5 comments about Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction.

1. It's hard to write an honest book when the book will reveal that you, its central character, are a helpless onlooker to the terrible waste of a beautiful person, your beautiful boy, your eldest son. David Sheff has written that book.
   
   David's son Nic was, is, special. He began winning writing prizes at an early age. He had a clear, tender visage and a brilliant mind. He was obviously destined for worldly success. All that promise died when, at age 11, he started using pot, then booze, then LSD.
   
   Then he graduated. To meth.
   
   Methamphetamine isn't a trendy drug. It isn't imported. It isn't a party favorite. It's manufactured in filthy garages by deranged addicts-turned-dealers, a trip of last resort for people who simply must go the downward route. It turns its users into raging animals, then passive wraiths, enhancing their sexual peaks and darkening their lowest fevered valleys. Nic, the sweet, smart, beautiful boy, became evasive, dishonest, a thief, a prostitute, a street person --- he sank and sank.
   
   David grew up in a generation that embraced the use of drugs --- pot smoking, in the Berkeley hills where he raised Nic and his two half-siblings, was completely acceptable. Not using drugs would have been abnormal. So the good, liberal dad anticipated that Nic might have contact with drugs and might need some guidance. He saw his son turn into a skeletal stranger, but he chose to believe it was just a little pot, just a little alcohol, just something that could be dealt with easily by counseling or, at the most, a period of a few weeks in standard rehab.
   
   For both father and son, it took years --- agonizing, tragic, lost years --- to understand that Nic was not going to emerge one day as a normal guy, finish college and settle down. Nic was unmoored. David learned that addiction begins with a predilection lurking way back in the genetic code. But what happens next are acts of will. The addict knows that he or she must break the addictive cycle, go into rehab and stay with the program. But over and over again, addicts like Nic refuse and reject that avenue of salvation. They are in a dance with evil, and often, for reasons no one else can understand, they want to die.
   
   David and his wife despaired when Nic would sneak in and steal their belongings or write bad checks on their accounts. They were exhausted by trying to care and yet be tough, forced to use every encounter with Nic as a confrontation to convince him to do something he didn't want to do. David lived through all the guilt trips --- it was his fault for divorcing when Nic was young, for not figuring things out soon enough, for not doing something that could have saved Nic. But what? Then came anger and resentment at being used, ripped off by his addict son; then Nic would disappear again and David would think with horror, "Nic could die." David knew that Nic needed to have a serious crisis so he could see the need for a change. He'd been told that for the change to take hold "you have to be alone, broke, desolate, desperate." Surely Nic had been all those, but he didn't come up and stay up. Nic's little half-sister Daisy put it wisely: "It's like Nic is like my brother who I know and this other guy who I don't."
   
   David realized one day that he missed Nic and wanted him back, but that the Nic he loved was gone already, and forever. Yet still there were those precious times, such as when Nic would come home occasionally and play with his half-sister and brother, or when David was immobilized after a near-fatal subarachnoidal hemorrhage and Nic was there, sitting by his bed, holding out a lifeline to his ailing father like a flickering promise. Such times keep a parent hoping, even when they find themselves collapsing in tears at an Al-Anon meeting, pouring out their story to a roomful of strangers.
   
   It took guts to write this book, and guts to live through what David Sheff has lived through. He offers the few tips he has picked up along the way, but he doesn't consider himself a font of advice. With Nic still in some stage of recovery at the book's close, David can only say, "I am confident I have done everything I could to help Nic. Now it's up to him...our relationship can evolve into one of independence, acceptance, and compassion, with healthy boundaries. The love is a given."
   
   --- Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott



2. One of the best books I have read in the last year and one of the most riveting memoirs I've read in a long, long time.
   
   David Sheff is able to portray the frustration, anger, angst and incredible agony of living with a loved one who is addicted without being self-serving or over dramatic.
   
   Each time his son disappears, your stomach drops and you are almost there with Sheff while his worry and doubt eat away at him. Each time Nic fails, you want to shout at him and each time he gets back up you want to cheer for him.
   
   Sheff's hope and grief come through in every chapter and you are constanly left wondering "what if?"
   
   But while Sheff succeeds mightily in putting you in the room with him, he doesn't wallow nor does he force his readers to wade in self pity.
   
