1 comments about Orchid of the Bayou: A Deaf Woman Faces Blindness.

1. This is a great book-helps you understand what people with Ushers Syndrome go through. The author is very real and honest. Once you start, can't put it down!

1 comments about The Thought that Counts: A Firsthand Account of One Teenager's Experience with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (The Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands' Adolescent Mental Health Initiative).

1. Jared Kant's powerful, candid account of growing up with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is riveting, sometimes heartbreaking, and at times laugh-out-loud funny. Adolescents struggling with OCD will find compassion and encouragement here, as well as practical, accurate information about how to get better with the right kind of treatment. An excellent book for teachers, parents, professionals - for anyone who wants to understand this potentially devastating but treatable neurobiological disorder.

5 comments about When the Road Turns: Inspirational Stories About People with MS.

1. After reading about half of this book, I had to stop. I am not very inspired. In fact, it had the opposite effect on me. A lot of the stories I read were too much about the hardships and not enough about the positive outcomes that people had. Kind of scared me a bit..is this what I have to look forward to as the years progress? I was more inspired by Montel's book (once I got past the ego part of it).



2. I do not recommend this book. I purchased it under the assumption that it would include individual accounts of people dealing with MS. It does, but not in the manner that I presumed it would. The book does offer individual accounts of the struggle with MS, but the stories seem to be incomplete and unorganized. As someone living with MS, I wanted to know about the individual's diagnosis history, symptoms, treatment, etc. Many of the stories never mentioned specifics or they left out important events. The idea of what the individual's have been through does make the stories inspiring, but the lack of content and organization left me feeling frustrated and sad.



3. What I liked so much about this book was that ordinary people were depicted in every chapter. And what is ordinary? Is there such a thing? When MS strikes, it isn't choosey. This book strives to take a sampling of the diverse groups that MS strikes and paints a picture. There is the enlisted military man, the single and struggling mother, the artist, the air traffic controller, the poet, the scientist, all of different sex, career, economic status and type of MS. I learned so much from each and every person's story and I applaud them for coming forward and sharing what they've learned....



4. This book was not what I expected. Many are jetsetters and world travelers with few monetary worries. When they became ill, the only new problem most all of them had was the disease. The book is about the well-off getting ill...a malpractice lawyer, FAA flight controller, a doctor, a real estate agent, a full professor and other highly paid professionals. Apparently ordinary people are not allowed, with the exception of a father who has a bio in it.

   The letter "I" is featured prominently in almost every sentence of these self-bios. Perhaps Montel encouraged her to write it ? With all that said, why can't SOMEONE write about ORDINARY people ? Talk about the REAL struggle people have, losing their spouse quite often from the stress of the disease and the struggle to keep a marriage together. She could then tell the story of how the average person has turned their life around. Instead of the upper-middle class people, who can afford to do it. Statistically, since the poor and middle class people outnumber the upper-middle class, shouldn't they be the focus of the book ?

   She should have read the Australian website Jooley's Joint. It has hundreds of bios written by people with the disease. These are the real realities of it that the author doesn't want to talk about, and are the rule. Gaining great success in life from getting MS is far from common, and is an oxymoron. Yet this book promotes that idea. Job loss is even more problematic than the effects of MS. As someone who has the disease, I know about this because my dream in life was theater, and that dream may never have a chance to even get started.

   MS and the drugs involved with treating it, also affects short term memory. This makes any career difficult. Yet according to the author "MS is a gift" in her own words. Tell that to the unemployed, divorced people suffering with the disease all alone. The people in the UK are routinely denied the medicines they need. And the poorer people of the world who contract it, are the least able to afford it. One can tell from an author's focus about how well off they are.




5. The sheer variety of roads traveled in this inspirational, humorous, and engaging book illustrates the difference between merely taking baby steps through life and thriving on your journey. This book introduces us to real-life people planning and achieving awesome goals--yet living very much in the moment. Their stories resound with authenticity, humor, awareness, and determination. I felt myself nodding in agreement at so many of their reactions to everyday obstacles. You certainly don't have to have MS to thoroughly enjoy this book. You only have to be human.

5 comments about Stephen Hawking A Life in Science.

1. --This is a story about one man who has changed man's view on the universe, about one man who miraculously survives......
   
