5 comments about Different Like Me: My Book of Autism Heroes.

1. This book examines the lives of Albert Einstein, Lewis Carroll, Temple Grandin, and other very successful people in history who are either known or strongly suspected of having an autism spectrum disorder. The title is a bit misleading (as is much of the text), because many of the people included are believed to have had Asperger's Syndrome or some other PDD, not necessarily autism. Keep in mind, the diagnosis for AS is really new, so no one knows for sure that Lewis Carroll had AS. However, that is beside the point. This book is an excellent early reader chapter book, especially for children who have an ASD or who have a sibling or parent with one. It gives them positive role models and something to aspire to. Furthermore, it can be very useful to have teachers read if they are going to have a child with an ASD in their inclusive classroom. There is still a misperception that a child with autism is doomed to a life of savantism, institutionalism, and repeating "Wapner starts at 11. Gotta watch Wapner" (not disparaging those with lower-functioning autism-just stating the stereotype). This is a great resource for those with high-functioning ASDs. Children like reading books that are about people like them, to give them hope and someone to look up to. This book may not be perfect, but it is an excellent first step.



2. The book Different Like Me: My Book of Autism Heroes is an excellent book with short biographies of people in the past who may have had autism. Its readibility and simplicity are good for elementary age students, especially those who are either related to or know students with autism.



3. Having worked for years with children on all levels of the autism spectrum, I truly doubt many of those listed; i.e. [...], Andy Kaufman, etc. actually belong anywhere on the spectrum. Parents continually face denial and try to rewrite diagnoses to fit there own agenda. Autism is the symptoms of a disability or combinations of disabilities NOT a disability in itself. All autistics share the lack of social pragmatic skills but each suffer from their own set of neurological damage. Unfortunately, it continues to be the label du jour that parents can most readily accept.



4. My son appreciated this book. He was aware he was different than other kids but didn't really understand himself. While teaching him about his autism, he got to thumb through this book and feel a surge of pride that some of the worlds most brillant and artistic men and women were and are... autistic themselves! Great book, highly recommended!



5. I loved this book. I think it may be geared towards younger kids, 6-10. I bought it for my son, I then decides to donate it to the school library.

5 comments about When Rabbit Howls.

1. I purchased this book after it was recommended by my professor in class. The book was fascinating to read and at times made me outraged at the life this individual lead and where she is today. A glimpse of multiple personality and how the personalities all worked together to protect the inner child of Trudy. I highly recommend such a book.



2. items purchased were in good condition (purchased as used ) at a good price and arrived here on the other side of the world in good time.pleased with the result



3. I thought this was a wonderful book. It is highly triggery, but we loved it! It's honest, accurate, and they (Truddi's Troops) do not choose to integrate. A great book on MPD from the inside views. Also talks about her therapy process.



4. I read WHEN RABBIT HOWLS about 20 years ago following my Abnormal Psychology class and watching Sybil (Two-Disc Special Edition). It was a truly amazing (and sometimes horrifying) account of what the human mind can do to protect itself. Along with Sybil, I think Ms. Chase's experience is one that all psychologists and therapists can learn from.
   
   The author, Truddi Chase, had close to 100 different personalities living inside her head. To keep track of them all, I jotted each one's name down on a sheet of paper, along with their personalities. It came in quite handy, and I recommend every reader do the same to keep track of them all.



5. I really enjoyed how this book was written by a lot of her personalities/Troops.

5 comments about The Short Bus: A Journey Beyond Normal.

1. I thought this book was going to offer some hope and practical wisdom.
   Rather, its a chronicle of the author's search for validation that offers no real insight into how one can deal with ADD (unless railing against norms helps.) Though the heart of his "success" story is to have graduated from Brown, he does not actually seem to have overcome anything to do so - its just another adventure on his way to who knows where. He's a likeable character and the stories of his trip across country are amusing enough. But I was pretty sick of his obsessive musings about his girlfriend and seriously worried about the families that reached out to him for advice and encouragement for their own "beyond normal" children. He was admittedly not equipped for either, other than to say: I was once a "tard" on the short bus but now I'm here!! I wish him all the best anyway.