   I've already ordered Tweak and I'm hoping Nic has all of the candor of his dad and even half the story-telling ability.



3. In the back of all our minds when our beautiful sons and daughters are born is the realization of all the evil that can be laid upon them by society and by themselves. Those adorable, cute, huggable children face step after step of hazardous life --- made especially hazardous during the teenage years when being "with it" often means being dumb.
   
   This book is where many of us have not gone but know we could have gone. Sheff is a courageous writer.



4. Unfortunately the father/author spends so much time telling us about his idyllic life and self-importance that he fails at a thorough and genuine self-evaluation and revelation. I spent the time while reading the book wondering if he ever really listens (treats young Nic as a little adult and repeats the same by needing to explain Nic's addiction to his four-year old) and why he cannot give his son some space (He attends an AA meeting with his son as a gesture of support. I can only imagine what the AA group was thinking.).



5. After standing in line at Starbuck's for as it seemed, over a month, I decided to purchase this book on Amazon.com. I haven't regretted it. David Sheff offers an inside look at a Father and Son and a horrible addiction. The book made me both happy and sad and at times, and gave me a stomach ache because of the drug's powerful pull. It's such a HOT topic these days. For those of you who have thought about buying this book - do it!

5 comments about Madness: A Bipolar Life.

1. I was 23, the same age as Marya Hornbacher, when her first book, the eating disorder memoir WASTED, was published. I devoured the book, simultaneously struck by envy (how could someone my age write with such authority and emotional authenticity?) and admiration at her courage to write so openly about such a deeply personal and painful topic as her own decade-long battle with anorexia and bulimia. WASTED has stayed with me since its publication, and I have often found myself wondering whatever happened to that promising young author, who, with the exception of a 2005 novel, has been silent for the past decade.
   
   Now I know.
   
   In MADNESS: A Bipolar Life, Hornbacher candidly and often brutally describes her life before and after the publication of her first book. At that time, she, her friends, family and therapists all believed that, with the conquering of her eating disorder, she would finally also have control over her chaotic and at times out-of-control life. Little did they know, however, that Hornbacher was in the grip of a much larger mental illness, one that had been overlooked since her childhood.
   
   Even as a preschooler, Hornbacher rarely slept, waking her parents at all hours of the night demanding to play. Her ambition and seemingly inexhaustible energy actually served her well during her school years, enabling the high-achieving young author to accomplish far more than anyone could have thought possible. But almost no one knew that Hornbacher was already using alcohol and drugs to manage her manic episodes, engaging in sex in exchange for drugs, and trying desperately to exert power over her out-of-control body by cutting herself and developing a soon-to-be life-threatening eating disorder.
   
   Only after one of those cutting episodes resulted in a near-fatal loss of blood, only after the publication of WASTED, only after she had already alienated many of her friends, acquaintances and colleagues did Hornbacher finally receive the diagnosis that would redefine her life. Hornbacher was diagnosed with bipolar disorder (formerly known as manic-depressive disease).
   
   Giving a name to her condition was only the first step in a long and painful process, however. Hornbacher's alcoholism sabotaged her doctors' attempts to control her bipolar disorder; therapists brought in to control her resurgent anorexia misdiagnosed her and prescribed harmful anti-depressants; her own high-achieving personality constantly undermined her will to manage her disease. Soon her bipolar disorder threatens not only her one mature romantic relationship but even her own life. In the end, though, a compassionate husband, supportive friends and, most importantly, a personal, conscious decision to re-imagine her own life allow Hornbacher to strike a cautiously hopeful tone at the end of the book.
   
   MADNESS is, at times, a nearly exhausting memoir to read. Written in Hornbacher's breathless, rapid-fire style, the prose occasionally seems to echo her manic episodes, as ideas and details come flying off the page a mile a minute. In addition, it can be emotionally draining to spend so much space locked in another person's troubled head --- but, as in this case, it can also be fascinating to read an intelligent, compelling exploration of a life defined by forces largely outside one's control. What's most remarkable, especially in light of my own musings about "what happened" to this eminently talented young author, is that she was able to accomplish so much even when wracked by such a debilitating disease, including writing much of this memoir in between a series of hospitalizations over the past several years. In that light, MADNESS is not only a much-needed exploration of an often-overlooked disease; it is, for this particular writer, a triumph.
   