   Spending more than twenty years of life on a wheelchair, Stephen Hawking has revealed the most intriguing part of the whole universe, through his groundbreaking discovery in black holes. Considered "the successor of Einstein", Hawking attempted to combine quantum mechanics and relativity, two contradictory theories, breaking a new path for scientists to reveal the nature of physics. But perhaps the most fascinating part of Hawking's miracle is his fight and resistance to his illness, which, according to the doctors, would have ended his life by the age of 21. Despite huge difficulties of moving and speaking, Hawking has never given up himself, and neither has his wife, Jane, who helped Hawking go through the most difficult time of his life. The authors are inspired by Hawking's tenacity and spirit, and also will every one who will read Hawking's life through this book. After reading the book, one would understand, as what the authors hope, what contribute to Hawking's success--not only his genius and incisive intuition, but also fortitude and a positive attitude toward life. This book perfectly blends theories of physics and the universe with Hawking's life, depicting a colorful and unique picture to help understand the indefatigable scientist.



2. The story of Stephen Hawking that is told in the book is not only extremely informative but also very Physics based. The motivations for the author to write the story are obvious, due to famous nature of the subject that is Stephen Hawking. And the reason for being famous is different to just about every other situation possibly imaginable. The reason for reading this book is not confined to those that are interested in Physics. The book is written in a nature that allows all people to read and understand it. it show people where Stephen Hawking had been and what he had done before he become disabled from his disease, as well as allowed people to better understand and appreciate him as a person in society growing up and not as someone that was different from all other people. it can give some hope to those that do not believe that they will be able to do something with there lives and allows the idea of a chance of success



3. Stephen Hawking: A Life in Science is an excellent biography which presents one of the most celebrated physicists, Stephen Hawking, in an elegant and expressive manner. Michael White tells of the significant events that greatly influenced Stephen King's life, for example the disease that crippled him but he fought valiantly enough to delay his later death. White wrote in a way which kept the readers attention. It had the basic theories that an average reader could fully understand, but the book did not go in depth with the scientific reasoning behind the theories.
   Overall, I generally liked the book even though at times the book seemed to go on forever. I have to say I honestly learned quite a lot about his theories of black holes etc. The overcoming of his disease inspired me because it showed how strong he wanted to finish work. I would suggest this book to other readers because there is a lot of information that can be understood. It is a pretty long read but it flows pretty nicely especially if you like the science genre.



4. Stephen Hawking A Life In Science by Michael White and John Gibbons does a fantastic job of combining both the story of Stephen Hawkings's life and in depth explanations of his scientific work and findings. The story of Hawking's life is told starting from his very early childhood and progress through his schooling and career. The book discusses the people and events in Hawking's early life that influenced him to work in the field of Cosmology. The book also addresses the discoveries and theories that Hawking developed in his studies. The theories are explained in plenty of detail but the authors do a good job in making them as easy to understand a possible. The story of Hawking's life itself is truly amazing because of the significant discoveries he made despite his disability. The book is worth while fro anyone who want s to learn about Stephen Hawking and wants to learn a bit about his discoveries and why they are significant. Although the authors do try to keep the explanations simple, there are some parts that are hard to understand without a decent knowledge of physic's principles. Even so, the book is still well written and the story it tells is fascinating.



5. I am an enormous fan of Stephen Hawking, his achievements in physics are incredible and his ability to overcome his illness demonstrates how sturdy the human mind can be. He is touted in the book as the greatest mind since Einstein, which is a claim I also recently read concerning Richard Feynman. I have no opinion on this, as I hold them both in very high regard. To me such debates are silly, as ranking such people is so subjective that it is meaningless and wasteful.
   That aside, I generally enjoyed the book, finding the explanations of the physics a little too simplistic for my tastes, but certainly within the realm of the general reader. My only real criticism is that there was too much ink spent on some of the minutiae of his life. Even Hawking probably objects to some of the details about his life that appear. However, I was pleased to read that he can be temperamental and shows his anger by running over a person's foot with his wheelchair. It just makes him sound that much more human.
   This is a good biography of a great man, who lets nothing get in his way. An inspiration who probably does not want the role in any capacity other than as a physicist, he has revolutionized cosmology and it will be a minimum of decades before all the consequences of his work will be known.

1 comments about Independence Bound: A Mother and Her Autistic Son's Journey to Adulthood.

1. Marquette's middle son, Trent has severe autism. He is largely nonverbal and his behavior has been described as developmentally delayed. Marquette glosses over his boyhood and jumps right into the services that are sorely needed for autistic people with multiple challenges. I just loved it when she said that Trent "does not have savant abilities," thus eliminating any mental reflex many neurotypicals might have to think of Trent as being like that tired R*** M** character. Savantism affects less than 10% of those with autism, so it does make you wonder why it has ever become a stereotype.
   
