No comments about Mid-Life: Notes from the Halfway Mark.

No comments about Smile...You're on Candid Cancer: My Picture of Life at its Best.

5 comments about Mainstay: For the Well Spouse of the Critically Ill.

1. I was moved by and influenced to write When The Man You Love Is Ill after reading Maggie Strong's heartfelt book. I was deeply touched by her personal story and wanted others to have a book that complemented the personal with the general.
   I still think Mainstay touches the heart of all who have been through the experience of being a caregiver. Five stars



2. Maggie Strong has written a hands-on book for those who are living with a chronically ill spouse or partner. She speaks from her own personal experience and shares the stories that other caregivers have told her. Strong was the first one to write a book that 'tells it like it is." Her writing brought tears to my eyes on more than one occasion because I thought my experiences with an ill husband were unique. This book showed me that I was not alone, where to turn for help in finding support groups, how to handle difficult family situations, and most importantly, gave me hope that I could carry on. Being a caregiver is a very lonely existence...most of the attention focuses on the person who is ill. However, illness impacts the entire family. The healthy or well spouse should not be an invisible part of the equation. Brava to Maggie Strong for her courage and for leading the way on this important topic.



3. When my husband was diagnosed with a chronic illness in 1992, I was totally unprepared for the major lifestyle changes that it brought about, even though I am a nurse. When I found "Mainstay", it was as though I was no longer alone. There was someone who not only understood but who was able to clearly articulate the experience. The illness and the circumstances were different but the feelings were so similar. The book also gives realistic and practical ways to survive as a well spouse. However, for me, the best part was that the book led to an ongoing organization, the Well Spouse Foundation, that continues to provide support, education, and hope to many well spouses.



4. For anyone who is living through the challenges of caring for a loved one who is chronically ill, this is a voice of sense and compassion, spoken by one who obviously knows what she's talking about from first-hand experience. Maggie Strong explores every aspect of the experience, from the first dreadful diagnosis of her mate's emerging disease to the social and emotional changes that inevitably wash over the family's daily routines. And while she never glosses over the terrible toll such an experience can take on every member of the family, she also offers plenty of affirming information on what caregivers can do to save themselves while negotiating these difficult waters. I can't recommend this book enough. Short of knowing Maggie Strong personally, I can't imagine having a better companion for the journey my husband and I must travel. The book has literally saved my life! Thank you, Maggie.



5. This is a rare thing--a practical, down-to-earth guide that's also very personal and written with the power of a good novel. As the wife of a chronically ill husband, Maggie Strong is honest about her husband's long illness and how it has altered their marriage and their family, and about the feelings all caregivers have: the love, the despair, the humor, the determination to go on and transcend enormous problems. There is nothing depressing here, but no Pollyanna either. You'll also learn about insurance, disability checks, dealing with doctors, asking for help, and scores of other ways to manage. You'll learn about a great support group. This voice will stay with you.

2 comments about Rosalyn Yalow: Nobel Laureate: Her Life and Work in Medicine (Helix Books).

1. As someone who is concerned with how gender influences our movement within society and our personal development, I found this book fascinating. To say nothing of the fact that this is one of very few books about a woman of intellect and emotional control of daunting proportions. As a woman physician, this book provided insight into my own development and future path. But as a woman, I hope men read this book. The insights go far beyond medicine, or careers, to the center of the gender issues that face us all.



2. Rosalyn Yalow, from a poor uneducated family in the Bronx, and educated in the New York City public school system, became the first American educated woman to make it to the top in science or medicine. A nuclear physicist who never took a course in biology, she developed a method to identify and measure vanishingly small amounts of almost any substance in body fluids and tissues. As a result her work revolutionized virtually every aspect of medicine and biomedical science. What did it take to succeed in universities, hospitals, and scientific establishments that were completely dominated by men and male culture? What price did she pay? What barriers still stand in the way of women in these fields? This book speaks to these questions and more. It provides a searching and sensitive portrait of an overpowering woman who stood alone, fought for her place, and guided other women to follow their dreams and abilities. Yet the book is about human relationships; motherhood, marriage, partnership, and especially Yalow's relationship with herself. It is also about the ongoing struggle to achieve equal opportunity for all people. It reads like a novel, with a poetic feel for words and structure. Even the science is seamless and available to readers with little or no scientific background. Here is a great book about a great woman who is not an actress, not a heiress, not a figure in a political scandal, but a towering intellectual figure who changed the world. I couldn't put it down. Read it, then give it to your kids. Especially the young adult boys and girls.