   --- Reviewed by Norah Piehl



2. MADNESS: A Bipolar Life by Marya Hornbacher
   May 15, 2008
   
   Amazon Rating 4/5 stars
   
   I normally don't read non-fiction, except I am fascinated by psychologically minded books such as this one. MADNESS is a memoir by a woman who suffers from bipolar disorder (what at one time had been known as manic depression) but was not diagnosed until much later in life. Because of this belated diagnosis, Marya obviously was not treated for a disorder that could have been kept under control if caught in time. Instead, Marya was diagnosed with something totally different, and because of that she had been given medications that actually harmed her.
   
   Her symptoms throughout the years came and went, but as she describes what she has gone through, she gives a good example of what a person afflicted with Bipolar I disorder goes through, and what their loved ones and friends deal with day to day. Marya had the severe form of Bipolar disorder, and because it was left untreated for so long, her life was one horrific hell on earth. With manic highs and lows, she went from one relationship to another, bingeing on food and money, and began to resort to acts such as cutting, one of the few ways she felt in control of her crazy life.
   
   I found MADNESS a fascinating and insightful look into the life of a person with bipolar disorder, and having friends and family members of friends afflicted with it, I found this book very helpful in allowing me to understood a lot more of what having bipolar disorder is all about. Marya brings the reader into her madness, and shows us the pain she has gone through and her journey to the road of recovery.
   
   Marya Hornbacher, despite the hellish life she has led, is a gifted writer and it shows what any one can do, no matter what their state of mine is in. This is not her first book, and I hope it is not her last.



3. Having been diagnosed with bipolar disorder myself, I thought that reading another person's account would help to deepen my understanding of my own situation. That being said, I am glad this book wasn't around for me to read a year ago when I first found out. I would have been scared to death. If you have never encountered a bipolar person (there are many degrees of bipolar, some more serious than others) this is NOT the book for you. It may give you the wrong impression of the disorder.
   Her chapters read like manic episodes, jumping from thought to thought which I found discomforting, despite my complete understanding of what that feels like(and didn't she mention throughout that she was working on this book while experiencing episodes?). Her multiple hospitalizations, wild road trips, and even more than one marriage can make one think that bipolar is too much to handle and is something to be scared of.
   However, there were moments in there that floored me - that had me saying "Oh s**t. That is exactly how I felt before I was treating my disorder." She also details the inevitable process of denial that occurs when one is diagnosed with something as stigmatized as bipolar disorder. The continual self-abuse that makes treatment that much harder.
   If you have already learned about bipolar and can handle a horrendous story of one woman's personal experience, then go ahead. There are many resources listed in the back which can be helpful if you havn't already found them on the web. However, I do not plan to re-read this book and plan to sell my copy.



4. I have some addiction issues with Klonopin and I started reading this book when I was going through some serious Klonopin withdrawal. I am not bipolar but I found this book helpful and comforting while going through my own personal madness.
   
   Like she says in the book, I honestly don't know how she made it through all this without killing someone (by mistake of course) or herself, accidental or intentional. It is a miracle and she is blessed to come through this. Her writing is so convincing. I really felt like I was in her head and this is how it feels to be bipolar.
   
   I don't know how she drank as much as she did!! I kept thinking, Wow, considering her situation she was able to travel for her book tour and become an accomplished woman.
   
   I hope she stays on the straight and narrow and am glad that she told her story. I feel like anyone who reads this will finally understand what it is to have mental illness. Because so many people don't understand and I know I have a very hard time explaining how I feel sometimes.



5. I cried reading this book. While I have been diagnosed with Bipolar II, where the mania is not so severe, but the depression is, I got to see myself from the outside. Marya's pictures in to the life and mind is extrodinary.
   
   My husband is reading this after hearing an interview with her on the Dianne Rhem show on NPR. He said he finally knows me better than he ever has. The book is frightening, but at the same time hopeful.
   A must-read for anyone who wants to see mental illness from the inside

5 comments about A Child Called "It": One Child's Courage to Survive.

1. This was a gift for niece. She's not a big reader, but could not put the book down.



2. If it's a fake or not, I don't care. It makes you think every moment how you're treating your kids and how you can be a better parent. Very good.