2. I didn't ride the short bus; I came from a previous generation. However, Jonathan's experience rang true. I didn't hear any false notes. Getting my doctorate didn't take away the scars from the educational system. But I came from a different era. That's why I couldn't believe my eyes when I read the one negative review posted by J O'neil.
   
   Certain words have an emotional impact and are only said to hurt. To publically shame a LD person for mispelling something is familiar and one of the most abusive things we can experience. It's a not-so-sublte way in our culture to win an agrument or to announce to the world that you think someone is stupid. Spelling is a gift that many LD people don't have, even though we possess many marvelous gifts. Yet O'Neil, a principal of a LD program no-less, did this. What is most disturbing is that this person seems blind to the irony. There are good teachers who fight this sick system, where these attitudes are tolerated. Thanks to J O'neil, the problem is all there in a paragraph--everything that Jonathan articulated. As I said, I found his insights about school true and I thank him for expanding the conversation.
   
   Jonathan also takes on the issue of "normal," something that gets kicked around loosely but seldom discussed in depth. His reflections allowed me to look beyond myself, again, to the bigger question of how we all fit in this larger community. He does this in a way that's both fair and sensitive. Thanks.



3. What a must-read for all of us! And I do mean all of us. In The Short Bus, Jonathan Mooney travels far outside his own experience and across America to discover for himself (and us) what it means to experience life in America if one is not "normal." His journey and the conclusions he draws from it provide profound contributions to America's self view as a society and culture. It offers a much needed look in the mirror.
   The short bus for Jon, and for all students labeled LD, symbolizes the well intentioned but nonetheless painful humiliation administered daily to the children relegated to it. Our children were labeled and then separated from their peers and their classroom because they didn't fit or belong in the classroom with the "normal" kids. Hoping to rediscover and heal from the pain inflicted by these experiences, Jon tours some of America's other labeled individuals: a deaf and blind student who curses her teachers in sign language, an eccentric man with Aspergers who creates his own community connections in remarkable ways, and a young woman with Down Syndrome who is so unforgettable, her story continues to both haunt and comfort me long after putting the book down. With each individual, Jon explores his own feelings of wariness, prejudice and confusion that most of us experience but rarely admit when we confront folks who are clearly "not normal" or "disabled." He comes to know each of them, overcoming his feelings and soon understands their incredible gifts and how important they are to us as a community. We see, as he sees, the important and precious place each holds in the fabric of society. As we become increasingly engaged with our new acquaintances and learn to appreciate them in inimitable ways, we begin to cry out against "the tyranny of normalcy" because we discover how thoroughly the notion of "normalcy" threatens the heart of humanity.
   It is a coming of age story, to be sure, but The Short Bus is far more important and much bigger than a personal journey. In addition, Jon's research and analysis provide us with a historical, medical and sociological context for the labels assigned to each of the marvelous individuals we meet on the short bus. Jon's voice is always honest and questioning, his insight intelligent and boundless, and of course, the book, like the author, is rich in humor.
   The Short Bus is ultimately a celebration of life, providing a roadmap to empowerment and a deep appreciation for diversity, underscoring society's need to do so. It's an honest, painful, humorous and always engaging journey, and it's well worth the ride.



4. This author came to speak to my son's class in Oakland. My son came home raving about Jonathan and how he "really really gets it." I ordered this book and could not put it down. As a parent of twins with LD, I can tell you, he really, really gets it. My sons have had the same type of classes/teachers described in the book, and yes, they are out there and they do exist. I know,let's blame the parents for abdicating responsiblity and basically being the problem. All parents of special needs kids have heard the same responses from the employees of the public system. The system "sucks" and we/they continue to deny it. I plan on giving this book to all my friends for Christmas. Read it. Even if this is not your kid, I can attest to the fact that there are millions of these "lost kids" out there with no heroes out there to rescue them.



