5 comments about Up and Running: The Jami Goldman Story.

1. THis is a wonderful book. I knew Jami back in high school. We went to peer counseling camp together. She was just as she says, not very active. I am sure that today she is the same great spririted person I knew back when. She has survived and overcome.I read the book after seeing her on To Tell the Truth. I am proud to say that I know her. I truly recommend this book. It is quite a story of determination.



2. I was so shocked to know how she got both legs amputated. And I was so shocked to know that could happen to anybody. But her extraordinary strength of will to live gave me great courage to confront with my losses or unfortunates. While sensitively expressing a feminine part of her, she was also very competitive and eager to find her new life. Her optimism reminded me how profound our lives and possibilities are. This book will be a beautiful gift to share with all my precious friends. Thank you, Jami and Andrea.



3. Incredible personal narrative about what it's like to be average turned to handicapped turned to awesome source of power! I picked this book up in the library, reading back cover and was intrigued before looking at the picture on front cover and wondering, how? My brother is an amputee and I've witnessed first hand the strange way that people treat him, as an outsider from normal existance. Jami describes herself and the way others perceive her very clearly. This book is impossible to put down as you read about the terror of being stuck in a vehicle for 11 days and wondering why you haven't died yet. It is equally as difficult to put down as you read about Jami's determination to return to life as it was before the accident. This book is passionate, informed, relevant to today, romantic, inspirational, realistic, descriptive, adventurous, and well thought out. However, as a 7 months pregnant about to be first time mother, I do not recommend this book for readers under 18 years old.



4. As a single leg amputee I found it very easy to relate with a lot of the different trials and tribulations that Jami discussed in her inspirational story.I found on somedays not being able to put the book down just to see how she made it to the next step of her incredible journeys of adapting to her whole new world.It's also nice to know that no matter of ones differences from others, you are never alone.



5. This is the most amazing and inspirational story I have ever read.I read the book cover to cover. I couldn't put it down. I learned so much about living life to the fullest it made me excited about living again. I want to thank Jami for sharing her amazing journey with the world. I hope everyone gets the chance to read this wonderful book!

No comments about My Journey of Healing from Cancer.

5 comments about Devil in the Details.

1. I just finished reading Jennifer Traig's incredibly engaging memoir. Who knew a book about a serious condition- OCD, more specifically srucpulosity- would be so entertaining, yet endearing? I was constantly reading parts of the books outloud to my husband, who was wondering why I was giggling.
   Traig is both a gifted and clever author as she gives us an inside peak into a world of extreme religion and cleanliness.
   The story was captivating, the writing wonderful, and yes, the devil is in the details. If you are considering buying this book, definitely buy it. Put a tissue on your head and read it!!



2. Is it wrong to fall over laughing when reading a book about a person with severe OCD? If so, I'm in some deep cosmic trouble, because this was hilarious.
   
   "Scenes" aptly describes the book because, as Traig herself makes clear, her battles with the disease were sporadic. Plus, the book has scattered through it various (also very funny) quizzes, proofs, sample SAT questions, and so forth that give insight into the OCD mind. Somehow, Traig helps us find humor in the horror of bloody, chapped hands, anorexia, and hair-pulling. It's almost a hat trick; I'm not sure how she did it.
   
   Traig and her family, as presented in the book, are immensely likable and weather the bizzare with good humor. There are colorful portraits of them as well as of Traig; no member of her immediate family is there as a mere prop to her own story, which is a real strength in the book, something that helps make it more substantial than many of the more "me-centric" memoirs.
   
   Religion plays a heavy part in this memoir, something that many readers may not expect, but it was the key piece of Traig's disorder. I personally found it fascinating to read about, as so many elements of Orthodox Judaism were unfamiliar to me, and, again, I thought it gave the book a good deal of substance. Some readers may be put off by this element of the unfamiliar, while others may find it intriguing (and it certainly makes this book stand out from any other OCD memoir). The book becomes not just a "book about a girl with OCD" but also a more profound look at a girl coming to terms with her identity and faith. And again-- to be able to make all of this side-splittingly funny reveals rare talent indeed!



