No comments about Ordinary Daylight: Portrait of an Artist Going Blind.

3 comments about The First and Final Nightmare of Sonia Reich: A Son's Memoir.

1. This book was very well written and I was enlightened from the author's perspective. I am a granddaughter of a survivor, and can appreciate reading what I have only imagined all these years. My family didn't speak of what any family member went through in Nazi Germany. My mother came over in 1937 with her mother. As I grew up, little information came out in the family, and I was still not well informed unless I read from someone else's memoirs.



2. A touching memoir from the son of two Holocaust survivors, this book describes the author's childhood, setting the stage for his mother's eventual deterioration into severe PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) following the death of the author's father. Hoping to understand his mother's delusions, the author sets out to research the past that his parents only mentioned briefly on rare occasions. His search takes him to Eastern Europe and the scenes of a number of the Nazi atrocities during WWII, and leads him to a deeper appreciation for his heritage, the magnitude of the suffering in the Holocaust, and an richer appreciation for his parents' accomplishments.
   
   Unlike most books about the Holocaust, this one doesn't focus so much on the events during the Second World War themselves, but instead is more focused on the impact these events had on those who managed to survive the terrible suffering of the period. The psychic wounds suffered by the survivors would stretch throughout their lives, often crippling them decades later, and even crossing the generational lines to impact the lives of their children born after the war. Definitely an important book for anyone interested in the long-term impact of the Holocaust on those who actually survived it.



3. "The First and Final Nightmare of Sonia Reich" by Howard Reich is a very powerful memoir. Author Howard Reich writes about his mother Sonia Reich suffering from late-onset Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
   As gripping as the first part of this book is, (which talks about his background and the PTSD) I was shocked and upset when reading the second part, when Howard Reich goes to Dubno to find out what happened to his mother as a little girl growing up in the Holocaust. As a reader on books of the Holocaust, his description of the dead bodies and mass graves in Dubno was very upsetting. When he writes about Dubno, I felt as if almost I was there with him.
   This was one of the best memoirs I have read in a long time, and I encourage readers of Judaica, history, etc., to go out and get a copy of this book. Put it on your reading list.

1 comments about The Impossible Miracle.

1. Here's my endorsement found inside the book:
   
   "It was William's miraculous story that began my own journey into the supernatural. The details and documentation in his book are utterly overwhelming. The Impossible Miracle will amaze and inspire both skeptics and believers."
   
   (Joshua Tongol, apologetics speaker and youth minister,
   Biola University B.A. in biblical studies)
   
   I first met Willie (Mr. Bee) on April 10, 2006 when he guest spoke at Biola University concerning his miraculous healing. I will never forget that day.
   
   At that point in my life I was somewhat skeptical of claims made concerning modern day miracles. Growing up I was raised a Pentecostal with a strong influence by the Word of Faith movement. Unfortunately, I had many bad experiences and eventually abandoned my Pentecostal beliefs. Then, I became a cessationist at one point but later realized that this position was untenable in light of Scripture. Not too long after, I then became what many Evangelicals call "open-but-cautious." In retrospect, I must admit that I was actually more cautious than open and basically a cessationist in practice. I realized that being "open" didn't mean anything except I still didn't believe. Jesus doesn't tell us to be "open" to Him. He tells us to believe. And once someone believes, it is demonstrated through action. Thus, being "open" didn't get me anywhere.
   
   Then I met Willie. His testimony was powerful. Although I was naturally skeptical of claims of miracles at that time (maybe a little too skeptical), for some reason, as Willie was sharing his testimony, it was difficult to disprove his miraculous healing. There was too much evidence that would need to be dismissed. He wasn't a very emotional guy as he spoke and it seemed as though he let the evidence do a lot of the persuading. He didn't seem weird at all but rather very sincere; and it didn't look like he had any agenda but to testify about the love and power of God.
   
   I've heard Willie share his testimony numerous times but this book "fills in the blanks" so to speak. After reading the manuscript I then realized that his condition was actually a lot worse than I had thought. He is a true example of a modern day Job.
   
   In addition, he not only gives a written account of his journey, but he also provides pictures of himself before and after his healing along with the medical evidence (e.g, x-rays, chart notes, etc.) to validate his claims.
   