5. I rarely have any time for reading, but I made the time for this book. I finished it last night around 3:00 am. Jonathan Mooney is honest and insightful and isn't afraid to set aside his perspective in order to uncover the capacities and beauty and communal connection of others. Ok, now that I have waxed philosophical, let me say that I have a child who has Down Syndrome and this book made me a better parent, not necessarily because of my child's "disability", but because I now have a better understanding of every person's right to a place in my community, in your community all over the world, every person. After reading this book it will be harder for anyone to justify extreme prejudice or segregation, which is more alive and well in our country and any of us would care to admit. Thank You Jonathan.

5 comments about The Eden Express: A Memoir of Insanity.

1. I bought and read this book many, many years ago when my son was just a happy baby, still less than a year old. I enjoyed it immensely and tucked it away on my bookshelf, until several years passed away and many moving days later, it perished in disastrous house fire. By then I had become aware that my son was almost certainly schizophrenic, but he refused counseling, obtaining a formal diagnosis and therefore any of the medications available for his disorder. Finally less than a year ago he became afraid of what he might do to others or himself, so much so that he resolved to ask for help and has started down the long road, on and off medications and seeking counseling. It was a rough and heroic thing for him to have done, beginning his recovery by his own decision at nearly thirty years old. He has depended on and trusted enough in one of his twin sisters to assist him along the way. He doesn't yet trust me, his mother, enough to speak to me right now. I remembered reading "The Eden Express", and I thought that it might help him to know that others like him have had success, and that there was real hope for him. In all I have bought five copies of this book in the past month: a copy for him, one each for his two sisters and another to replace the copy that disappeared in a puff of smoke for myself. I hope that he will read it at some point in the future and that he will appreciate it enough to someday speak to me again. I enjoyed reading the new forward and prefice to the book since I first read it back in the late seventies. Thank you Dr. Mark Vonnegut, and his father, Kurt Vonnegut for sharing!



2. Though I enjoyed this book, I found it so exhausting at times trying to understand what Vonnegut was describing. I know that this is a chronicle of his ever-steepening slide into insanity and I guess Vonnegut is trying to take the reader along the same dysfunctional, confusing and sometimes scary path he was on - if that was his goal, he totally succeeded. It was an interesting topic to read about, especially from a firsthand account, and I was totally absorbed by some of the experiences Vonnegut had. I liked that he shared his experience so honestly, sometimes brutally so, and it gave me a very real insight into schizophrenia that made me much more sympathetic to those inflicted with mental illness.
   I wouldn't say this book is a gripping page turner but it's definitely well worth reading.



3. Mark Vonnegut is a very good writer. He clearly describes, in a very convincing way, his spiral down into and then climb out of serious psychosis. As a mother of a young man recently diagnosed with schizophrenia, this book gave me an insight into what my son might be feeling and dealing with. It has also given me hope that he too will climb out of his madness and have a good life in his future.



4. The book seemed one very large introduction to the last 30 pages. I found it rather difficult to read, depending on a lot of slang American language. Still, the message of the book is hopeful. It is possible to lead a normal life, even if you have schizofrenia. The most important part of the book is how the author manages to get out of his frenzy by taking his medication and vitamine supplements. The book would win by making the first part a lot shorter and adapt the language to European English so that also Europeans can read it.



5. This is a pretty scary look into the mind of a schizophrenic, from his shakily maintained environment as a late 1960s hippie to his complete psychotic breakdown. It is the worst possible thing you could imagine happening to your child I think, a waking nightmare: Vonnegut describes, with startling talent, his visions. Many of them are remarkable, from a face coming towards him until he is lost in one of its pores, to intimate interactions with angels, while resurfacing in reality every so often. Not only is the horror and lack of control brought to life, but so is the beauty and untapped potential of the human mind, such as his recitation of Moby Dick from memory.
   