3. Google 'Dysfunction For Dollars" and "New York Times" as one search phrase and see what Dave's brother and grandmother are saying. His second brother actually backed him up ... and then wrote his own bestselling book. This is also a guy who buys an estimated 40,000 copies of his book from stores to sell at speaking engagements. Don't worry it's not made up, it's admitted to by Dave's wife, Marsha, who's also vice president of his company. It's there in the same article mentioned above. Er ... perhaps that explains why it's a "bestseller."
   
   This is the same as the writer who claimed to have lived with a pack of wolves after surviving the holocaust. Don't be so quick to assume they're telling the truth. Oh and don't shoot the messenger.



4. When I first read the book, it became one of my most favorite memoirs. Peltzer, I thought, had such courage, strength, and endurance despite having gone through such a harrowing experience.
   
   Then I find out everything he'd written was a lie and that the only reason he was a bestseller was the fact that he bought many of his books himself. Peltzer lied about his childhood and I realize now that the reason how he kept me captivated was that he painted gruesome images that horrify and delights the mind.
   
   I have tried reading his book after finding out but could not stomach it - the lies stopped me in my tracks. But overall, the book is good but remember to read it as fiction.



5. A Child Called "It" is based on a true story. David is only five years old when his mother starts drinking and becomes and alcoholic, and his father isn't brave enough to stop any of this. David's mother was once a perfect mother and everyone loved her it wasn't until she started drinking that she lost everyone around her, she took out all her anger on poor David and would punch him and beat him. Years later David was known as "IT", "it's" mother believed to not use his name because he is not worth it. He was also not aloud to sleep in the house because he's not part of the "family" so he was moved into the garage. One day while "it" was cleaning up the kitchen, "mother" came in drunk as ever she sat down on the chair and watched David try to finish the dishes in the amount of time she gave him. As he looked at her and won't clean, she soon lost it and through a knife into "it's" stomach. As you read this book you can feel that you're with there with David on his journey for the fight of his life.
   I absolutely loved this book, I couldn't put it down. It was an amazing book of a child's fight for his life. It was also the third worse child abuse case in the state of California.

5 comments about Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's.

1. While reading Augustin Burroughs description of his brother's asperger's it hit me like a brick. When he was describing John Elder my loved one fell into every category he mentioned. John Elder has done an amazing job giving us a glimpse into his life. I found every emotion in this book. I laughed, I cried, and I came out knowing and feeling I understood alot more about Asperger's. This book flows very well and even though big is a very fast read.
   
   I think John Elder definately has a gift for writing too! I would recommend this book to anyone. I will also add him to my list of authors to purchase everytime they have a new book come out. There are currently only 2 authors on that list and I am an avid reader.



2. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has children or grandchildren or other family members or friends who have children with autistic issues; especially Asperger issues.



3. I am recently married to a wonderful man with Asperger's as well as step mom to a pre teen boy with asperger's. This book gave me a whole new insight to them both... There were several chapters where I either thought to myself that he was writing about my husband or my son...



4. I was disappointed in this book. Reading through the other reviews I was astonished at how many people thought it was "amazing" and "interesting". I thought it was full of boring anecdotes and I was appalled at how proud he was of his mean pranks. If the meanness is a result of the Asperger's syndrome it was not well explained, so I had a hard time accepting that the meanness was out of his control. It did appear to be poorly edited, with lots of inconsistencies. There were several places, usually at the end of chapters, where he leaves us hanging with such teasers as, "Little did I know it would get much worse." (Sorry, paraphrasing here - I don't have the book in front of me). Turn the page to the next chapter and we don't really find out what was "much worse" (again, paraphrasing). This was very frustrating and made the book difficult to follow. I've read many books along this line and this was just poorly written, by what appears to be a mean, arrogant man. Maybe he's not really like that, but that's what comes across. I hardly ever dislike a book, but it was all I could do to finish this one



5. This is less a book about what it's like to live with Asperger's, than it is a collection of anecdotes from someone who happens to have the syndrome. If the purpose of the book is to convince that the author experiences emotions similarly to 'normal' people but expresses them differently, it fails in that regard. There was, to me, the feeling that the author is emotionally 'robotic' in a way that 'normal' people are not. The book means to humanize him (and people like him) beyond what would be the first impressions of someone who didn't know better, but only the most judgemental observer would assume less humanity than is on display in these pages. If anything, the book confirms the impression of a certain roboticness which is at odds with a certain humanity.
   
