the insights she passed on from her mentor. For me, these hand-me-down perspectives were the light that got in (the book).



4. As I was engrossed in reading That's How the Light Gets In, I tried to think of the one world that would describe it, and I think that word is elegant. One expects all kinds of "dishy" stuff in memoirs, but in this instance the author artfully circumvented this hazard without skimping on any of her feelings or struggles. I say, Bravo ! I identified in so many places, which made reading this book that much more pleasurable and validating for me. It is a fine piece of literary work.



5. This book left me befuddled. What was the point? I was expecting thoughtful essays about the meaning of life, as filtered through the experiences of the author, a psychiatrist. Instead, the book had little more depth than a sixth grader's "What I did On My Summer Vacation" essay. I was amazed when Rako spent more time on watching her granddaughter feed birds than she did on the breakup of either of her marrriages.
   
   It's a disappointment because Rako's life seems to be a full and vivid one, but little of that wholeness and color made it onto the page. I finished knowing more about her mentor than I did about her.

5 comments about My Perfect Son Has Cerebral Palsy: A Mother's Guide of Helpful Hints.

1. Marie Kennedy's short biography of her son's toddler years and experience with CP is entertaining and charming but parents of young children with Cerebral Palsy may find themselves depressed by it. I know my husband and I did. Why? Her son, Jimmy, has CP, but just a few short weeks after beginning physical therapy begins walking with the aid of braces, gait trainer, etc. He continues to make similar magnificent gains. In fact, the picture of him on the front of the book using crutches is actually quite deceptive as the time he spent with crutches was I think less than six months. By the end of this very short bio, Jimmy at the age of five is walking, is fully toilet trained, is attending regular school, and has no speech impairments whatever. As the mother of a child whose gains in physical therapy are measured in time spans of years, who may never walk, and who is virtually non-verbal, I applaud Jimmy's and Marie's achievements, but I don't find Jimmy to be a typical toddler or infant with CP. Although there is certainly nothing wrong with many of Marie's "tips" and her book is charming and entertaining, I think many CP moms may find her book a bit depressing. I would avoid this book if your child has more than a mild case of CP.



2. Overall this book was a good read. My son is 9 months old and was recently diagnosed with CP. I'm the type of person that wants to know all of the information I can, read all the books that I can, explore whatever website I can find - to do what I can to help my son. This book was a good book about the strength a mother found to do what she could for her son. The overview for this book was a little misleading - it said there were "helpful hints" on things to do to help with the CP. I guess this was what I was looking for - a book of different things that helped a mother help her son work through CP... So I gave the product a 3 star because it didn't really get into many helpful hints.



3. This book is very inspiring. I can identify with many of the same emotions. The only reason I dodn't give it 5 stars is that it is short, without longterm information on her child. I was left wondering "How's he doing now?" I think parents of CP kids always wonder how they are going to be when they "grow up." And this book ends when the child is still very young.



4. Methinks you'll enjoy MY PERFECT SON by Marie Kenndy.
   
   This is a moving tale of Jimmy and his loving parents . . . as Marie recounts, "After a few nights, I realized that it [wearing night shoes] was bothering me more than him. I had to quit being selfish and thinking of the things he couldn't do and start concentrating on the things he could do."
   
   And what Jimmy could do is just about everything . . . he is now 10, and part of what made this book so special for me was that I could almost watch him grow before my eyes as a result of the many wonderful pictures that were included.
   
   Kenney presents much useful advice for parents of any child . . . for example, she says, "When buying toys or gifts, consider how your child can and should move. It can be disappointing to receive a gift and not be able to use it. Our family consults us on birthdays and Christmas before
   making purchases, which helps to avoid this problem."
   
   I strongly recommend this book to any parent or grandparent, as well as to anybody else who works with children . . . you'll not only learn more about cerebral palsy, you'll also learn about life
   and how it can be lived to the fullest--regardless of health.



5. Marie has taken a problem and turned it into a triumph! She is very candid about her feelings, and is able to give hope to others dealing with any kind of disabilities. I enjoyed reading all of the practical advice that Marie shares, and felt as though I knew the whole family when I finished reading the book. Jimmy is destined to have a good life with the support he receives from the entire family.