   While many of the reviewers scorn the author as a silly naif, I find him sympathetic and brilliant, indeed courageous to explore and expose himself in this way. In the process, he debunks a lot of what was common talk of the period, such as the society and not the individual being "sick" or the total freedom that he thought he could find. Thus, it is a lament on the illusions of the time and about growing up, issues that many critics of the 1960s would do beter to acknowledge. I was also a Vonnegut fan, so the inights into his family interested me.
   
   It is but one window, of course, into a horrible state of existence. Recommended.

5 comments about Stick Figure.

1. Honestly, I'm still struggling with my eating disorder I've had for 6 years, and for some reason I'm falling into a rough patch. So I picked this book up looking for some triggering material. I didn't really get anything out of it. Not even psychological explanations that normally come with a book on eating disorders. The book is cute, to say the most, and I would recommend it for seriously bored human beings. I wouldn't call it triggering really, so I might let my niece read it one day when she's old enough to understand the concept of an eating disorder, and when I know that she over the age of aquiring one. So I suppose this book is for the mature audience who has been through that part of her life. Very easy reading also.



2. I couldn't help but be a bit offended by this book. I mean, I read the whole thing and it wasn't terrible, but it didn't portray eating disorders in a way that I would want individuals who have not suffered from the disorder themselves to see. "Wasted" by Marya Hornbacher is much more realistic and a better use of one's reading time.



3. I'm first of all very upset at some of these reviews. When people say "an adult trying to sound like an elevn year old." and "this isnt by an eleven year old"
   
   The women who wrote it IS an adult, relating to her journals FROM the age of eleven.
   
   With that being said, I very much enjoy this book. Lori is a very humerous and clever eleven year old dealing with the struggles of becoming a women and poor self imagine. The emotional neglect from her parents is very present and you start feeling for her.
   
   I think this book wa sa good idea for the author. Because it takes her back to her childhood and painful events that took place. She trys to make peopel understand what a real person suffering from anorexia is like.
   
   I own this book, and it's one of my favorite books about anoreixa. It's not a self help book, nor an educational one, a small bit of autobiograpghy is in play
   and thats it, which I would ceratinly say go ahead and read it, besides it's not very long



4. I loved this book, it made me laugh so hard that people sitting around me probably thought i was "unique"



5. I read a few snippets from this book - but put it down.
   
   To a male, this sort of thing is very shocking. Why would a young woman starve herself rather than simply going out and meeting guys? It makes no sense why these girls convert the natural impulse to flirt into a desire to starve or otherwise hurt their bodies.
   
   On one end, we have the extreme of anorexia - where girls hurt their bodies by not eating anything, to the point of not being attractive. On the other end, we have obesity, where women hurt their bodies and justify it with some hogwash about how 'beautiful' they are for loving their body! Perhaps a psychologist should look into the problem and try to unearth what makes these women compulsively opt for a nonsolution, rather than simple excercise and dieting - as well as a healthy, outgoing social life.

5 comments about No Such Thing as a Bad Day.

1. I enjoyed this book because I am a cancer survivor. Mr. Jordan also
   discussed and gave an inside look into political events that happened
   events over 2 decades ago, which I found to be interesting.



2. I read this book years ago and never forgot this brave uplifting man as he fought his battle with cancer. I am greatly saddened to hear of his passing today. His words will live on for anyone facing life's greatest challenges.



3. I have several relatives with cancer,including my son who is a childhood leukemia surviver. I bought this book expecting to learn more about dealing with the diagnosis of the "Big C". I got that and much, much more.

   This book is an inspiration for those touched by cancer, but also an inspiration to see how seemingly small decisions or details in life can a have huge impact. It also is an insider's view of what life in the Deep South was like in the mid-19th century.

   Whether you read this book to better understand how to deal with cancer, how to face difficult circumstances in general, or how how a single person can make a huge difference in the lives of others, or just an interesting read you will not be disappointed.