3. Intrigued by the excellent art design on the cover of this book, I recently enjoyed stepping into the mind of author Traig as a young girl struggling with a mental disorder amongst other pains of growing up. She writes with a very sardonic tone, which suits the serious subject quite well, making it a fun read instead of a potentially dreary one. The only aspect that seemed slightly out of place was how she didn't really wrap the memoir up with any sense of finality. There was hardly any sense of the author in the present tense, aside from a few mentions of her religious life currently. Perhaps the intent was to create a snapshot of her as an adolescent, but it seems like an abrupt ending to the book regardless. Would definitely recommend to anyone interested in reading a sharply written memoir.



4. Jennifer Traig uses a distinctive comic voice throughout this book that makes it very easy to read. The author describes the trials and tribulations of growing up with OCD, and her anecdotes are both poignant and funny. She provides a non-clinical point of view, describing the impact of OCD on her everyday life. I would recommend this book and am looking forward to reading more works by Traig.



5. I really liked this book. A good read about growing up, religion, family and OCD. I just saw that the author has another book, and I'm ordering that one right now! Good read!

3 comments about The Voices of Robby Wilde.

1. From the beginning I might as well say that I also was once diagnosed as a schizophrenic, even for a few days as a paranoid schizophrenic, and so the subject of this particular book strikes close to my heart, although I must add that I never had the experience of hearing voices. This book is an absolutely realistic recreation of the mind of a person who experiences schizophrenia. I have never come across a book that has done this so effectively. Through Robby's voice the author, Elizabeth Kytle, presents some of the prime features of life with schizophrenia; for example, 1. the extreme sense of social anxiety; 2 the social immaturity; 3. the confusion over sexual identity and fear of sexual contact; 4.the deep and profound, though constantly thwarted, need to belong; 5. the awareness that what you are doing and thinking is somehow extremely inappropriate combined with the need to spend intense energy disguising that inappropriateness; and finally, 6. the establishment of a barricade to protect yourself from other people, which eventually becomes a prison. One of the most effective techniques Elizabeth Kytle uses in this book is to have Robby narrate a portion of his life, and then have another friend, relative, teacher, colleague or employer then narrate a parallel section covering the same period of time, yet reflecting a different perspective on the same events. Research has shown that shizophrenia is caused by a complicated interaction between genetic and environmental influences--40% is probably genetic while the environment contributes the remaining 60%. This book does an excellent job of showing the interaction between these two elements to the point where Robby ended up in a psychiatric hospital with a full fledged case of schizophrenia. Overall, at the end of this book, I was wholly impressed with Robby's courage and ingenuity in facing an extremely destructive mental illness. We are also called to examine our own attitudes towards what those who have serious mental illness can and cannot do. It was clear that Robby, despite the severity of his illness, was a far more capable employee than others who weren't mentally ill. If only employers had been willing to work with his diability, he could have ended his life with some self-respect and dignity. In conclusion, I've read many books on mental illness, particularly in the area of memoir, and this is pretty well the best I've read thus far.



2. I am writing a paper on Paranoid Schizophrenia and found this to be an excellent story. I didn't know a lot about Schizophrenia before I read this book and it helped me to understand the diagnoses and the various hardships that Schizophrenics have to face, both mentally and socially. Much better than any textbook on mental disorders, this story is not only entertaining but educational as well. Highly recommended!



3. This is a thought provoking true story about Mental Illness.. Robby was handsome, charming, bright, friendly and hard working, yet angry,desolate, alone in a crowd. No one could save this wonderful man. Mental Illness is an illness of the brain, just as heart trouble is an illness of the heart. We need to accept it more.

3 comments about I Can't Hear You Laughing . . . Anymore: Based on a True Story.

1. I have read a lot of real life stories in my time, but to have someone tell about becoming deaf over night and telling it in a posative way really beats other writers hands down. I read it cover to cover and although I was tired and want to say the tears were from that, I know differently. The tears were of laughter and pain. All of which Elizabeth felt many times. Her contrast to the story was a woman named Kiley, boy if Kiley only knew that she was in such good hands all along.



2. This story is of a woman named Elizabeth with a career and family, that is changed drastically. I enjoyed reading "I Can't Hear You Laughing...Anymore". It put knots in my stomach as I read it chapter for chapter. I think it is a book that everyone should read if you like books based on true stories. I can't wait to see what she comes out with next!



3. I have not read a book that made me really feel emotions like this one has. Elizabeth AnderHowrad is my new favorite author. She not only told a great story of overcoming her deafness when it was literally overnight. I love the poems she uses in her wroks. The CPR scene started a dramatic beginning and the book never once lets you down.