   You'll get a glimpse into a man's life who has truly experienced horrific pain and agony. But you will also get a glimpse into man's life who has experienced the power of Kingdom of God that is available today.
   
   As for me, I am now a continuationist (i.e., someone who believes that miracles are for today) and the Lord has taken me on a journey where I can now say that we, as Christians, can live naturally supernatural lives.
   
   Enough about me. Read his book. You won't regret it.

3 comments about When the Phone Rings, My Bed Shakes.

1. The author rambles a little bit, and the story jumps back and forth between the present and the past, but it's still an interesting book.
   
   Hearing parents of deaf children would probably find comfort in this book. Understandably, they may be worried about what the future holds for their deaf child. Here you will read the first-hand account of a deaf man who became a doctor, a husband and father, living a completely normal life. Most hearing people have never met a deaf person in their life, and this adds to the confusion for hearing parents who have just been told that their child is deaf. Reading this book should bring some peace of mind to those parents, and hope for their child's future.



2. I am going deaf due to a tumor and this is the best book I have read yet. It is not easy going from hearing to deaf at 39 and
   I am trying to understand what it is I will be going through in the next couple of years and this book has been of great help.
   I wish Philip, MD Zazove would wirte more books.

   I recomend this to anyone who is hearing or Deaf or HOH.
   He explains everything in simple terms and he is very funny.
   He wrote about things I never would have thought of.
   I am glad I found his book.




3. Excellent autobiography & well worth reading. I should explain here that I prefer biographies that do not indulge in psychoanalysis of the biographee. For this reason, I often prefer those that are written in first person & those that are written by the person himself/herself.

   Zazove does an excellent job. His writing is very clear & flows well. His life story is interesting, if for no other reason than to dispel so many of the hearing people's assumptions about those who lack hearing.

   I did find the chronology a little hard to follow, as he jumps back & forth between his current practice in Utah & his childhood & academic career. He says little about his childhood, probably because it was very normal with little by way of shocking or horrifying events. Highly recommended for those who like biographies/autobiographies and for those who are interested in the life of a deaf doctor.

No comments about Succeeding with Autism: Hear My Voice.

2 comments about My Search for Bill W.: Biography.

1. Mel's book My Search for Bill W. is one of the two best Bio's written about Bill W. Any student of spirituality, philosophy, and thought movements in America should make room on their shelves for ALL of Mel's books. Mel's works are exact, insightful and a banquet for the soul. I'm glad I stumbled upon the first book and I'm extremely grateful I've read them all, over and over... I'd be a damn fool if I didn't say; Thanks Mel!



2. From a recovery point of view, this book will not change your program or anything. It's one of those quick knock-offs that someone did when they needed money. I liked Mel B's work on "Pass It On" and the book about Ebby, but she really sold short on this one. You could simply read the chapter titles in this book and you've read the whole thing. And while vaguely illustrating her points, Mel wanders off into conjecture and personal opinion, and admits that's what she's doing!

5 comments about The Moon Is Broken: A Mother's True Story (Signet).

1. This book was written in behalf of families whose lives are troubled by the addiction of a loved member. It is also intended to help young adults recognize how risk-taking behavior can lead to the dissolution of all one's dreams,



2. good book. i recomend it for people who are involved with special circumstance people. things like this really do happen and i feel the more you know about people like this the more you learn to cope with them and help them to survive in this world.



3. Some books touch us in ways that remain with us for many days of our lives. This book is one of them. When I finished the book I just closed it and said, "Wow" - it was such intense reading. I feel I know Eleanor Craig and her family. Be prepared to shed some tears -- at least I did. However this book is great and shows readers how drug abuse not only affects the user, but greatly hurts friends and families and how everyone feels so helpless. I have great respect for Ms. Craig and how she had the courage and strength to document the loss of her own daughter. I have loved and thoroughly enjoyed all of her books; I wish there were more. I thoroughly recommend also authors: Torey Hayden and Mary MacCracken. I have read all of their books.