4. Hamilton Jordan tells of his inspiring victory over the deadly disease that affects us all in one way or another - cancer. He also tells the intriguing and compelling history of his brief tenure in the White House under Jimmy Carter as well as the inspiring story of his uncle, who fought racism in rural Georgia ahead of his time.

   But above all, this book provided me with a shot in the arm while I was in the hospital for over a month with pneumonia. Feeling somewhat down, this book really lifted my spirits.
   Jordan proves that a positive outlook and one deeply rooted in prayer and faith in God immensely helps those in dire medical circumstances. I am a walking monument and a true believer of the power of prayer and faith in God.

   I highly recommend this book to everyone - whether you're sick or not. It is ineffably a book that leaves you with a warm fuzzy feeling after you put it down. A great gift to someone you love - including yourself.




5. Not many books kept me up past my bedtime but this ranks as one of them. Jordan is frank, lucid and at times funny but I would prefer if he elaborates on his tenure as chief of staff further. I'm sure the conversation he had with Carter in his old car campaining for this little known person then would interest a lot of people...well he left that part out.
   This book is about hope and doing something about it.

2 comments about A Journey Round My Skull (New York Review Books Classics).

1. A Journey Round My Skull appears (based on reviews and cover blurbs) to be a classic of the 'sick patient' genre. I'm not exactly sure why. I found it to be a little challenging to stick with to the end. Part of the problem is the stilted translation from Karinthy's native language. It never flows well and reads very much like a translation inasmuch as the english phrases seem awkward, rough and not-quite-right. I almost never forgot that I was in fact reading a translation -- surely a sign of a less than stellar job.
   
   That aside, Karinthy's style never really caught on with me. What I expected to be a straight-up tale of what happens to a patient with a brain tumor saddled with diagnosis and treatment using only mid-20th century technology, turned out to be a more dreamlike, stream of consciousness experience that was often a little confusing. Also surprising was Karinthy's baffling attitude at being stricken with a brain tumor. Never did he admit to self-pity, sadness or fear for the future. Instead he tells his story from a detached, "what will be will be" perspective. It's rather hard for me to imagine facing blindness and possible death with such a cavalier attitude. I question if he really did either.



2. In the spring of 1936, Frigyes (Frederic) Karinthy, a popular Hungarian poet, heard locomotives rumbling, reverberating, dying away. He knew there had been no trains on the streets of Budapest for 40 years. After long, exhaustive examinations Budapest neurologists told him that an egg-sized cyst webbed with tiny blood vessels was sprouting on the right side of his brain, back of his cerebellum. Karinthy's wife took him to Stockholm and Dr. Herbert Olivecrona.
   
   Oliver Sachks asks: "Were doctors in Budapest in 1936, worse than doctors in, say, New York or London seventy years later? ... [O]ne needs to remember ... how difficult and delicate an art it was, seventy years ago, to diagnose and locate a cerebral tumor." Ether could not be used -- it would congest brain blood vessels. Karinthy remained awake during the operation. This book is the first patient's account of a brain operation in medical history.
   
   Much of the book is autobiographical, but in chapter "Avdeling 13" Karinthy describes the operation itself.
   
   "I felt them wheel me under the lamp. I felt a succession of little pricks in a wide circle ... on my head. Then . . . one long horizontal incision at the back of my neck. This did not hurt me either. I felt soft gestures, as if my flesh were being opened and folded back.
   
   "There was a sudden jerk as if [Dr. Olivecrona] had seized the opening with a pair of forceps. It was followed by a straining sensation, a feeling of pressure, a cracking sound, and a terrific wrench. . . . Something broke with a dull noise. . . . Each cracking sound reminded me of taking the lid off a jamjar, while the process as a whole was like splitting open a wooden packing case, plank by plank. . . .
   
   "A veritable fury of destruction seized hold of me. Break it up! I wanted to shout. Smash away! Bust it to bits! Everything had gone red in front of my eyes. If I had had an axe or a lump of iron in my hand I should have hit out with it and smashed up myself and everyone else with the wild recklessness of a maniac.
   
