1 comments about Asperger Syndrome And Social Relationships: Adults Speak Out About Asperger Syndrome (Adults Speak Out About Asperger Syndrome Series).

1. This book sure helps you to strengthen not only your knowledge but strategies of how to cope with your Asperger Syndrome and social lives. So I'd like to recommend this especially to those who remain undiagnosed as AS and bogged down in cruel reality; they may find their unexpected AS symptoms they had never recognized before! It is as if they could finally get out of a long tunnel. And they will get a chance to know themselves objectively.
   Certainly, AS itself won't disappear for the rest of Aspies' lives, where they may feel distant and different from society. However, I'm sure they will make the best use of their own pros of AS!

5 comments about First, You Cry.

1. I THOUGHT THIS BOOK WAS WONDERFUL, I READ IT IN A DAY. YES THE TREATMENTS AND OPTIONS FOR WOMAN TODAY ARE 100 TIMES BETTER BUT THE FEELINGS YOU GO THROUGH ARE STILL THE SAME. SHE WRITES WITH SUCH HONESTY ABOUT EVERY ASPECT OF THE PROCESS OF TREATMENT AND PICKING UP THE PIECES ONCE YOU GET HOME. GOOD BOOK.



2. I read this book years ago, but never dreamed the day would come when I, too, would be diagnosed with breast cancer.
   
   The experiences Betty went through are much the same as what most of us go through after we hear the diagnosis; however, over the years, treatments and medications have changed allowing us a great chance of survival. Like everything else in life, there are no guarantees.
   
   I like the way Betty told her story, because she had a positive attitude about her illness, which is half the battle in itself. She never portrayed the "poor me" attitude and is an inspiration to others. However, it is an older book and I found some of the statements a little redundant in view of the changing times. For this reason, the book rated three stars. Overall, I still enjoyed the book.



3. I bought this book for a friend who has Breast Cancer and only read some of it, however, she has told me it is very helpful and she is getting a lot out of it. There is nothing like hearing from someone else who has had some or all of your experiences and this is done well and in a very positive fashion.



4. Don't waste your time or money! No doubt, when this book was first written it was a ground breaker. Unfortunately, there isn't any real help to be found in the text. Today, there is much more valuable information available. At a time when your physical and emotional energy hits some real lows, spend your time reading something that can really help. I would highly recommend "Just Get Me Through This" by Deborah Cohen and Robert Gelfand, M.D.



5. When I was a teenager I remember reading Betty Rollin's book for the first time. It had an enormous impact on me because it was really the first time anyone had ever spoken about their experience with breast cancer. Little did I know that when I was 50 years old I would also develop breast cancer. I thought about this book and tried to find it but it was out of print. I was so glad to see it back with new information. The feelings she describes are still true today but what a difference the new treatments have made.

5 comments about My Brother's Madness: A Memoir.

1. Don't let the title scare you." My Brother's Madness" by Paul Pines is a page turner. The story ricochets gracefully from past to present. This gives the insight into the pressures of growing up in an unstable environment. These jumps forward and backward are clear and easy to follow and add a level of suspense. This memoir is not your typical psychological thriller. It's a factual one! Told with a an elegant simplicity and a sustaining sense of humor, "My Brother's Madness" is a pleasure -- disturbing, yes, but a pleasure. Upon reaching the end, one feels the most astounding thing is not that one brother cracked up, but that the other somehow made it through. I couldn't recommend it more highly.



2. "My Brother's Madness"
   Paul Pines' "My Brother's Madness" is a remarkable portrayal of both the causes and effects of his brother Claude's schizophrenia and of his own never-ending efforts to help him survive it, if not conquer it.
   Pines paints a vast panorama of two lives, of their genetic, familial, societal and personal elements, told in the fascinating day-to-day, month-to-month, and year-to-year details of a sometimes rewarding, often frustrating and frequently exasperating ---but always loving---brotherhood. There are many times you want to laugh, yet you know that soon you will have to cry.
   Reading the memoir, I was transported into the brothers' family, into the minds and hearts of their parents and of the brothers themselves. I thought their every thought, lived their every experience, felt their every emotion. And, like the author, as much as I learned, I came to know that there is much I will never know.
   Which makes me appreciate his efforts even more.
   "My Brother's Madness" is a monumental work.
   