5 comments about Willow Weep for Me: A Black Woman's Journey Through Depression : A Memoir.

1. This is definately an excellent read. I originally had to read this book for school but now that I have read the book, I purchased the book to add to my personal collection. Excellent depiction of what a black woman encounters when she suspects that she has depression.



2. After experiencing several bouts with depression throughout my 30s--I am now 38 and the daily battle continues, this book caught my attention from another message board. I checked it out from my local library and finished it within 2 days. I could so relate to the author. Her story was very poignant and I appreciated her honesty. While medication has not worked for me I am trying a daily balance of selfcare to work with my depression. This is a book I will buy. Continued success to the author, her family and circle of friends.



3. I bought this book and didn't want to read it at first. I thought it would be too sad. But I read it anyway. I am sure glad I did. This book gave me the courage I needed to go find help for my own depression. Thanks Meri.



4. Reading the excerpts of this book on your web site got me thinking deeply about my wife, who is presently looking for a place of her own. I just sent her the url to the excerpts and hope she will read it and change her mind and stay. Thanks for saving my marriage!



5. I read this book after going through a bad break-up with my fiance. It's wonderful to read about a black woman being totally honest about her emotions, her illness and her reality. I appreciated Meri telling her story without wearing the "Superwoman" mask mainstream America forces on black women. This was an eye-opening book and it helped me to realize that I don't have to wear the superwoman mask. It inspired me to be brave enough to be honest about my own emotions and vulnerabilities! Black women and men should read this book, and everybody else should too! Dispel the myths!

5 comments about George & Sam: Two Boys, One Family, and Autism.

1. The book is so informative and gives the opportunity to look inside this family's life with two children with autism. If you are a parent or a caregiver, you will relate to a lot of the behaviors, actions and reactions of the boys. The mom is very good telling all and not feeling like is a tragedy to be the mom of these two kids.
   Very informative about the things that have helped them improve their quality of life. A must read for families of children with autism, like mine.



2. I read this book on a recommendation and it was of particular interest to me, since a close friend has an autistic child and another close friend works with autistic children. This book deals with a heavy subject in a very accessible manner and gives out a lot of information without feeling preachy or reading like a textbook. I recommend it for everyone.



3. As a psychologist who works with children with autism, I have read many of the books written by parents so I can have a better understanding of their experience. Many of the books focus on some of the alternative treatments and how one or another "cured" their child. This is not the case with "George and Sam". Charlotte Moore does describe treatments that she has tried, and discusses the pros and cons of the outcome in a realistic way. She doesn't expect to find a miracle cure, just treatments that can improve her boys' quality of life. She wholly accepts who they are. She doesn't lead the reader to believe that if they try a particular treatment their child will be cured. I believe this is a great book for parents, especially those who have a child that is newly diagnosed.



4. I read this book because Nick Hornby recommended it in his book, "The Polyphonic Spree." (By the way, Hornby's novel, "How to be Good," though not about autism, is an entertaining read). Hornby has a son affected by autism, so he has insight into the subject.
   
   I don't agree with everything Moore writes, but I found this memoir to be very real and moving. She discusses the CF GF diet, but isn't a zealot about it, which I appreciated. She uses ABA, whereas we use Floortime in our family. She's anti-inclusion, whereas my son attends a school with an inclusion program.
   
   This book shows what it's like to live with autism. The author has a sense of humor, which makes it readable. I could identify with her gradual awakening to the fact that something was wrong. I appreciated her worries about what will happen to her boys after she's gone.
   
   Moore says her sons are "autistic through and through," which is to say, there are not "normal" boys inside, struggling to get out. I think this is an important view to have represented, because there are a lot of miraculous recovery stories out there, and the truth is that sometimes, recovery doesn't happen. Recovery makes for a more dramatic story, and probably sells more books. But there's a place for truthful accounts like this, too. I resonated with it.



