1 comments about My Walk on the Parkinson's Path.

1. My Walk on the Parkinson's Path
   Excellent reading about a subject I knew little about.And how Parkinson's can effect a person and those around that person.(Read the Book) This is a must read My Walk on the Parkinson's Path.Thank you Kenneth Delabre for your story.

5 comments about Fevers of the Mind.

1. I think that Avery did an excellent job of taking us through his childhood into his adulthood, giving us insight to this wicked disease. It's always there in a person and much seems to get missed, until the diagnosis and even then, much still gets missed. I am the mother of a recently disgnosed 16 year old with bipolar.
   
   I think the person who stated that Avery cycled so much because he went on and off his meds so often missed the point. I think Avery wrote this book to 'teach' those with the disease, the importance of taking the meds on a consistent basis and to help those of us who love a person with bipolar to understand what they are going through more.
   
   I would love to talk with Avery. I too live in IN and West Lafayette isn't too far.
   
   I would recommend this book moreso for the people who love the person suffering. I would be fearful that my son would think it would be ok to go on and off the meds if he were to read this at his young age.



2. If anyone actually knew about this book, it could become a classic. I've read many different memoirs, including many mental illness memoirs, and this is probably the most entertaining one I've come across yet. Conner has a minimalistic writing style that I find very appealing, and the story moves at a very fast pace, in stark contrast to the boring drivel in books such as A Million Little Pieces and Prozac Nation. In comparison, most of the other mental illness memoirs are pretty bad, such as Electroboy, Detour, and Burn. I rank Fevers up there with the finest mental illness memoirs, such as Girl Interrupted and An Unquiet Mind.



3. As someone who has battled bipolar disorder for over 40 years (onset at age 13), I find it appalling that someone as "smart" as Mr. Conner (1510 on his SAT, near-perfect grades, "high" GRE scores, etc.) would pit his own knowledge against that of trained psychiatric professionals by indiscriminately starting-stopping-reducing dosages of meds. No wonder he cycled so frequently and so severly as he did. He states that he was running out of treatment options after having tried only Prozac, Zoloft, Wellbutrin, Effexor, Lithium, Depakote, Neurontin, two tricyclics and Zyprexa. When he's tried 34 meds, ECT and participated in a clinical trial (NIMH), as I have, to try to find a "cocktail" that works, then he'll be qualified to make that statement. I bought this book to be part of the library of a depression and bipolar support group that I facilitate; however, after reading it, I feel that it could foster irresponsible and even dangerous behavior in some very vulnerable people.



4. Fevers of the Mind is a great read that provides an honest narrative on what it means to live with and battle against a mental illness. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has a family member or close friend diagnosed with depression or bipolar disease. While many of Conner's anecdotes were entertaining, I finished the book with a profound appreciation for all that he suffered through in his attempts at diagnosing and treating his illness. I imagine many of us have at one point or another fallen into a bleak despair, but reading about Conner's tribulations really put my experiences in perspective. Most importantly, Conner's story provides hope that disabling mental disorders can be overcome with the support of family and friends, meticulous application of the scientific method with regard to treatment, and a good deal of persistence.



5. I purchased this book hoping to glean some of the author's knowledge of the brain as it relates to bipolar illness. As I pondered though each incident in his very active life I kept waiting for the good stuff. Never found it. Instead I found a few pages of data relating drugs to dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine. If you are looking for a portrayal of manic thinking you will find it here. If you are looking for answers, for a larger perspective, or even new, innovative, leading edge discoveries in the field you will not find it here.

No comments about Night Out With the Boys, A.

5 comments about God Knows His Name: The True Story of John Doe No. 24.

1. This is an incredible story of a deaf man who was found wandering the streets of Jacksonville, IL and subsequently institutionalized at Lincoln State School and Colony. It is an easy-to-read account that tells about all of the horrors and abuses that John Doe No. 24 endured and the way he survived it all. When he also went blind, he was almost totally disconnected from he world. Yet, somehow, he maintained a sense of humor and enjoyed the simple things of life.
   
   Anyone interested in the beginning of what is now called "Special Education" should read this book. Highly recommended.