   "Once the trephining of the skull was over . . . my mood underwent a change. There was a sound of pumping and draining and I could hear the drip, drip of a liquid. Although my brain didn't hurt at all, it did hurt me when one of the instruments fell on to the glass with a sharp, metallic sound. A certain idea passing through my mind hurt me too. It had nothing to do with my present situation. . . ."
   
   Three hours after the operation began, the poet lost consciousness. Three weeks later, Karinthy went back to his Budapest cafés, and heard no more nonexistent locomotives.
   
   His report from the operating table is compelling, and the autobiographical sections are also interesting as. "I felt absolutely at peace. This was no longer my whole life; it was just one afternoon. It might be that I was very ill. Perhaps I was even going to die. Yet this had nothing to do with that afternoon, nor I with the man born to sorrow from the day he came into the world."
   
   And again: "Throughout nature, every living body has two aspects--one connected with its private functions and individual life, and one which we may call the sexual. Each of our organs has likewise two aspects, adapted for completely different purposes. Thus, the eye is not merely an instrument of vision, but an alluring jewel, an ever-burning lamp, whose sparkle inflames the opposite sex."
   
   Finally: "Reality as a genre requires no helping hand from the artist."
   
   This book makes a great companion to My Stroke of Insight by Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor who writes about her journey inside her brain. Both are compelling reading.

5 comments about And I Don't Want to Live This Life: A Mother's Story of Her Daughter's Murder.

1. THIS BOOK WAS VERY INSIGHTFUL, BUT I'M STILL LEFT WITH QUESTIONS ABOUT THE MOTHER. TO LIVE LIFE LIKE NANCY DID, HAD TO BE TERRIBLE. ALSO, TO LIVE LIFE AS HER MOTHER AND FATHER COULD NOT HAVE BEEN EASY. IT'S ALMOST UNIMAGINEABLE, BUT THE STORY SEEMED VERY REALISTIC. IF ONE HASN'T BEEN THROUGH IT, IT'S HARD TO UNDERSTAND.



2. I loved the book by johnny Lydon [Rotten: No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs]
   I bought this book after reading Johnny Lydon's book but this one was a let down.
   Sid Vicious was a hot looking punk star and lots of girls (me to) still love him.
   I read a little of this book but it's mostly lady who gets pregnant and she complains and my kid drives me nuts and i wish i had a abortion, blah blah my kid's going to the funny farm,lol,if it wasn't so full of "I this" and "I that"and 'I wanted to go to college, but she was in my way" it could've maybe been a little interesting.
   Whining and complaining just turned me off and I doubt I'll ever finish it. It's like "Diary of a whiny housewife".
   If anybody knows where I can geta copy of Ann Beverly's Family Album please help.



3. This book is very dark and full of contradiction, written by a haunted, troubled author about her daughter who had deep emotional problems, a constant hunger for love , terrible insecurity.The child suffers from feelings of inferiority. A daughter who strove toward academic achievement to win approval of her parents.
   The book unnecessarily documents the affair of the author with a married man.The author includes her lengthy and boring suspicions of her husband's infidelity as well as lots of filler on her troubled marriage.
   
   Although the author writes deep feelings and thoughts, the book fails to fill in the entire picture. It leaves the reader frustrated that so many very pertinent issues are not addressed substantially. She provides psychiatric assessments of the child by a few psychiatrists, but all fails and it needn't have. And here's why...
   
   The child is put on Thorazine by a qualified psychiatrist. The author takes the child off of it. Not giving psyche drugs a fair trial. The possibility of benefiting from this one medication is taken away from the child. I wondered how and why would a parent unjustifiably halt a very possible cure for her own child! She says it's because she found her daughter sleepy and groggy. "This wasn't my Nancy".
   
   Initially all medications of this type have a very, very sedating effect, and the child wasn't on it long enough for the prescribing doctor to titrate the medication to the ideal dosage. This was a chance to live more normal life for the child and it was taken away from her by her own mother.
   Enter Dr. Spungeon. Exit hope for the sick child.
   