4. Some books touch us in ways that remain with us for many days of our lives. This book is one of them. When I finished the book I just closed it and said, "Wow" - it was such intense reading. I feel I know Eleanor Craig and her family. Be prepared to shed some tears -- at least I did. However this book is great and shows readers how drug abuse not only affects the user, but greatly hurts friends and families and how everyone feels so helpless. I have great respect for Ms. Craig and how she had the courage and strength to document the loss of her own daughter. I have loved and thoroughly enjoyed all of her books; I wish there were more. I thoroughly recommend also authors: Torey Hayden and Mary MacCracken. I have read all of their books.



5. Some books touch us in ways that remain with us for many days of our lives. This book is one of them. When I finished the book I just closed it and said, "Wow" - it was such intense reading. I feel I know Eleanor Craig and her family. Be prepared to shed some tears -- at least I did. However this book is great and shows readers how drug abuse not only affects the user, but greatly hurts friends and families and how everyone feels so helpless. I have great respect for Ms. Craig and how she had the courage and strength to document the loss of her own daughter. I have loved and thoroughly enjoyed all of her books; I wish there were more. I thoroughly recommend also authors: Torey Hayden and Mary MacCracken. I have read all of their books.

3 comments about Day by Day: The Chronicles of a Hard of Hearing Reporter (Deaf Lives Series, Vol. 7).

1. Read this book! Its author offers an insightful and engaging account of a journey many of us have never thought about but probably should, since hearing loss touches nearly everyone at some point. But don't read this book only because it's a practical guide to coping with deafness. Read it because it's a real delight -- beautifully written, engaging, reflective, and radiating generosity of spirit. The author models strategies and lessons we can all use, whatever our personal challenges may be.



2. I lost about half my hearing in the third grade because of mumps. But instead of testing my hearing my teachers thought I was inattentive. Like Liz Thompson I became a newspaper reporter, straining to hear at meetings and interviews, and then developed MS - in her writing I have found such a kindred spirit. She speaks for us and tells the rest of the world what it's like to be challenged in so many different ways. But she never loses courage and keeps finding strength and humor in those hard places. A role model for us all, she has certainly written a wonderful handblook to follow.
   
   a fan in Virginia



3. Thompson has proven herself to be a professional communicator in many ways. This thoughtful book provides valuable insights into not just hearing loss and MS, but a philosophy of life that accentuates the positive. Previously published pieces are interspersed with comments of the circumstances that provoked the thought process behind each, adding depth and texture. This book should not be seen as a "hard of hearing" memoir, or a "MS"memoir, but rather as an account of thriving through adversity.

5 comments about The Me in the Mirror.

1. As a disabled woman, I really loved this book, and could identify with many aspects of Connie's life. An educating book to those who are not disabled.



2. I read this book a few years a go and loved it. I think it was an honest book. I know it is because I have SMA like the author so I am a good judge of the subject. This book is not "Preachy" or filled with religious meaning like some disabled books. Nor does it make the disabled look needy or helpless. It's just about her life. It's not supposed to go in to great detail of specific disability issues...that's what essays and textbooks are for. Even so, I do think it does give the average "walkie-talkie" insight of disabled culture. Everything from care, school, career and romance. The writing is in everyday language and shows her humor in dealing with her struggles. The main flaw is the poor edit job. I didn't find it too distracting (if you can handle reading a personal journal you should be OK with this book) and the book is a quick read. There is a great need for books on adults with born with disabilities and disabled women. I'm glad this book made it!



3. I finished this book last night, and I was frankly infuriated by some of the earlier reviews posted about this book. This is probably the most illuminating book about the day to day existence of an extremely disabled person; which holds back nothing, that has ever been written. Panzarino, who, despite her disability was a powerful force for chance in the way the disabled are treated in society, passed away on the 4th of July of this year. Her passing only makes this book more poignant. Panzarino's style is eloquent and engaging; her story both heartbreaking and inspirational. This book is a MUST read for anyone interested in reading fascinating biographies of women who have truly helped to change the world, as well as a great tool for understanding what those with disabilities go through in a world that wasn't designed with them in mind. This book changed my view of the world profoundly. I am planning on buying it for all my friends as Xmas gifts--and hope that Connie's incredible courage wil inspire them as much as it did me.



4. I could barely finish this unorganized story told in plain language. The topics covered are important. Yet, the writing and selfish spin of the book left a very bad taste in my mouth.