   Maybe an autobiographical book by an author who lacks ability to be introspective should be expected to be shallow on some level. But it would have been interesting to at least go into how his Asperger's affected his first marriage, or how it forced him to leave his corporate job, or how it affects his personal relationships with his wife and son. There is almost no direct information on those topics in the book. The author chose not to write about certain more-personal topics which would have provided the most meaningful and interesting cases in point of living with Aspergers. As such, I felt slightly cheated by the book.

5 comments about Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lesson.

1. Charming memoir done by a student of Morrie, now a famous sports journalist. He rediscovers his professor when he catches the tail end of a broadcast by Ted Koeppel and learns his teacher is dying but Morrie, no ordinary man, is making a study of death. Albom soon finds himself hopping a plane from Detroit to Boston every Tuesday to spend the day with his former professor as the only student in a course entitled "The Meaning of Life." Reads quickly and holds reader interest.



2. I'm sure you've read many reviews on how touching this book is, and I would say 'to each their own'. But an entire book written about a death-bed conversation can be a bit much for some people. Think of the scene in 'The Empire Strikes Back' when Yoda is dying and speaking his last words to Luke... well now imagine that scene was the content of the entire movie and you get a sense of what it was like to read this book. The first half was touching... Morrie - an old college professor was dying, passing on his words of wisdom to his dear ex-student. Well, by the second half of the book, I just wanted him to pass away so I can finish the book and start another. I'm sorry, some may say this is blasphemy, but how many tear-jerking eye opening last words of wisdom can you really absorb? And to be honest, I can hardly remember what they were after I closed the book.



3. I don't read a lot for leisure but this book came highly recommended. This book touched me so strongly that I could not put it down until I was finished. I have recommended this book to others and will be buying more copies for gifts.



4. Tuesdays With Morrie
   Danny Cubberly
   One could describe Mitch Albom in many ways. He's a good listener, a good student, and an emotionally deep human being. But most importantly, he was the student of someone he described as "a man who loved dancing and having a good time." This man was Morrie Schwartz. Mitch Albom wrote down the lessons that Morrie would talk to him about every Tuesday. Through those inspiring life-lessons came this story that teaches us all to live life to the fullest.
   All the lessons in this book were inspirational. Although Morrie was slowly wasting away with only months to live, he never felt depressed about his condition because he knew that this was his time to die. There were several half-page chapters that could be interpreted as meaningless in others, but if one reads between the lines, they can interpret the message being sent by Morrie. For instance, in one chapter, Morrie told Mitch that if he could be any animal, it would be a gazelle because they are "graceful and fast." This message can be interpreted as Morrie wishing that he could still have that energy he possessed before his diagnoses.
   This book has several strengths, but with it come a few weaknesses. Anyone who loves tear-jerkers and philosophical books should consider picking up this one-of-a-kind book. This book will make anyone think back and remember that one special person who influenced them the most throughout their life. Still, young people would most likely find this book sappy and dull, as it does not connect with the young, but more with adults and the elderly. Whether it be the healthy or the unhealthy, the young or the old, this book will convince anyone that life is something that we need to love because it is all we have. As Morrie's most famous quote says: "When you learn how to die, you learn how to live."



5. I had been given multiple recommendations from friends and family to read this simple, but heartwarming book, and I didn't decide to sit down and read it until recently. The author decided to take his career as a sports writer, and use his writing to tell the words of an inspiring man. Mitch Abom wrote sports highlights in the Detroit Free Press, and tried to write novels about sports instead. After not becoming successful with his first few novels, he decided to try a different type of book.
   
   Tuesdays With Morrie is about Morrie Schwartz, a retired history professor at Brandeis University who is dying of ALS, which is more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Diesase. A former student of his named Mitch Albom hadn't seen his old professor in years but he saw the old man on Nightline. Albom decided to visit Morrie. After a few visits, Morrie and Mitch decided to meet every Tuesday to discuss the meaning of life and how to embrace life. More specific things like family and love were discussed and to be honest, hearing a dying man say such things was a little depressing. However, the morals that Morrie taught made me think more about life and how to live it to its fullest. In reading this book (which was a quick read by the way) I learned an interesting viewpoint on life. Considering the fact that the book is about a dying man, you can figure out how it ends, but it surely finishes strong, and with a powerful message. The writing was easy to understand, but at times, the book became tedious and depressing. Overall, the message overweighed the depressing parts of the book.
   
