No comments about Go to Hell and Make a U-Turn.

No comments about To Dream and Hope.

1 comments about Beyond the Red Door.

1. This is an excellent book....To me, loss of vision would be the worst disability to suffer.
   
   Janet lost one eye as a baby due to cancer, and was told she would lose vision in the other eye in the near future. She was put into a blind school (which had a red door) when she was a child, and didn't understand why she was there. She was 33 when she finally lost her other eye - it had finally succumbed to the aggressive radiation that she was given as a child.
   
   Janet was also adopted as a baby, and wanted to find her natural parents to see if the retinoblastoma was hereditary. When she was 18, she met her mother, who said she didn't want anything to do with her. Her father is a high-profile media personality in Australia. He finally accepted Janet as his daughter, and they now keep in regular contact.
   
   This book is about Janet's journey through her childhood, and into adulthood with a vision disability. Worthwhile reading.

4 comments about Death of a Dancer: Pcos in a Dancer's World.

1. Please do not waste your money! After reading the online reviews I had a bookstore special order this book for me (they didn't carry it). I read the book at the store since it's so short and triple spaced with big print. Then I nicely handed it back to them and said No thanks!
   First of all, the book has a ton of typos. More than once she refers to PCOS as POCS. POCS! Did they even proof read? It's very low quality.
   Second, the book is not in chronological order, so it's hard to really understand this personal expierience. It's very repetitive and repeats the same points.
   Third, PCOS does entail many issues with the body, however I felt like this person kept refering to emotional/mental issues. While I certainly agree these are a huge part of PCOS, this writer seems to have other mental issues going on. (Seriously, no offense is meant by this.) Just that she simply goes on an on about how everyone with PCOS will call home from college and drop out. So, it's a little ridiculous.....not everyone is going to have the same expierience. And she did not really focus a lot on other issues with PCOS.
   This book is very poor quality, poorly written, and edited. Please check it out from a library. You will see it's not worthwhile. It does not give good information, or even a clear picture of the condition, or ways to overcome.
   I would not recommend this to a young reader, even though it's an easy read- as it is extremely negative.



2. I was excited to find a book on PCOS that was a full-length personal account, but this book was surprisingly disappointing. Like the previous reviewer mentioned, there are numerous typing and grammar mistakes that distract the reader. I could ignore one or two, but there are several per page. I also found the book to be poorly organized (not by aspect of disease, not even chronologically!). It offers very little in the way of factual information; in fact, the author makes some unsubstantiated assertions that could be dangerous if readers take them as fact.

   The book was neither informative nor enjoyable. Women would be better off reading some of the more biomedically-based books, intimidated or not. I had high hopes for "Death of a Dancer", but it fell short.




3. I was kind of upset when I got this book in the mail today. I got my hopes up from the previous person who reviewed the book. I do agree that high school girls might benefit from reading this, but only if more techincal information had been included. I am not exactly sure how the book was even published, being that there are approximately 3 typos that are blatantly obvious due to the large print and triple spacing. I myself have PCOS and was looking for something/someone to identify with and this was definitely not the answer. I am very sorry that I wasted $13 on something I read in 25 minutes.



4. There are a couple of good things about this book - number one, it's a short read. You can give it to your doctor, husband, boyfriend, parents, etc., if they are unfamiliar with PCOS - it explains the devastating effects that PCOS can have on a woman's life in an easy to read format. It is not the most well written book I have ever read, in fact, it's badly in need of editing, and amateurish. However, it is easy to get thorough and explains the syndrome in terms of how it affected one person's life and self-esteem.
   
   Number two, it's like no other book on the market about PCOS - in other words, it's non-technical. It won't intimidate.
   
   Many women with PCOS get the "street level" diagnosis of being fat (i.e., out of control) lazy (why do the two necessarily have to go together - like there's no such thing as a lazy skinny person?) and lacking in ambition - even by medical professionals, who should know better. This book will explain why that perception is totally off-base and how PCOS can devastate a woman's life.
   
   I was surprised at the author's discovery of Diane 35 as a remedy for her symptoms. Apparently Diane has been in use in Europe for the management of PCOS, but not in the US, where it has not been approved by the FDA. Of course, any medication should be investigated before use - not all work the same way with everyone - but I am going to give Diane a try.

2 comments about After Shock - A Memoir.

1. I had the distinct pleasure of doing some informal editing on this book and with this author. I was fascinated by the facts of electroshock therapy as told by a former patient. And I was charmed by the author's down-to-earth, conversational style of writing. Working on this book made me appreciate the luxury of my own mental health, and how dramatically a careless diagnosis can change it. I recommended After Shock to my book club, and it was enthusiastically given thumbs up. After you read this book, the whispered stories you hear at family reunions about Aunt Mary (who is "a little odd") will never have quite the same meaning!



2. This is the story of an adolescent girl's survival following electric shock treatments to enforce compliance. In a stark narrative, the girl recounts dysfunctional family dominance that forces her to escape further brain damage, death or suicide. The story moves through her experiences as a child in an adult psychiatric hospital where the patient/staff differences are often blurred. When "disowned and disinherited" by her dysfunctional family, she moves into adulthood, assumes a new identity, acquires and then loses a surrogate family through cancer, and becomes a psychiatric professional nurse, and ultimately achieves a Ph.D. in psychotherapy. Her professional life involved patient care, psychiatric training for psychiatrists and nurses, psychoanalysis, and sexual abuse by her own therapist. But there was always a need to cover up her early history and the daunting implications of possible brain damage from her early electric shock. She married a gentle physician, and with her own motherhood, found it imperative to go back to the memories and losses for a reconciliation with her past through successful treatment. The story is poignant, often funny, often gritty, and always compelling.

1 comments about On the Edge of Reality.

1. a good account of a person's struggle through mental illness. A good selection for a psych class, too!

1 comments about Memoir of a Miracle.

1. Dawn Curazzato's true life journey to faith has been instrumental in strengthening my own faith. Through faith and praying the rosary, Dawn has shown that anything is possible. After reading her book, you'll examine your own religious beliefs in trying to evolve to a deeper belief in God and Mary, His Mother. Having known Dawn for many years, I could have not imagined the level of pain and suffering that her family has been through. This book is her real life story and reveals how her journey can help bring you back to your own faith. On the lighter side,Dawn reveals her relationship with her husband,Sam,and how important it is to share your journey. These revelations can be viewed as a guideline to making the connection between faith and love.

No comments about Perfect: Anorexia and me.

1 comments about Footprints In The Sand.

1. Footprints in the Sand is a remarkable, inspirational book about a woman living with a disability. This is a book for everyone to read! This book will inspire you to read it in one day, and you won't be able to put it down. I learned from this author (Josie) that we must reach for our stars, follow our dreams, and don't take life for granted!
   Keep writing Jo!!

No comments about Well Enough Alone: A Cultural History of My Hypochondria.