   Trent attended special programs in his neighborhood school. His older brother Todd and younger brother Travis were there to help ease the way for him as best they could. Trent appeared to thrive in a school setting and Marquette rehearsed with him what the expectations and changes in routine would be once he graduated. Photographs of her three sons, three brawny, husky men grace the book. One picture that stands out is Trent's high school graduation photo.
   
   I like the way the services are described. Trent had several coaches living with and working with him one on one. He had jobs in the community and he did well as long as the job remained constant, fixed and routine. Any deviation from routine caused Trent to have melt downs.
   
   Marquette's own personal challenges are listed alongside of Trent's: a marriage that ended in 1998; the former husband's impatience with Trent and the embarrassment he expressed whenever Trent had a meltdown or displayed severely autistic behavior in public; Travis and his bout with cancer and the growing concern about how she would provide for Trent throughout his adulthood. Fortunately, she remarried and the second husband took all three big sons under his wing. Trent appeared to be adjusting to the changes in his life; a new stepfather and a new home.
   
   There are a few grammatical issues in this book, such as when Marquette said "I told ~ disappointingly" instead of "disappointedly," and "I excitingly expressed to ~" instead of "I expressed excitedly" or "I exitedly expressed." Small things, but they did jump out at readers.
   
   The book, although about Trent up to a point is really about itemizing one's emotions and developing strategies for lifetime support for individuals with severe and multiple challenges. This particular book makes me think of the Woody Guthrie classic, "Bound For Glory." Letting Go of Jason: A Young Man with Asperger's Syndrome and Bipolar Disorder is a wonderful companion book to this one.

1 comments about Edmund Booth: Deaf Pioneer.

1. I read this book for an ASL II class, and it was certainly interesting, if a little dry, like many biographies are. If you are intersted in Deaf culture and White early to mid 1800's history, then you may enjoy this book. Its certainly the story of a "renaissance" man who wanted to see America, and his connections and contributions to a changing and evolving Deaf community at that time period. Certainly look for it as a used book or at the library before buying; its a decent book, but not worth the list price.

2 comments about Silent Alarm: On the Edge With a Deaf EMT.

1. I believe this book is a very inspiring book that tells you how one lives its life. It gives me a very vivid picture of what the author is writing about, It is like a book come alive, and it's like a movie in some way. I am very proud of this man who sees an opporunity and takes it and achieves it. I can see a deaf man who can do anything, Not even blood stops this man. Death overflows this book, I can see the smoke of the dark cloud come out of this book and it feels scary but is also a very inspirating book which is full of true scenes that happened to him. I recommend anyone to read this book. It may encourage young kids to achieve their dreams and not to let anything stop them. Who can be an Emt like this man and face alot of discrimation? I wonder who can stand this much?
   Read this book!



2. I can't believe it. He saw my worst nightmare five times over every day.

2 comments about On Sight and Insight: A Journey into the World of Blindness.

1. On Sight and Insight is a wholly remarkable and wondrous book that should be read by anyone with an interest in blindness, perception, embodiment and human existence. In this book John Hull documents his journey from the world of sight into the world of blindness, by describing what it is like to make this transition, through detailed and revealing descriptions of his daily activities, and by giving us his dreams, thoughts and reflections. His journey, in fact, is from a world of sight into one of insight, for it is not only a story of a courageous and emotionally complex life-transformation, but a profound study of who we are, how we see or do not see, touch or do not touch, how we relate to our world-and most of all an insightful study of what it means to be with one another. Anyone who reads this book will not quite hear a voice or touch or see a face in the same way again.



2. A book review, by Carlton Griffin:

   "On Sight & Insight, a Journey into the world of Blindness", by John Hull

   After losing much of my vision over the past four years due to Retinitis Pigmentosa, I went looking for more information about going blind.

   I recently finished this book and I've had a few days to reflect upon it. The book is written by John Hull, who tells about going blind as an adult. As a young man, John has blinding cataracts. He was blind for quite some time in the hospital, long enough to teach himself braille and read several chapters in the Bible.

   The corrective surgery for the cataracts detached both of his retinas, one of which they were able to correct. He was blind in his left eye for the rest of his life, but his right eye stayed pretty dependable until he was about 45, and over the following three years he went completely blind.