   I found this book irritating.
   
   There's hope for us all. For Nancy too, had she been allowed medical treatment. I don't believe Ms. Spungeon had studied medicine or psychiatry, she discontinued Thorazine at the expense of the child's life.The psychiatric and medical providers did not fail the child.Her mother did !
   
   This is a very morbid book, weakly written and very contradicting.
   
   What could have been a story with a happy ending is a story which concludes in the murder of her ill child.



4. I love this book. I had a copy several years ago but lost it in a move. I was in college during the time period of Nancy Spungeon's death & remember wondering what happened to her. Mrs. Spungeon was honest with what life had been like with & for Nancy. I applaud her courage to write about her family's life & their pain.



5. This book is very sad.The way the girl really had no one who understood her exept Sid Vicious is sad.He could not help her.
   I have a friend in school like this and she is doing well.She has a good foster home with parents who take an interest in her and keep her on her medicine.
   This book can't help anyone with a family member whose disturbed.I cant recomend it for anybody as a help book because they never figured out whats wrong with Nancy and it's just real painful to read.

5 comments about Deaf Like Me.

1. Very touching story of parents realizing that it is ok to have a deaf daughter and that she is no less of a person than her older brother. Many of the misconceptions are brought out in the story of their wanting nothing but the best for their daughter. Highly recommend this book for anybody that has a hearing impaired child or know of parents who are struggling with this in their family.



2. This book, the true-life story of parents who struggle to do the best they can for their deaf child, is one of the most concise and important books ever written on this subject.
   
   The book doesn't tell hearing parents what decisions they should make for their deaf child, but instead tells this family's story in an easy to read and engaging first-person narrative, written from the point of view of the child's father.
   
   Lynn Spradley's revelation at the dinner table, after her parents teach her the first signs they've learned at a night school class, is heart breaking and revealing. 'Name me?' she demands to know. What is my name? Without sign language, there was no way to bridge the gap between parent and child, and she was five years old before she knew her own name.



3. "Deaf Like Me" is one of my favorite books of all time in any genre, and I heartily recommend it to anyone who comes across this page.
   
   The book is a richly detailed autobiography of one family's struggles to grow up with deafness in mid-1960s America. As such, it provides a terrific introduction into a key moment in the history of deaf education when deaf children were still suffering from a wrong-headed emphasis on lip reading and vocalization, rather than sign language. Members of the deaf community have long heralded the book for this reason.
   
   But "Deaf Like Me" isn't a book just for deaf people and others interested in deaf culture. To the contrary, I think, it's a book for anyone who grew up in 1960s America, and possibly for anyone who has struggled to communicate with loved ones ever.
   
   That's because there are so many parallels between this little family's struggles to learn how to communicate with one another against a background of changing norms and great uncertainty, and the difficulties that many American families went through in the 1960s to speak with and understand one another on issues ranging from civil rights to the Vietnam war. Such struggles afflict most generations everywhere.
   
   None of this is to suggest that I think the authors of "Deaf Like Me" intended to write a metaphorical treatise on 1960s America much less humanity. To the contrary, I believe the authors' sole focus was on the Spalding family's particular struggles. One of the authors was a trained anthropologist, and that comes through in the book's unerring attention to details as opposed to generalizations. It's these details in large part that bring the book to life.
   
   Nonetheless, as a hearing person with no deaf family members, I found myself identifying with this book a lot. I suffered as the little girl Lynn and her parents suffered. And I rejoiced in their discovery that everyone in the family can express themselves and be understood if only they learn to "hear" one another in the different ways that each of us has to communicate.
   
   Strongly recommended.



4. Many people find this book THE book to read in regards to a deaf child's experience (of course, that includes her family as well). And this book is very good at showing you what a hearing family goes through when a deaf child is born into it. It tells of the "typical" struggle between raising their child strictly oral or letting them sign, too.