   Tuesdays with Morrie was published ten years ago, yet it was a multiple award winning novel. The story of Morrie Schwartz has been and will continue to be remembered by many.

5 comments about The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Vintage International) (Vintage International).

1. I was so inspired by the premise, and I wondered what beautiful prose a man "locked in" would produce. Unfortunately, I found it average. The most inspirational part of the book was his willpower to write it, in his condition. It is also valuable to note how much he could think under the circumstances.
   His situation however, was not unique, though his case was more extreme than most.
   His life was not particularly inspirational - he seemed to live for fine cars and fine food and travel. A nice book, but probably more meaningful to his family and friends than the population at large.
   Look elsewhere for inspiration.



2. This is in review of the english translation by Jeremy Leggatt.
   
   This is a difficult book to review. On the one hand, the chapter in the life of Jean-Do Bauby that this autobiographical piece captures is one which no decent person would wish on another human-being. Let alone imagine themselves having to live out. In this regard, this is a hero story of epic proportions.
   
   But as an author, and as the protagonist of the stories he chose to share, the Jean Bauby of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is something else entirely.
   
   I began the book with infinite amounts of sympathy for the man and his plight. By the end of the book I felt I had just finished reading some of the lower-rated sections of the Michelin Travel Guide.
   
   And this is the troubling part - is a person who reads this book and is left feeling less-than-inspired heartless and unfeeling? Or is the rave reviews of the book more because of the feat and life lived to create it and less because of the book itself?
   
   In the end I was left with the impression that the Jean Bauby as presented in the book was a difficult man to sympathize with. I am not a fan of the Randian hero, so perhaps this flavors my feelings, but I came to feel that the diving bell was no new feature in his life. It just affected his ability to connect and relate to others before it came to afflict his entire body.
   
   Ultimately, as a book, it was disappointing. And as a window into his diving bell, I can only hope or assume that there was more to the man than came through.
   
   For those who knew him, I'm sure it was a gift. But for the rest of us, I think that the emperor is naked.



3. Its one of the few times that the movie adds to the book, both should be experienced and are inspirational



4. The word "unique" is probably overused, but here it applies. This book was written by a stroke victim who was paralized except for one eye-lid. He laboriously wrote the book with the help of a therapist who kept reading the alphabet and the author would blink his eye when she came to the right letter. In this way, he is probably the only completely paralized stroke victim who could transmit his feelings and memories. Since his brain and senses functioned perfectly, he was able to do this. If you think that this is a depressing book, you are wrong - it is really uplifting. The movie made from this book is also very much worth seeing.



5. I thought this was a wonderful quick read. I saw the movie and couldn't wait to read the book. How amazing that in all his struggles he was able to write this book. It shows you that even without body function the amazing strength of his will can go on.

5 comments about A Man Named Dave: A Story of Triumph and Forgiveness.

1. I have read the trilogy of this book and believe it to be uplifting and just truly amazing. It makes you strive to be all you can be and to treat others in the way you want to be treated. He is a true inspiration to anyone.



2. Very well written book. It is very inspiring. Once you start reading you cant put it down. This man has been through so much and triumphed.



3. this is the third sequel to a child called it! i like the part where dave pelzer's mom talks about his father dying, and asks, don't you have something for me? didn't he give you anything before he passed away? and dave says no! father didn't give me a thing! then his mom says you're lying! and slaps him and makes his nose bleed! read it if you like dave pelzer as much as me!



4. I'm glad Dave wrote this book. It made his story come full circle and now the world can read how one man can truly make a difference and move on with his life.



5. The book is well written and details the journey of a man to seek answers for his childhood abuse at the hands of his mother. There were times I felt the story was too drawn out but overall it is an excellent story of courage and self-discovery.
   Would highly recommend this book.

5 comments about It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life.