   Howard Rayfiel



3. 
   In My Brother Madness, Paul Pines shares the story of his brother's Claude's declining mental health. The book's structure allows the reader to get know Paul and Claude by alternating between childhood memories and scenes of Claude as an adult descending into and struggling with mental illness. It doesn't seem as if the childhood memories were shared to analyze or explain the why of Claude's illness. Instead, the reader is left to draw their own conclusions as they come to know Paul and Claude and ties that bind them.
   Without protraying himself as hero or savior, Pines shares the guilt, frustration and challenges of caring for his brother. Amazingly, at the same time,he unassumingly inspires the reader to see the ways these disproportionate relationships can positively shape and add value to our lives.
   Most importantly, is the fact that this book does truly achieve the old cliché of "putting a real face to mental illness". Something Claude himself reluctantly did. We celebrate Claude's success and feel the pain when he stumbles. After reading My Brother's Madness, you will not soon forget the beauty and the burden loving sometimes brings.



4. In a market saturated with memoirs, many of them static and self-indulgent, "My Brother's Madness" by Paul Pines shines like a bright star and reads like a fast-paced novel. Pines achieves this pacing by alternating scenes in Brooklyn (1950s-60s) where he and his brother Claude grew up, with scenes from his life in the present (1980s), where he and his wife are traveling to Paris and Rio, trying to negotiate movie rights to Paul's novel, increasingly distressed by Claude's deteriorating mental condition. The parallel scenes run consecutively, so you get a sense of the growing-up struggle between the brothers alongside the current struggle when Claude moves upstate where Paul is trying to start a family.
   Among the book's many merits is the sad picture it paints of our country's fragmented mental health system. Claude is bounced from a huge, medieval institution downstate to halfway houses in Glens Falls and Hudson Falls. Everywhere, you see the bureaucratic red tape, the chaos, the underpaid staffs, the doctors, some of them well-meaning, most of them ineffective. When you've lost your mind, Claude laments near the end, there's nothing left to count on.
   Another strong point of the book for me was the evocation of the 50s. If you lived through the time, wherever you were in this country, you'll remember the Lone Ranger and Tonto, the Brooklyn Dodgers, Eddie Fisher, and Vaughn Monroe's "Ghostriders in the Sky" (I hadn't heard that since the year they took the training wheels off my Schwinn). Even if you weren't a baby-boomer or a pre-baby boomer, there's enough rich detail to put you there near Ebbets Field and on the Lower East Side.
   There are heroes in the book and one absolute villain, Betty, the stepmother who poisons the family dog and beats up on Paul and Claude's father when he's sick and bed-ridden. Even a good novelist would be hard-pressed to create a strangely wicked step-mother like this. Which is not to say the characters aren't complex and fully presented. The parents (the father a doctor, the mother a lawyer) are intelligent and creative and driven (unfortunately in opposite directions). Their marriage fragments, setting up Paul's rebellious stage (he skips school most days, steals a car, solves an equation put to him by a bullying math teacher thusly: "X equals fuck you.") and his brother's descent into paranoia and much worse.
   Paul recounts his own life, so interesting and varied, it is almost a novel in itself. And he's the most complex character of all, driven by love and guilt, realizing that while he has helped his brother, he has also betrayed him. Is there an assassin in the caretaker, he wonders later in the book? Maybe, but I think it's the caretaker who triumphs.
   There's a marvelously ambiguous moment of redemption near the end where Paul asks his dying brother, do I get another chance? Do I? replies Claude, meaning, among other things, that he gives his blessing to this memoir, their story, which makes heroes out of them, heroes of the inner struggle. What really drives this book is the author's love and faith in humanity. And the growth of those two things constitute the "inside story" of the book.
   And if those ain't enough, the memoir itself is a back-up, since it both suggests and exemplifies the healing power of art.



5. For more than twenty years I have shouldered the responsibility of caring for a younger brother who is afflicted by crippling depression and sometimes delusions. Indeed, caring for him has been a burden on my entire family and frankly a source of personal anger and also shame. From time to time I have sought counsel about our family tragedy, but kind words have not provided much relief. Recently a friend suggested that I read Paul Pines' new book, My Brother's Madness. I stayed up through the night poring through the pages. It is impossible to put this book down, or it was for me. Pines writes at the pace of a gripping thriller and yet his subject is human and wrenching. Anyone would like this book, but for someone like myself, who has lived with mental illness, the book is an indispensable source of wisdom. He's written a great book.
   