5. I have a 3 yr old autistic son who moved from severe to mild with a lot of intervention. I have read a lot of books, and I was particularly interested in this one because I had heard so many positive things about it. I am glad that I did because overall, I really liked the book. I found her accounts of her sons to be filled with love, honesty, and sometimes even humor. She is an amazing woman to raise 3 boys alone (she's a single Mom!), and two of them with autism. I give her a lot of credit. I give it 4 stars though instead of 5 because while I liked her accounts, I think she made some pretty odd assertions. Some of it has been mentioned already in the reviews, and some not. I just hope that people read it with an open mind - that her assertions on autism is just that of a Mom with two autistic boys, and they are not always...accurate. Regardless, I highly recommend this book.

2 comments about Healing Lessons.

1. I read this book days after discovering my father has stomach cancer. I am so greatful for this book. There are not many books that deal exclusively with gastric cancer and that is what made this book so important to me. For me it was good to go through the entire process of before diagnosis to death throught the voice and eyes of a top Gastroenterologist. I thought the book was a bit over the top with the descriptions of their wealth and fortunes. I also skipped over the religious/god bit. But overall I was truly touched with the descriptions of her death. With reagrd to the alternative treatments I suppose it discouraged me from waisting money on it. It helped me focus of what does work and the thought that hope is a powerful motivator. It gave me and idea of what to expect for my father and for that I am grateful.



2. I recommend this book to those living with cancer and those who love them. This book reveals that those of us who care about someone with cancer, even a world-reknowned physician at Memorial Sloan-Kettering, are feeling many of the same emotions and drains. Sloan-Kettering is a wonderful hospital and Sid Winawer is amongst its many, many stars.

2 comments about Down from Troy: A Doctor Comes of Age.

1. I enjoyed very much the chapters about Selzer's childhood and about his physician-father. I don't think the book needed to be 300 pages long. At 200 pages, focused on his childhood, it would have been much better. The "stuff" he used to fill in and create a 300 page book wasn't relevant and sometimes was totally ridiculous. Did I want to read a paper he wrote in high school? I don't think so.



2. Before Richard Selzer I didn't think much of Troy. Selzer's descriptions of his Dad's practice, the story tellers at the corner pub, and the action along the river are not glamorous but they are rich and warm. He taught me how to make the best French coffee and dazzled my mind with exotic words. Now I beg my husband to make detours through Troy. He thought I was nuts until he read the book, and now he's hooked too. I have read nearly all of Selzer's books and this is my favorite.

1 comments about From Caracas to Stockholm: A Life in Medical Science.

1. Benacerraf is a charming writer, but I was somewhat disappointed with the book. I was hoping to find some new insights into the creative process in science and some sparkling anecdotes about this Nobel Prize winner's colleagues. I did not find much of either.

3 comments about A Healing Family.

1. My first book by Kenzaburo was Silent Cry. Recently I read A Healing Family and found that I really liked it a lot. Yukari's illustrations were beautiful. This book made me feel closer to Oe's family. It is very heart-warming.

   At the time I read it, I was in the process of deciding whether to get my wisdom teeth extracted by a dentist or an oral surgeon. I heard that my face would be bruised and swollen, my jaws unhinged, etc. after the surgery. It was quite unnerving just to think about it. Then I read that Hikari has to make weekly visits to the dentist, and that his epileptic pills make his gum terribly swollen. I felt that I am in a much much better situation than some people. It was a consolation to read this book.

   One thing I don't quite like about most of Kenzaburo's books is that he refers to a lot of other European writers and their works, which I find hard to understand. Well, that's just my ignorance.




2. Kenzaburo Oe, the Japanese novelist who won the 1994 Nobel Prize for Literature, was 28 when his son, Hikari, was born. This event was the most important in Oe's life. Born with a herniated brain, Hikari has needed almost constant care since birth. "A Healing Family" is Oe's first non-fiction attempt to make sense of Hikari's life and the effect it has had on the people around him, most importantly his family.

   This beautiful book shows the profound love, affection and pride the Oe family take in Hikari's accomplishments and happiness. From the age of five, Hikari has been obsessed with classical music, and eventually began to compose pieces for piano and violin. Much of "A Healing Family" concerns Oe's attempts to understand his son through music.

   "A Healing Family" is a book everyone should read. Finely crafted, perceptive, intelligent and moving, it shows us again that compassion and empathy can make all the difference in the world.




3. Hard to believe that no one else has written a review of this book because it is excellent... Oe's manner of dealing with his son's affliction and the effects it has on his family is truly amazing... His manner is truly one of love and serenity.... Without any reservations, I recommend this book to anyone who wants to know more about "heart"...