1. Whether or not you are a fan of Lance Armstrong, this book is incredibly helpful. Helpful for getting a grip on the implication of testicular cancer diagnosis and treatment. Also helpful for tackling the mental battle that comes with this disease. It is full of hope, and an important read for those diagnosed with Testicular cancer,and their significant others.



2. Both my wife and I are currently cancer patients. The book gave us the courage to believe that we can beat cancer. Lance's book is a must read for anyone who has cancer or if you have anyone in your family going through cancer treatements. It is a great mix of athletics and the will to survive and what it takes to accomplish both. Get it and read it!



3. A frank and honest portrait of one mans struggle. This is not a 'wow, aren't I great' book, but one that shows the awful journey people have to take and what gets them to "over come the odds".
   
   The achievement of the subject of this entertaining read is his amazing recovery from cancer which was followed shortly afterwards by spectacular sporting success. The book is undoubtedly compelling, and was simply, clearly and strikingly written.
   
   Even if you're not into cycling you will love this book.



4. Quite good. The compelling part of the book is to hear Lance tell how he overcame advanced-stage prostate cancer, with treatments that fully debilitated him. Only then did he come back to win the Tour de France for the first time! (And the only time in this book.) He is frank about the rougher sides of his personality, but does go beyond his illness to learn how to be a better person. You are cheering for him all the way. Although written with a ghost writer, it is his voice that comes through loudly and clearly. The book ends with him quite in love with his wife and first child, projecting a family life into the future. Sadly, as we know, it was not to be, nor did he stick it out with Sheryl Crow who had yet to appear in his story.



5. The story of Lance Armstong's life up until 2001 will be a challenge to put down for even those who are not fans of cycling. This story unfolds as an enthralling voyage taken alongside one of the greatest athletes in history from his very low points facing apparent death by brain cancer to the high points of full recovery and winning the Tour de France.
   
   Lance is extremely strong willed, bold, determined, and presents a story for the ages with his first autobiography. His story is so compelling that I highly recommend this book to anyone.

4 comments about It's Only Temporary: The Good News and the Bad News of Being Alive.

1. I first found "Its Only Temporary" in the book review of the L.A. Times
   a couple of weeks ago. After reading I believe it should be front and center. The book(on the surface) is about Evan Handler's life(Harry SxtheCt) after he had beaten leukemia and what it is like to be alive when most including yourself thought you are not going to be. But
   as I say thats just the surface. "IOT" reveals a life that can be understood and appreciated as well as if you were sitting with him in person and he was actually telling you from his heart his story.
   And he tells it with the flair and sensitivity that makes you truly know what makes Evan Handler tick.
   Now for the faint of heart I will warn you that Handler is very descriptive about his life and his feelings but anything that can be considered overdone is completely offset by his honesty and wit.
   I have to say of all the things he got right maybe two of the best were U,S. politicians talk too much about religion and not enough about improving the economy so there are two bidets in every American home.
   I have to say after reading "Its only Temporary" it makes you feel that
   Handler would make an interesting friend for what time and life's fortunes will allow.



2. IT'S ONLY TEMPORARY is a most engaging work. I was impressed by Evan Handler's candor - and charmed by his sense of humor. And I was especially captivated by the story of how he met and then fell passionately in love with his wife. It's a romantic tale - complete with a soaring finish! I found myself exhilarated reading about his discovery of this deeper love - how it transformed his life and what it taught him about past experiences with relationships and his own humanity. Handler writes with great wit and style. Somehow his observations manage to resonate deep insight and entertain at the same time. His approach to storytelling is intimate and universal - philosophical and practical....I believe this book has something important to say about love and being fully alive.



3. I've just finished reading this book, and I think it's wonderful on many levels. On the surface, it's a funny, rollicking good read, filled with entertaining stories, told by a quick-witted author. Additionally, the individual stories add up to one of the most amazing, inspiring, and unabashed love stories I've ever read - particularly interesting coming from a man. Going deeper, the author has attempted something truly interesting in his structuring of the book. In the preface he makes clear his interest in writing a book that allows readers to get to know the book's narrator the way we get to know new friends: via individual stories from his life, often told out of chronological order. While this can occasionally be momentarily disorienting, there's a great deal of satisfaction that comes as the clues and pieces of Mr. Handler's life eventually fit together. Further, he uses this technique as a way to allow himself to look back on and reexamine, during later portions of the book, many of his actions and choices from the earlier portions. It turns out to be a very effective method of first revealing, and then reflecting on, his own life.
   I found this to be a thoroughly enjoyable book. It was fun to read, and surprised me often with the depth of its perceptions - and how easily and entertainingly they were imparted. Bravo.