   Steve S. New Jersey

5 comments about Elegy for Iris.

1. John Bayley CBE and Dame Iris Murdoch were married for almost 50 years. Their relationship was truly unique, special, and hard to replicate. They trusted each other, nurtured each other in literary criticism and writing, Their union was brought together during their time at Oxford where they lived for the remainder of their years together. JOhn writes lovingly about Iris even during her illness of Alzheimers which deteriorates the brain matter. Iris relied on her mind to write, analyze, and plan elaborate novels which were multi-storied and engaged the readers to think themselves. She was also a philosopher, college professor, etc. It's hard to imagine that Iris was no grand beauty but she had both inner and outer beauties. Sadly, her disease would rob them of so much more. Iris became more childlike and unable to care for herself while John became the primary caretaker. John who was in the shadow was now in the forefront without much help. It's hard watching the film without shedding a tear or reading this book without feeling something for somebody we never personally knew but by reading this book, we do learn about this amazing couple. We learn about their triumphs and failures. How they were just happy to be together and go swimming, if only happiness was that easy to find nowadays. John was a wonderful husband. I admire his truth, candidness, and revelations that their marriage was not always about sex and that Iris didn't care for it in general. They didn't have any children and neither seemed to mind that outcome of their marriage.



2. This book is the story of a marriage, a life together of two enormously intelligent writers, John Bayley and Iris Murdoch. Bayley tells the story of their forty - two years of marriage at the same time he describes more closely the four last years in which Iris Murdoch suffered from Alzheimer's. He writes with humor and quiet understanding, and his obvious admiration and love for his wife speak throughout the work.
   The cruelty of Alzheimer's is somehow underlined when the one who suffers is a person of extraordinary mind , a devotee of the life of the mind . Bayley honestly and painfully portays the strange kind of blankness and absence which the Alzheimer sufferer often displays. He does this against a background of the story of two lives, each of one has been lived in part in the great solitude of outstanding creator endeavor. But he also very good relating their shared experiences.
   Bayley is also tactful and restrained about a certain assymetry in their relation, relating probably much more to the early years when Iris was involved with others. One nonetheless feels Bayley's restrained anger in his description of the ' master figure ' who for a time seemed to be a center of Murdoch's intellectual life.
   What however impresses and makes this work remarkable is the steady gaze of love and intelligence with which Bayley sees , envelopes and protects Murdoch . This book is a work of love and pain, and of great beauty. It also provides much valuable insight into that terrible condition when the person is physically present but mentally lost.



3. I've spent the last 3-4 years writing a memoir (Baby Catcher). Therefore, I'm immersing myself in creative NF and memoir, and this is one of the best. Only a consummate writer such as John Bailey could have pulled this off. I've heard others complain about his rambling style, meandering between distant past, near past, and present (and I haven't seen the movie yet), but I found the transitions seamless and the flow of time as effortless as thought itself. Bailey shows all phases of the caretaking of someone with late-stage Alzheimers, regret, humor, irritation, rage, impatience, love, silliness... Would that each of us be accompanied on our trip to life's end - however it may present itself - by someone similarly compassionate. And articulate. May John Bailey himself be equally eulogized.



4. A mysterious lady. A dashing young suitor. A love that overcomes all obstacles. Sound like Disney's latest flick? Not so. It's John Bayley's narrative Elegy for Iris, a stunning memoir for his wife Iris Murdoch. In this real life fairy-tale story with a not so fairy-tale ending, Bayley recalls his life with Iris before Alzheimer's robbed her personality of it's usual depth, as well as the change the disease wrought in her, and in his life with her.

   Elegy for Iris is the wonderfully detailed, lovingly written story of Iris Murdoch's and John Bayley's life together, told from Bayley's point of view. It tells of their meeting, the growth of their relationship, their unusual marriage, and the change in their lives after Iris became afflicted with Alzheimer's. From Bayley's "lady on a bicycle" to swimming in seemingly every main river in France and England; from Iris' diary entry "St. Antony's Dance. Fell down the steps, and seem to have fallen in love with J. We didn't dance much." to their unusual marriage of solitude; Bayley has written his story to enchant and amaze.