2. A very interesting story and topic best summed up by Mary Chapin Carpenter herself when she penned the words in her song that she included on John Doe 24's tombstone, "Well there's no doubt that life's a mystery, but so too is the human heart." I would suggest that many readers are drawn to this book through Mary Chapin Carpenter. For those that are, you are apt to find a 'Lewis' that is different than the one you may have envisioned since you first heard Ms. Carpenter's haunting melody. In many ways it is hard to distinguish the human being that lives inside this deaf and mute body. It is difficult to read because it tears us from the comfort of our own 'perfect' lives.
   
   The song apart, I learned a great deal about the history of institutional care through the journey that Lewis stumbles into in 1945. The picture is not pretty. Still, it is important to understand that institutional culture does exist in America. Having read this book, I am now compelled to learn where it is today with the hope that it has improved dramatically since the events I read in Mr. Bakke's book.
   
   Not a particularly 'fun' book to read, but one that should be on your list.



3. Mr. Bakke has written a riveting book about a nearly unbelievable life. The reader is rapt by the circumstances 'Mr. Doe' meets at every turn, and Mr. Bakke has penned his words in a way that allows the reader to feel something of the feelings Mr. Doe must have experienced. The story told by the book is at once heartrending and hopeful; Mr. Doe is 'trapped' in 'the system,' but he is often shown mercy by compassionate people who even now deserve to be honored for their efforts.
   
   One question remained when I had finished the book: Why did no one---the police, a social worker, ANYBODY---allow Mr. Doe to take them back down the trail he had traveled? Let him be a passenger in a car, pointing his way back to his place of origin?
   
   Great book, though. I'd recommend it for almost anyone of any age. THANK YOU, MR. BAKKE, for showing us the twists and turns of this lost human riddle.



4. that not that long ago in this country someone was found wandering the streets and there were no means to identify him. How sad that someone had raised him for 16 years and then "lost" him. This is a story about one man's dignity. Unlike a lot of stories involving institutions, it seems as though John encountered an awful lot of caring people employed at these places. I find it interesting that although he learned to communicate with others, he never discussed his past or gave any real clues as to his beginnings.

   It's a well written book about a sad subject. I recommend it.




5. On October 11, 1946, a black boy of indeterminate age was found wandering the streets of Jacksonville, Illinois. When police discovered he was deaf, mute, and suspected to be retarded, he was sent to the Lincoln State School and Colony, a state facility that bore little resemblance to its name. Had he been permitted to stay at the School for the Deaf, his life would have been completely different, but that school was not permitted to take retarded people.
   The Lincoln School was a self-contained city having a farm with price-winning cattle and a dairy processing plant. It generated its own power and returned thousands of dollars to the state treasury, thanks to the free labor provided by the residents (really inmates). These people varied from the very severely retarded to those of borderline intelligence. The place was vastly overcrowded, and the pecking order among residents was often established violently.
   John Doe, as he was called since they were unable to identify him at all, was given an I.Q. test, but much like any test, if you don't understand the value or importance of the test, there will be little incentive to do well, even assuming you can understand what is expected of you. A special test was used that had been designed for the deaf, but the examiner had difficulty conveying the purpose and instructions for the various tests that were disguised as games or puzzles. John's deafness and inexperience were a huge impediment, and, not surprisingly, he scored very low on the test. This result was to haunt him for years to come. After several unsuccessful escape attempts, John gradually adapted to his surroundings. He had no known relatives so there was no one to claim him nor to send him packages or money that might help alleviate his situation.
   By the mid-sixties, thanks in part to JFK's commitment to improving conditions and education for the mentally retarded and an Illinois commission, facilities and conditions were improving at the Lincoln School. John Doe had now been there close to two decades. Unfortunately, it was also the time of Chlorpromazine that the psychiatric profession had discovered could turn unruly or violent patients into virtually catatonic, but untroublesome, individuals. It soon became the drug of choice for nearly everyone in an institution. Despite regular doses, John was becoming one of the best students in the ASL class that had been started for the deaf residents. He became a trustee and was placed in charge of several other patients, helping them to dress and to get ready for the day.
   By 1973 the side effects of the drugs began to manifest themselves and John was inflicted with diabetes and glaucoma. In 1975, the Lincoln School was converted into a state prison, and John was sent to the Jacksonville Developmental Center. He was now totally blind, but thanks to a few dedicated individuals, his talents were recognized and he was sent to the Helen Keller School. This provided him with the skills he needed to subsequently live in a series of group homes.
   He died a few years later, but to this day no one has still been able to track down his identity.