   It's a new book, John went blind in the 1980's and his book reads like a diary or journal. It's very easy to read and John easily holds the reader's attention.

   John mostly tells what it is like, emotionally, to go blind. He talks about all aspects of blindness, but the focus on the book is to share how it affected and affects his emotions and his spirit; his soul. John really shares of himself in this book, it's very frank and in some places painful.

   However, I enjoyed having read the book because it provided me with some information I was lacking, helped me come to terms with some things that before I could not conceive. I've been worried so much, the nagging question is always "What will it be like to go blind, how will I live my life?".

   While John's book certainly doesn't fully answer that question, it does allow the reader to gain much insight into what it is like, at least from one man's perspective. While it did confirm a few fears I have, at least I feel more informed now; certainly the unknown is still more frightening than my actual fate.

   I wish I could say more about this book, I think Mr Hull did a fine job. I refer to him as John in this review because I feel so close to him and his family, having read the book. If you want to know what it's like for an adult to go blind, John's perspective is wonderfully told in this book.

   Carlton Griffin

2 comments about Cracked: Recovering After Traumatic Brain Injury.

1. This book was difficult to read because it is so disjointed and un-clear. It has some good experience information, but is more like her personal discombobulated diary than a clear story.



2. Why is this book important? Many reasons - but one is that it's by and about disability, and it proves beyond doubt that people generally considered 'crackers' have much to say, and much to offer.

   More than that, it's a cracking story - full of pain, courage sadness, and hilarious moments of comedy.

   The author tells her story in broken bits of narrative, fragments of memory, and simple heartfelt poems (that get more complex and sophisticated as time passes) Like Humpty Dumpty she has to pick up the broken pieces of her mind as the kings' horses - psychiatry, education and state 'care' - try to trample her into the ground.

   It's an internal and an external journey that should shatter all our beliefs, if we have them, that there's anyone out there to help if the same thing happened to us.

   Not just an interesting autobiography, but the first work by a major new author, Cracked will have your brain reeling.

5 comments about The Long Road Back, A Survivors Guide to Anorexia.

1. The title of this book should have been "The bad things doctors did to me while I was in the hospital." While going into explicit detail of her experience at several different treatment centers, she glosses over her recovery - the main thing her book is supposed to address.
   
   I have read several books on the subject of anorexia, and I found this book to be the worst I have ever come accross. A complete waste of time and money.



2. This book is not just for current or past anorexic, but for everyone who has some serious setbacks in their lives. It is a true testament to the ultimate human fighting spirit. As far as anorexia is concerned, I find this book a real eye-opener to the many flaws of the mental health system where the doctors and nurses seem to be just as obessed with the patients gaining the weight, as the patients with losing it. I could not put this book down oce I started reading it. It left me wondering how Ms(?) Sargent is still alive today. It is even more amazing that not only she is leading a normal life, but she is only excelling in her career and her true passion of figure skating. It is a matter of time unil this gem is made into a movie.



3. Sargent writes a passionate account of her battle with anorexia. She comes forth shining and gives others the hope that sustained her through her 'dark night of the soul'. She is truly an inspiration for anyone suffering with any eating disorder, compulsive eating included. A beautifully written and carefully detailed book.



4. As an anorexic of several years, I was deeply affected by this book's account of another's suffering with the same disease. I alternately cried and was filled with anger by the descriptions of the often barbaric "treatments" the author was forced to endure. I have been in such treatment centers, where the people who are supposed to be helping instead make patients feel less than human, by watching them eat as if it were a circus sideshow and referring to them by numbers instead of names. These people think that the only thing an anorexic has to do to get better is to eat and gain weight, and that's it. Wrong, wrong, wrong, as this book shows, and it's high time people started realizing it. No one starves herself to make someone else suffer, or as a way of getting what she wants. Anorexia is a terrible, terrible disease that makes you want to just die. If you know someone who's suffering from this hell of a disease, treat that person with the utmost love, respect and compassion. Read this book to help you understand: No one CHOOSES to be anorexic, and no matter how many times the anorexic says, "Leave me alone, I'm fine," she really does want help, deep down. It just has to be the right kind of help.



5. For some one who has experienced an eating disorder first hand, this is one of the most accurate portrayals that I have come across. In the book, Sargent tells about her struggles with therapists and hospitals. I found this to be more than true. This is an amazing book for any one, especially health care providers for those with eating disorders. I would reccommend it to every one.