   Bayley's attention to detail, even seemingly those that are minor or irrelevant, can be seen throughout the book. His descriptions, for instance, of his various outings with Iris make the memoir much more realistic. "Our first swim was in a river of the Pas-de-Calais, a deep, placid tributary of the Somme...The next was much farther south, in a steep and wild-wooded valley, with pine and chestnut growing up the mountains. The water was warm, and the stream so secluded that we slipped in with nothing on", is only a part of Bayley's extensive descriptions of their honeymoon. Water plays a large part in their lives; whenever Bayley and Iris go somewhere new, they find someplace to swim there. Water seems to be a symbol of change, of their changing lives throughout their years together.

   Bayley's attention to detail can also be a detriment to the reader, however, as it makes the story-line difficult to follow at times. When he begins to tell one particular tale, he often will break into many tangents, that can entangle the reader and detract from the focus on the main narrative. "Our host, who had been getting lunch, was quite a time getting to the door. He was a brilliant green eyed doctor named Maurice Charlton...Maurice Charlton probably worked harder than either of us, or than both of us put together, I should say....Maurice Charlton died young, of cancer, I believe, more than twenty years ago." This can be somewhat confusing, and occurs throughout the book.

   The description that Bayley gives their marriage is a striking one, and is a continuous theme throughout Elegy for Iris. He describes "one of the truest pleasures of marriage [as] solitude", using the words of Australian poet AD Hope that marriage is designed to `move [the partners] closer and closer apart.' This unusual description runs contrast to most peoples' beliefs on marriage, yet serves as a perfect description for Bayley's own marriage. "Such ignorance, such solitude! They suddenly seemed the best part of love and marriage. We were together because we were comforted and reassured by the solitariness we saw and were aware of in the other." This attitude seems predominant throughout the narrative, even after Iris is afflicted with Alzheimer's. The only difference, in Bayley's eyes, is that "the closeness of apartness has necessarily become the closeness of closeness." Bayley's view on marriage is a refreshing change from the normal stereotypes.

   This book is thoroughly enjoyable and heartwarming, yet at the same time poignantly sad. To watch as Bayley slowly loses the woman who was his wife to a woman who recalls almost nothing of their life together, yet continues to cling to Bayley as if he were her last hope, is slightly depressing. Yet, as his memories show, Bayley and Iris lived a rich, full life together- it is heartwarming to watch them fall in love, marry, and grow together in their relationship. Bayley runs the full gamut of emotions in this personal narrative-and what's more, he makes the reader do the same.




5. I read Iris Murdoch's The Sea, The Sea, (which won the 1978 Booker Prize) on Dec 4, 1983, and her Under the Net (which was no. 95 on the Modern Library panel's list of the 100 greatest novels written in English in the 20th century) and was under-enthralled with both. So I wa not expecting much when I undertook to read her husband's memoir of his life with her (written during the last days of her life, she having died Feb. 8, 1999), especially since I could not believe it would be great to read about someone having Alzheimer's and of caring for such a person. I was very pleasantly surprised. Bayley's memoir is great reading, full of interesting information as well as a thoughtful and truthful-sounding account of their life as husband and wife. Illustrative of the former, on page 118 we learn that Aldous Huxley believed that Piero della Francesca's Resurrection was "the greatest painting in the world" (and it is great to go to the computer and see the painting!) and on page 164 et seq. we have a very uncomplimentary account of the 1981 Nobel-prize-winner Elias Canetti (his name is never mentioned, but there can be no doubt of his identity since the computer will tell those of us who did not know that Canetti is the author of Die Blendung). We have mention of Montague Rhodes James (and can go to the computer to read his some of his ghost stories, including "The Treasure of Abbot Thomas", the story referred to by name in this memoir). Since Bayley is an eminent literary critic (as the jacket describes him) the book abounds with interesting tidbits such as this, and almost persuades me I should read another Murdoch book! I found this book a great reading experience.

4 comments about My Body Politic: A Memoir.

1. I would advise the person and the family of the person with a spinal cord injury (SCI) to learn. When you become able to read, that is. I found that I could not read anything at first. Partly because of denial and partly because I was suddenly pluncked down in an alien world, much like the world I had always lived in, just considerably taller. The simplest things I had done before my SCI became incredibly difficult, if they were possible at all. My mind, body and emotions were in such shock that I could not read anything. The information which was given to me became impossible to understand. I didn't ever think that I would just get up and walk, although my dreams were (and still are) full of running, climbing and even flying. I was dealing with pain that cannot be discribed and I got remarkably little help with it. Until my constant pain was somewhat under control, I didn't plan, for the future or even for the next moment.
   