   Truly amazing, I hope to meet her one dya

1 comments about Listening: Ways of Hearing in a Silent World.

1. This is a delightful memoir written by a woman who cannot hear. In losing her ability to hear, she gained an awareness of the importance of listening. It is that awareness that she shares in this book. _Listening_ is a composite of personal experiences and scientific studies regarding sound. The author speaks of sounds made and perceived in the natural world, bringing a fresh awareness of those sounds to her readers.

3 comments about To Catch the Snowflakes: Memoir of a Polio Survivor, an Adoptive Parent, a Teacher, a School Principal, and the Father of an Addict.

1. To Catch The Snowflakes is one of the best books I've ever read and I've read plenty. I must say "Thank you" to the author. He's lived quite a life...and he tells quite a story. In the game of life, he's a winner...even though polio tried real hard to defeat him. He didn't allow that to happen.



2. The story that Mr. Schulenberg tells is one of hope, humor and acts as a constant reminder of the blessings in our lives. Though stricken with challenges, the author explains that each challenge was a stepping stone to greatness and fullfillment.
   This story is a heartwarming tale of the strength of family and the endurance of family. It is a must-have and a must-read.



3. I am amazed that anyone could pack so much into a little over 100 pages. I laughed. I cried. I was inspired. The next time I'm down and feel as though life is winning, I'll take this book from the shelf. Every high school in the country should require this book to be read by seniors before they are allowed to graduate and enter the world. Hollywood: pay attention. This book would make a terrific, a beautiful, an inspiring movie.

1 comments about Jonathan Lerman: The Drawings of a Boy with Autism.

1. This is a well done book! It gives an insight into what Jonathan is thinking or feeling at times, where words would leave anyone's midsts. Jonathan is a member of our community here in upstate New York and we are more than proud of him - he is the spokesperson for all the other children who are as affected by autism as he is. Jon's mom, Caren, is often the one parents turn to when they don't know who else to call. She and Jonathan are the pioneers in this area when it comes to dealing with the issues of autism. When Jonathan first started drawing, it was literally an view for the first time in what he was feeling, and I am proud to say that I was invited into his world through his drawings. Thank you Jonathan!

No comments about Growing Up Deaf: Issues of Communication in a Hearing World.

2 comments about Sound Of Falling Snow: Stories of Recovery from Autism and Related Conditions.

1. This book is filled with stories that wrench any parent's heart - and then fill it up again page after page - with new hope and inspiration!
   
   These amazing recovery stories are a wonderful testimony to the devotion and unconditional love of unrelenting parents who will stop at nothing to recover their special needs child.



2. This is another extraordinary collection of personal accounts of people on the autism/Asperger's (a/A) spectrum who have been successfully treated with Auditory Integration Therapy (AIT). People with autism have trouble synthesizing sensory modes and have "hyper" sensitivity; that is, extraordinarily acute senses.
   
   James, whose mother wrote about his spectacular progress in Stehli's previous book, "Dancing in the Rain" describes his personal experience with autism. A bright, well-rounded young man, James appears to be very accepting and open-minded. I like the way he was avidly interested in the "American Girls" series and saw no reason not to learn knitting; it was a real skill he had and he found it a soothing activity.
   
   I loved it when James said, "...when you see your child lining up cards, for example, don't punish him for perseverating...don't see it as acting strangely. See him as the architecht or draftsman he could become, designing the strongest buildings or drawing the straightest lines." James speaks to hope and potential. He also addresses the very real problem of the word "perseverate" in any tense. While many professionals and parents might find it a helpful "shorthand," it is really just a negative and destructive word. It is highly damning, judgmental and has hurt many and done far more harm than any good.
   
   James, like Stehli's daughter, Georgiana Thomas is an author. Articulate and insightful, James focusses his chapter on the positive aspects of having autism. Georgiana Thomas has written "Overcoming Autism," about her personal experiences and at the time of this review, her book is currently available only on her web site. Her book, together with James' work, "The Self-Help Guide for Special Kids and Their Parents" deserve places of honor along with this book.
   
   This is one of the most inspiring and uplifting books about autism that I have ever read. Hats off to the people who shared their stories and for the Rays of Hope they have beamed each reader's way. We need this book!