5. Ms. Panzarino presents an accurate and passionate account of an absolutely remarkable life. She survived the disability that should have killed her as a child, the terrible pressures of her home, where she and her mother were trapped in a dance with no help for either. She fought her family and the "abled" world for her independence and THRIVED as a whole womin in a society which assigns a half-life to the disabled adult. I am new to the disabled community, having suffered a major stroke at the age of 49 and two small ones since. They have left me nearly speechless but I cannot even imagine the world Ms. Panzrino has had to live in. I can only admire this brave womin's strength, fortitude, intelligence and candor. The reviewer who did not see the life story and daily life of a disabled person did NOT read the same book I read!! This is and excellent read by an enlightened individual! My only disappointment is that there has not been a follow-up book since this wonderful tome was written!

5 comments about Moonrise: One Family, Genetic Identity, and Muscular Dystrophy.

1. This book should appeal to readers who value the hard, loving truth-telling ability of the author, the mother of Ansel, a child with muscular dystrophy. I first read her essay of the same name in Best American Essays, and the book delivered a more edgy, tough potrait of the family. Admirable, credible, and hopeful, the mother is one tough customer, and so is her son. That is the key to surviving and thriving despite the woes of this debilitating, chronic illness. Ansel and his mom (and dad, and siblings) are a real family, in the best sense of the word.



2. ...I was curious and did read it. And I am very glad that I did. You are a very strong person and have been both a great mother and great friend for Ansel. I was touched and moved by how honestly you expressed your ongoing thoughts and feelings towards the disease and the struggle to deal with it as a mother, a wife and a friend. Indeed it is sad that Ansel or anyone for that matter has to suffer such an illness in life, but not everyone is as lucky to have a mother as strong, defiant and loyal as you, who has such a powerful means of expressing herself through writing. Your whole family must be very proud of you, especially Ansel. I am also impressed by your observations and descriptions of Ansel and how brave and strong he has been all of his life....Ansel is an optimistic skeptic, and brave at that (his will not to give up, I noticed, was something he inherited from you). Many of us, including myself, can learn from someone like him. And in the words of Ansel, "everything happens for a reason."



3. Moonrise is a powerful book, beautifully written, full of forceful oppositions-health and disability, despair and joy, science and poetry. Were it a writer's imagined construct, it might be considered too calculated, too balanced between the life forces we control and those that control us. However, Moonrise is not a novel, rather a book that recalls the truism that life can be stranger than fiction. Penny Wolfson has written from the depths of her own experience a perfect parable, an inspiring story of the life of her son Ansel, rich in humor, strikingly full of unnerving Dantean imagery, and imbued with tremendous pathos. Though ostensibly concerned with Duchenne's muscular dystrophy, Moonrise is actually a story about the condition of life and its inherent struggles, speaks to anyone who ponders the eternal mysteries of why we live and how we live. In addition to describing the sobering details of genetic determinism and the wrenching realities of watching a child's body degenerate, Wolfson analyses and celebrates family and all its myriad complexities.



4. let me let you know, take me seriously with the stars, I really love the book. Penny sounds like someone very kind to everyone and everything, she treats everyone the right way. I still think you won't take me seriously, but you're probably right ignoring me.



5. This book starts out more like a mystery or spy novel than the memoir it is. We are first introduced to the author, her husband and baby in a poetic first chapter. Next we are introduced to the "villain" (which turns out to be the genetic disease muscular dystrophy) only later to find out that it is not only slowly killing her beautiful child Ansel, but is also hiding inside her newly pregnant sister! We are then led through various vignettes where she describes her son's diagnosis, various treatments, and his transformation from an unusually attractive baby into a disabled child. Wolfson also describes her quest to understand the genetics of this disease where she not only gains insight into its biochemistry but also into the complicated history and dynamics of her own family. As the book concludes we find yet another transformation of Ansel from a troublesome disabled child to a quirky, intellectually gifted teenager. When I got to the end of the book I wanted another chapter to tell me what happens next to this remarkable mother and son. I was left feeling very moved, not with pity but with admiration. Talk about turning a bunch of lemons into lemonade! Anyone with chronic disease lurking in their family (and who doesn't) has got to read this book.