   The idea of having some kind of normal life was not even a consideration for me. Just breathing and existing; in an odd sort of way a kind of Zen "being in the moment," was all I could achieve. And it was NOT a form of enlightenment; on the contrary, it was an "indarkenment."
   
   So I might not recommend this book for the newly injured. It is possible that it would not make sense, even if the newly injured person were able to read. For someone who is past that first shock and confusion, though, this could be very helpful. It is clear in pointing out that there are as many different people with a SCI as there are people without one. Very clear and helpful in pointing out the main directions which are still available for people with a SCI. Get this book for someone you love, but don't push it. Just make sure it is available and, when the person is really ready, it will be there for them.



2. I am happy to recommend this book to anyone who wishes to gain insight into the daily, lifelong challenges faced by individuals with physical disabilities. It is a book which educates without slapping those of us without obvious disabilities in the face using the "you can't possibly understand how it is for me" method of "enlightenment." Instead it allows the reader to peer through a window into Ms. Linton's life, to develop an understanding of the many barriers and related challenges she and others with similar disabilities face related to what most people take for granted: traveling freely throughout one's environment, gaining an education, dancing, making love, making a life. The book educates by engaging the reader in the journey Ms. Linton has taken from her early days as an activist for peace to her later days as an advocate for equality.



3. This is a beautiful book that I couldn't put down once I started reading. Linton's account of her entry into the world of the disabled and her gradual movement toward activism answers questions I've always been afraid to ask. Besides being funny, angry, compassionate, frank, and always interesting--she's a wonderful storyteller. The book reads like a great novel. It's as powerful as James McBride's memoir, The Color of Water, and should become a classic. Read it and you'll see why.



4. I innocently picked up this book from the table at a relative's house, read the first page and could not put it down. The story of Simi Linton's internal and external struggles and revelations in a new world are presented in an effective understated tone that treats the reader as a partner in the adventure. Along the way we get to examine our own attitudes about disability. The book is so well written and real that I feel that I have been taken for that 'ride' the little girl asked about (you have to read the book).

No comments about Autistics' Guide to Dating: A Book By Autistics, For Autistics and Those Who Love Them or Who Are in Love with Them.

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.

3 comments about Surviving Black Ice.

1. This book grabbed me in the first few pages and I couldn't put it down. It is a story of a man who overcomes all kinds of obstacles and pushes through to a new life. For friends and families of brain injury survivors it offers practical guidance and insight into the mind of the person struggling to find a way through some dark tunnels in recovery. From feeling like the "retarded little brother" to being accused of being "drunk" by folks who didn't understand...Fierce tells a tale of courage. Fierce talks about learning how to do many things that were once second nature including sitting in class learning how to write a check!
   
   One message that came across very clear was "don't give up!" Fierce has the ability to look at himself with both humor and hope and that makes this book both fun and easy to read.



2. Having survived a brain injury myself, I've read a lot of books on the subject. David's story is, by far, one of the better ones. It should provide inspiration for those living with this unfortunate turn of events.
   
   I agree with the other review I read about it being a good companion book to Brain Injury Survivor's Guide: Welcome to Our World. This book has detailed information about living strategies that make life with brain injury much more livable.



3. Fierce shows that brain injury doesn't stop life. Life happens whether you are ready for it or not. This book is a great illustration of living with brain injury and how it affects every little thing.
   
   David's "never give up" spirit shows through as he refuses to stay a victim and, instead, become a brain injury survivor. One of my favorite stories was when David and his physical therapist spent hours practicing a walking move so he could impress his doctor. The doctor, of course, threw a couple of monkey wrenches into the plan. It's quite humorous.
   
   This is certainly one of the better books about living with brain injury and is a good illustration of that unexpected and unwanted lifestyle. This would be a good companion book for Brain Injury Survivor's Guide: Welcome to Our World.

5 comments about Thanks for the Mammogram!: Fighting Cancer with Faith, Hope and a Healthy Dose of Laughter.