   Many doctors and therapists tell hearing parents that to allow their deaf child to sign would be to hinder their ability to speak, lipread, or progress intellectually. All of this is hogwash, but, nevertheless, that is what this book is about. What should we do with our child?

   If you're looking for that kind of informative read, this book is sure to please. For me, it was just another book about the same old issue and I found myself skimming often just to get to something original. As harsh as that may sound, that's just this deafie's opinion. :v)




5. Deaf Like Me is a story of 2 young parents struggling to raise their deaf daughter, Lynn, in a hearing world. Written by Thomas Spradley, Lynn's father, the book begins before Lynn was born with her mother's fear of rubella. The book takes you through the fear and waiting for the pregnancy and the eventual realization of Lynn's deafness. The story is written in a simple, straightforward manner, yet conveys the emotions of the new parents. The descriptions Thomas gives are often lacking in vibrancy and inventive vocabulary, but at the same time he conveys honest, true-to-life emotion.
   The first 80% of the book is focused on the Spradley's attempts to raise Lynn to succeed in the hearing world. Thomas agonizingly describes the auditory training and constant schooling that he and his wife give Lynn, only to have her barely speaking 4 words at the age of 5. The constant movement of the family portrays varying experiences that Lynn and her parents go through as they try to teach her lip-reading and speech. It is not until the last 2 chapters that the Spradleys finally realize that communication with their daughter is more important than their dreams for her success as a `normal' hearing person and begin teaching her sign. These last two chapters show Lynn's character developing its own independent personality. Lynn also begins to explore a new deaf culture that neither her nor her parents have any experience.
   My fault with the book as that I feel it ends just as the story becomes interesting. The eighteen chapters of oralism, which are shocking and disturbing, are painful lesson in futility. An impatient reader would most certainly give up on the book after the seemingly thousands of failed attempts at oralism. The dedicated reader however, is rewarded with touching moments of a family that finds its `normalcy' through the common language of sign.

5 comments about I'll Carry the Fork! Recovering a Life After Brain Injury.

1. My son received a severe brain injury in a car accident almost two years ago. He has made a remarkable recovery. However although I ask him how he feels he can't always tell me, says " I just want to be back to normal" I have really wanted to know exactly what goes on in their brain during the recovery -which of course is on going. This book was just delightful. I loved Kara's honest comments and the way she expressed her feelings. My son does not want to read it but my daughter-in-law does.
   I have to say though, for all of you parents out there who's child has been diagnosed with a severe brain injury, don't despair, Kara's mild brain injury seems a lot more severe in her recovery than my son's!
   Thank you Kara for a wonderful insight into the feelings of a brain injured person. Best of luck for a continued recovery.
   Judy Knott
   Auckland
   New Zealand



2. A great read for a survivor or family member of TBI. Slightly larger print and easy to follow story line. This book puts you in touch with the TRUELY important things in life. Showing some of possitive and humorious bumps in her new learning curve keeps this book from reading like a text book. Wow does it feel better knowing that others share similar experincies.
   I have purchased several of these, one for my daughter, and a couple for friends to help them understand me now.
   If you ever get the chance to meet Kara DO IT, she is uplifting to speak with.



3. A delightful book which takes the author from a tragedy and life change to making her new life the best it can be. A wonderful message for those of us having a family member who is a recent traumatic brain injury survivor. It is written with humor but with a valuable message. The chapters are short and written in a manner our TBI survivor is able to read and comprehend it. Thank you for this book.



4. A delightful book which takes the author from a tragedy and life change to making her new life the best it can be. A wonderful message for those of us having a family member who is a recent traumatic brain injury survivor. It is written with humor but with a valuable message. The chapters are short and written in a manner our TBI survivor is able to read and comprehend it. Thank you for this book.



5. I never fully understood my dad's head injury, but after reading this humorous story of Kara it made me realize the frustrating effects of brain injury. Just a great book over-all and written on the level of a sixth grader, so it makes it an easy read.