4 comments about I Still Love You: The Love Story of an Alzheimer's Caregiver (Dearly Beloved).

1. I found this book to be excellent. I read "I Still Love You" in one sitting; I literally could not put it down. It is a personal, vivid, and a realistic account of the ups and downs of life with an Alzheimer's patient. It is a captivating and emotional roller-coaster and clearly a personal chronicle. This is not a rose-tinted view of life with an Alzheimer's patient. Ms. Darby is a very gifted writer; I recommend this book for those who want to learn more about life with Alzheimer's Disease.



2. DEARLY BELOVED, I STILL LOVE YOU by Jean Darby, PHd is an excellent source for loving caregivers. She tells of experiences similar to what President Regan's wife must be going through--first denial, then acceptance, and much later keeping her husband from public view, not only to protect him from a more agitated physical condition, but to preserve his dignity. In a compact account, the author of over 60 books relates the inevitable in her exceptional writing style and prepares those who might be thrown into the same situation to accept reality and deal with it in a loving manner.



3. Reading Jean Darby's descripions of the problems she had dealing with her husband's Alzheimer's Disease made me feel that I, in my misery as a caregiver for my wife was not alone. My wife's Alzheimer's Disease devasted me as she suffered not knowing what was going on. Every care giver I have met at support groups felt better by sharing the problems they had dealing with their spouse or other family member. Jean Darby shares her problems and heartaches in a manner I could relate to. My dear wife died of a stroke after 5 years of living with a diseased brain. The book is not supposed to be a list of how to or what to do, it is a sharing of the misery that comes to a caregiver when they have to confront Alzheimer's Disease.



4. Dearly Beloved, I Still Love You is one person's view of Alzheimer's. It does not give insight into what it is like for caregivers, instead it tells of hiding the alzheimer's patient away and being embarrased by their illness. Self serving in it's description of her huband's illness. The book is very short, large print and can be read from cover to cover in 1/2 hour. Try 36-Hour Day.

1 comments about My Tender Soul: A Story of Survival.

1. Peggy McNamara has shown great courage in writing about her own life. She has shared deeply with the reader the emotional maze she wondered while growing up and has allowed us to see deeply into her confusion, pain, joy, and resurrection. What makes this book so compelling is that Peggy has been honest and logical in her story telling. And she has been kind enough to share her insights and advice with us.

   Well done, Peggy McNamara. Well done!

4 comments about Weep For The Living.

1. My daughter who is a very big fan of "Court TV", as am I (this is where she heard about "Weep For The Living")-told me about their review and couldn't wait to read it. It was everything they said and more. How this woman survived the brutal torture at the hands of her husband is difficult to understand. She evidently has a very strong will and desire for life. She is definitely to be admired. Neither one of us could put the book down. We highly recommend it. The title is perfect. Society all to often forgets their is a victim and all attention is put on the defendant, maybe this will help turn this kind of thinking around. Our only regret is that it took a long time to locate this book, couldn't find anywhere ...It definitely should receive more publicity. ...



2. A psychological thriller and at the same a true story of both a heinous crime and emotional and physical survival. The story is beautifully told of a married couple, each individually well respected, and why the marriage went wrong. Anne Butler asked herself this question many, many times during her amazing recovery from five 38-caliber bullets fired at point blank range. The book delves in depth her answers and also shows remarkable aspects of her community -- the friends she never knew she had and the success of the Louisiana criminal justice system in putting here estranged husband in prison for good.

   Follow the steps leading up to the shooting, the recovery (as it is to date), all aspects of the trial which was a perilous trip for Anne Butler as well as for everyone touched by the bizarre crime and finally her forgiveness of her assailant. Anne's prose reads as though she is talking directly to the reader, explaining in detail her pain, her anxiety over her children, her conclusions, and her own realization of how wonderful life can be when you are in the bosom of friends.