1. "Almost everyone - whether it's your friend, neighbor, coworker, wife, mother, or sister has been touched by breast cancer. The cancer survivors I've talked to over the years say that what helped them through their ordeal was faith and often humor." ~Laura Jensen Walker
   
   What is more healing than laughter when you are faced with a situation you can't control? Even science has shown the healing power of laughter. Cancer isn't funny, but somehow the author finds a way to heal through her own vibrant wit. Many of the chapters are rather serious until the end when she gives the punch line.
   
   This is a book about courage, hope and humor. Laura Jensen Walker demonstrates her ability to face the challenge of cancer and fight it with faith, hope and "mild/laid back" humor.
   
   I learned a lot about reconstruction, chemo and was amazed at how Laura's husband stood by her through the entire process.
   
   "How to Lose Thirty Pounds in Thirty Days: The Chemo Diet Way. The original Slim-Fast liquid diet. (But not one I'd recommend.)" was an interesting chapter to be sure. This spells it all out, tells you what chemo is all about and it isn't fun especially if your nurse forgets to give you "zofran." Yes somehow Laura finds a way to appreciate the effects of rapid weight loss even when it is the result of chemo.
   
   If you want to understand what a cancer survivor goes through, this is the book. I recently read "Knowing Stephanie" which I can also recommend for the detailed information and pictures.
   
   The last chapter on what really matters was also quite inspirational.
   
   You may also enjoy:
   
   Mental-pause
   Through the Rocky Road and into the Rainbow Sherbet: Hope & Laughter for Life's Hard Licks
   
   ~The Rebecca Review



2. This is an incredible book. Laura Jensen Walker has beautifully and sometimes humorously, written about her breast cancer journey. I read this book in the hospital following my breast cancer surgery (3/01) and have been very inspired by Laura's writing. This is the first book I loan out to others when they are first diagnosed. I highly recommend "Thanks For The Mammogram" !!
   Karen Lange, Asst. Mgr., FriendsInTouch.net (an online breast cancer support site)



3. I have never been diagnosed with breast cancer, but I am certain anyone facing this disease would want a copy of Laura Walker's "Thanks for the Mammogram." Mrs. Walker remarks that this book was the hardest thing she ever had to write. Like any good memoir, it takes in the uncomfortable, even embarrassing moments as well as the lighter and uplifting ones.

   Walker includes a lot of detail, from procedures like reconstruction, chemotherapy right down to the day-to-day patient care and how she felt emotionally. But this is not a gruesome story--instead it is intended to help anyone else along the road to recovery. The best chapter "Where do I go from here" gives eight important points (such as taking charge of your treatment, talking to your family, dropping the Wonder Woman cape for women who do it all) and also useful addresses and a list of books.

   This book is interesting reading for any woman, but if you have a loved one facing this challenge or if you are a woman who has been diagnosed with breast cancer, you should get this book. Nothing I have read comes close to this book for frankness and assistance.




4. Breast cancer is a big deal. Serious stuff. Many women die from it. Other women endure masectomies. Why make light of such a heavy topic? Simple: humor is healing.
   
   Laura Jensen Walker has something to say about breast cancer. She's a survivor. She has faced this beast, and now is able to articulately help readers smile in the midst of a tough time.
   
   In "Thanks for the Mammogram!" Jensen tells her story. Most of the book details a narrative of her diagnosis, treatment and how she survived. However, in reflecting through the most difficult of moments, she draws us in ala Erma Bombeck into candid silliness. It is as practical as it is funny.
   
   Boldly bringing humor into a discussion of cancer marks this book as a standout among its peers. Having lost my mother to lung cancer and flipping through too many solemn tomes of pop-psychology, I read through Jensen's book refreshed. I wished my mom could've read this book. At a certain point, cancer is cancer, and anyone with any cancer would enjoy "Thanks for the Mammogram!"
   
   Each page is a different view of her situation. For example, she spends a delightful chapter on the end of her chemo, and how she and her husband (a 'Disnoid') celebrated this landmark at Disneyland. We read of her struggle to find a decent book to read (unless Mickey Mouse's various adventures appealed to an adult woman, that is).
   
   The chapters are in very chewable chunks--none too long.
   
   With chapters like, "To Baldly Go Where I've Never Gone Before" (a consideration of Capt. Jean Paul-Luc Picard, Michael Jordan and other sexy baldies, she looks for the upside of a hairless head), you, like me, might find a new way of seeing what so many people go through.
   