4. Evan Handler's IT'S ONLY TEMPORARY picks up where is earlier memoir 'Time on Fire' left off. Where the first volume detailed his battle with lukemia this book tells of his attempts to restart his acting career and personal life once he was cured of the illness. He writes of being cast in the Broadway production of 'Six Degrees of Seperation'and of his abortive attempts to commit to one woman. He writes of his attempt to volunteer at the hospital where he once underwent treatment and how the hospital,recalling what he'd written about them in the earlier book, refused his offer. The book ends with the story of how he met his wife. (At a bookstore appearence he read one of the better chapters; the meeting of his in-laws and the cultural differences between his Northern Italian wife and family and Americans.) These chapters are so good that the book concludes on a wonderful note.

5 comments about Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia (P.S.).

1. Marya Hornbacher is the mediator between the everyday human being and the world's most widely misunderstood creatures of society: the eating-disordered. In "Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia", she explains to readers that eating disorders are not just "phases" that teenage "girls" go through, but rather an intense, passionate desire for power that "strips you of all power" instead.
   Hornbacher, a freelance journalist who is also the author of "The Center of Winter" and "Madness: A Bipolar Life", developed bulimia at age nine, developed alcohol and drug issues at the age of thirteen, and became anorexic at the age of fifteen. After her release from a residential treatment hospital, she attended the University of Minnesota and wrote for the local paper, accepting her scholarship to American University later in 1992. She later developed other physical problems following her continued eating disorders.
   Although a rather sullen story of the highs and lows of her struggle with weight, Hornbacher addresses the point that eating disorders, cultural obsession with weight and body, food, and control have a lot in common. In one section of the book, she writes that an eating disorder is



2. Marya wasn't always the way she is today. She used to be the all American girl eating PB and J's while she watched her cartoons, but when Marya was eight years old something in her brain changed and since then she has never been the same.
   Author Marya Hornbacher beautifully illustrates her struggles with bulimia and anorexia in her autobiography Wasted. She shows a world that people hardly get to see and explains the life and ways of bulimics and anorectics that is both compelling and inspiring.
   Wasted takes you through 10 years of Marya's life as she slowly jumps back and forth between anorexia and bulimia. It depicts the everyday struggles of the disease; how the body slowly stops to care about what is occurring, the constant worries about food, and the fear that someone might find out and God forbid, possibly try to help you! It goes in depth about the psychological factors of the disease and explains it all in a way that is understandable and relevant. This book will both shock and sicken you as you discover what goes behind closed doors of these two heartless diseases.
   My praise is endless for this novel and I thank it for opening my eyes to the mysterious world that is impossible to fully understand unless you've experienced the ordeal first hand. Many people could benefit from taking the time to read Wasted, which will help to clue people in and provide a better understanding to the problems in our society and what goes on to the people who are enduring these struggles daily. However this book is not a constant thriller and amongst the eye opening and realization moments there will be a few parts that are tedious and almost seem to drag on. In spite of the occasional drowsy sections this book offers an incredible insight inside the secret lives of bulimics and anorectics and I would confidently recommend it to anyone who wants a brilliant and inspiring read.



3. The author dives deep into her life and the choices she made. She doesn't hold back. Up front and personal.



4. This book is amazing, it keeps you captavated from the time you start to read it. Im recovered and the things she discribed are so very true. If your looking for a book on eating disorders this is one of very few to read. Dont listen to the negitive reveiws for this one, Its well worth the money.



5. As a mother to a teenage girl with an eating disorder, I was able to identify (sometimes uncomfortably too close to home) with Marya Hornbacher. It was a good insight to see that this horrible illness begins at a very early age, how not to blame ourselves as parents, and how it is a daily battle for the person with the illness.
   I read this book over a period of a week and haven't stopped remarking on it to people I know, especially other parents of children/teenagers with eating disorders.
   This book came from the gut and goes directly into the readers'.
   Adina