3. Anne Butler's horrific but astounding account of a near death experience at the hands of a tormented and twisted cold blooded and clearly calculated killer, is truly more stranger than fiction could ever be, particularly when it is her own husband, that pulls the trigger, not once, but over and over again. From the moment I began to read this amazing piece of literary prozac truth, I knew that there would be no stopping until I had devoured it, sifting the underbelly of it, carefully, weeping and laughing with her as each moment of her life leading up to that ghastly moment and each step thereafter, unfurled. I couldn't stop until I had finished it--all in one setting.

   The book shocks you, saddens you, but it also somehow speaks to the heart of us all; how one can find strength in the midst of literally death and dying; how one can keep her priorities straight and think on, in her case, her two brave yet fainthearted children. I admire how this true-to-life protagonist fought back. Not in a physical way at first, but with the inward will and drive to beat it all and to beat him at his game, a game he had by all accounts mapped out, hoping to win. But he didn't get his wish. This woman fought with the stuff that warriors are made of. She got through surgery after surgery, and from all accounts, it appears she still has more to endure. The need to be around for her children, for her family, and for her friends, surely were the driving pathos, not to mention the love of her stately home and her thriving buisness.

   All I have left to say is kudos to a woman who's made from lion's cloth, to woman who's got grit in her craw. Anne Butler, was in deed carried in the arms of angels, but to me she is an angel. To have lived to tell the story is victorious. I am so grateful to have read her book. And now when I am going through my dark tunnels, and I think that I can't make it, I just think on Miss Butler, and quietly and thankfully I go on.




4. A book to read that will keep you captivated from beginning to end. The author tells her story as an experience that nearlly cost her her life. A true Southern Belle in the heart of Louisiana's plantation country running her familys plantation as a B&B. She tells her gripping events as she looked down the barrell a foot away of the 38 special that put 6 bullets in her body. Her courage to assume death to survie her attacker as he stood over her reloading. She talks of the unbelievable pain she has just been rendered, then feeling how serene her body felt as she was carried in the "arms of Angels" for survial. A mother of two children with their thoughts in her mind as she is shot. Who will take care of my children? If you like reading mysteries, this true mystery will keep you on edge as you turn each new page of her account and candid revelations. Knowing the author personally, her near death, and the people surrounding her makes this a more compelling book to read.

1 comments about Breathe.

1. Reading this book opened up a whole new world of thought for me. What is true love... our own selfish desire or the ability to let go?
   
   Mr. Hyndman weaves an excellent true story of a young man's journey through the incredible hardship of paralysis, and the ultimate act of love by his mother. Well written and certainly a story worth sharing.

2 comments about Sean: The Story of a Child's Life and Death.

1. I recomend this book to anyone that has lost a loved one,it touch my heart and i will never forget Sean,and I hope anyone thinking of buying just do it and read from any page because every page shas something to offer by itself.



2. SEAN touched me in many ways. First, it was scary to pick up the book and begin reading. I'm the mother of an only child who just suffered through a car accident, and I wasn't sure I could read about a child who dies. But instead, once I started this very personal journal and journey through Sean's life and then death, I found out that strength and courage are the attributes of the very special few. And Sean as well as his mother and author, Julie, are two of those rare individuals. Julie's honesty as she faced one of life's most demanding tests is brutal especially when writing about herself and her feelings. This is an important book for anyone who has suffered a loss and hasn't quite figured out how to get through it. Julie, in her directness, shows us that we are only human when we feel ourselves still mourning when everyone else has determined it is time to get over it. This book deals with the agony but also the joys of having loved and having learned to have faith in those things we cannot see or touch.

1 comments about Shine on Me: The Biography of an African American Woman, Born Blind.

1. Shine on Me : The Biography of an African American Woman, Born Blind is a must read for all generations. It is filled with intense, colorful characters which explore and celebrate life and love. This extraordinary debut expertly illustrates how a woman, an African American woman, with four strikes embraces her struggles and with the power of love and faith turns them into triumphs.