   She admits her fears, but pushes also the benefits of having a realistic, yet positive view of dealing with breast cancer. Jensen explains her husband's point of view in the whole matter (even letting him write a chapter, "Her Body, His Pain"). She walks the reader through the process, citing how she related to people who had or didn't have cancer.
   
   I fully recommend "Thanks for the Mammogram!" by Laura Jensen Walker. It is a very worthy gift for those whom you love who have cancer, or know someone who does.
   
   Anthony Trendl
   editor, HungarianBookstore.com



5. i got this book for my mother-in-law after her mastectomy. she went very quickly from finding a lump to getting diagnosed to having surgery. she is a very lively person who is usually very active. being stuck at home recovering from surgery, i bought a bunch of books that i thought might help her pass some of the time. this was her favorite. she laughed so hard her stiches almost popped! she has not stopped talking about this book.

   i think this is one of those things you can give someone when you really dont know what to say. it offers a little bit of cheerfulness to an otherwise somber subject. instead of a "thinking of you" card...get this book!!!!!

5 comments about A Very Hungry Girl: How I Filled Up on Life...and How You Can, Too!.

1. Jessica just came and spoke at my school. She was so nice, so approachable, so real! I just found out about this book and read it in one night!!!!!!!!!!!!! I couldn't put it down! Now my entire group of friends are reading it and passing it around. Every girl can relate to Jessica's story of survival. I loved this book!!!!!!!!!!!



2. What Publisher's Weekly (whoever they are) misses, is the fact that by sharing our authentic story we liberate others with the same hidden issues. Whatever the author lacks in life experience (how old to you need to be to tell the truth anyway) she makes up for with her no holds barred authentic real voice. This book is not a self diagnosic manual and the author makes no claims that it is. What it is, is a reflection of one persons struggle with her relationship with food, and herself, and life. All of us that have gone through various versions of these things can relate to the book. As a 42 years old physician I found it as meaningful as my 20 year old daughter. That is a pretty good scope for a personal story. FYI, Nowhere does she mention "memoir" or "diagnosing others". However, her belief that there are many more people out there with unhealthy food relationships is much closer to the truth in my ten years of practice then the "offical numbers". Worth sharing with those you love that may need to reflect on their food relationships.



3. I just finished reading this book and I feel my life has just been changed!
   
   I have 3 friends who all struggle with low self esteem and body image issues and I am always aware of books out there that talk about this topic but not until I read this book did it all finally make sense to me.
   
   This author speaks with such heart and honesty that she feels like she is sitting right next to you. I appreciated her writing style which was easy to read, funny, and poignant.
   
   I recommend that if you want a breath of fresh air around this issue that you buy a copy of this book. And pass it on!
   
   - Parker



4. I am dealing with this right now. Me and my sister. This book is the first time i have seen anyone with my story. this author is telling the truth. And until you are experiencing the pain of this monster - you just won't understand. My class had to read this book for our health and science class and i am so glad we did. this helped me a ton!!



5. I was alarmed to read in a recent interview with this author that: "In fact, she believes the majority of Americans suffer from disordered eating, which involves assigning emotional labels to our food." After picking up the book it seems that she believes everyone she's ever met has a serious eating disorder like anorexia or bulimia. She also thinks that she has some magical ability to know that they were suffering by the look in their eyes - this is highly unlikely, many of the people suffering from eating disorders look very normal.
   
   As a person who knows about this subject because of a family member's anorexia, I can tell you this author is wrong about the subject. It is a serious one and someone without a degree or credentials shouldn't be making assumptions just based on her own (disjointed) world view. The author should share her story and triumph with her body image issues but leave the rest to experts.
   
   For some reality: Research indicates that 1% of female adolecscents have anorexia, 4% of college age women have bulimia or bulimic patterns. And between 1-2% of Americans have binge eating disorders. Body Dismorphic Disorder affects about two percent of people in the U.S. and strikes males and females equally, usually before age eighteen. Sufferers are excessively concerned about appearance, body shape, body size, weight, etc. BDD is treatable and begins with an evaluation by a mental health care provider. More than half of teenaged girls are, or think they should be, on diets. About three percent of these teens go too far, becoming anorexic or bulimic. (these stats are from www.anred.com)
   
   If you know someone who is dealing with these issues, they need therapy from trained professionals not books by lecturing performance artists.