Reviews (29)

Great insite
Passing for normal gives the reader great insight on life with OCD and Tourette's. It talks about her very first tic to her treatment that she has today.Amy is very open about her problems in this outstanding memoir. I also have OCD and can relate to many of her stories. This book also gives hope to reader's.

a good book, serious, but humorous at the same time
This book was so incredibly interesting. I've read quite a few books on the subject of suffering from obsessive compulsive disorder and I have to say this was one of my favorites. Amy so honestly tells the stories of her childhood, the way she suffered from tourettes as well as OCD and went undiagnosed for years. Amy details such difficult subjects, her trials and tribulations, but often speaks humorously about her past. She takes dark subjects, and writes seriously, but keeps them from being too dark and weighty by keeping a humorous attitude about her whole situation.

Passing for Normal (by Amy S. Wilensky Reader Review)
Passing for Normal (by Amy S. Wilesky) Reader Review Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. General    5. Historical - U.S.    6. Specific Groups - Special Needs    7. Women    8. Biography & Autobiography / General   

Reviews (6)

Inside the mind of autism
My son has autism and uses a high-tech communication device.This book challenged me to look at the world from my son's perspective and helped me better understand this disorder.It also proves that individuals without verbal communication can still have a lot "to say".

Interesting insight into Autism
I've only read one other book about Autism.That was "Speed of Dark", which was fiction from the point of view of an autistic.It provided fascinating insight into the viewpoint of an autistic, but again it was fiction.It is worth noting that the author was the mother of an Autistic.
Extremly touching
I loved Tito every moment I read the book and have immense respect for the dedication, persistence and effort of his mother Soma. She seems to be a very strong woman to handle it all alone. But I have to mention this that I hated the part where Tito writes he was hit hard until he paid attention. I have seen and heard of many successful people who cannot ever forget their childhood abuse by their parents even though they were for good reasons.This is a very wrong concept used earlier and is not encouraged any more by many many people these days. Even though hitting might prove right for some reason it does a permanent damage to one's inner self. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Autism    2. Autistic children    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Children's writings, American    5. Creative Ability    6. Developmental - Child    7. Diseases - Nervous System (incl. Brain)    8. Juvenile Literature    9. Literary collections    10. Personal Memoirs    11. Personal narratives    12. Psychology    13. Specific Groups - Special Needs    14. Biography & Autobiography / General   

Reviews (1)

The singlemost important book on Schreber
Lothane has brilliantly researched the most written-about of all psychiatric patients. The author has webbed together a fascinating account from multiple perspectives, including historical, legal,psychoanalytic, political,and medical. It is the first source to consult about Schreber. Lothane has painstakingly researched his subject, has madeimportant historical discoveries about Schreber and his times, and hasgiven us a valuable commentary on issues such as diagnosis,Freud'sformulation of paranoia based on the Memoirs,and the influence ofSchreber's famous father. It is indispensable reading for anyone interestedin this fascinating man and his work. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1842-1911    2. Biography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Case Studies    5. Germany    6. Influence    7. Medical    8. Mental Illness    9. Mental health    10. Paranoia    11. Patients    12. Psychiatry - General    13. Schreber, Daniel Paul,    14. Specific Groups - Special Needs    15. European history: c 1750 to c 1900    16. Psychiatry    17. Psychoanalysis & psychoanalytical theory    18. Psychology & Psychiatry / Psychoanalysis    19. Schreber, Daniel Paul    20. Schreber, Moritz   

Reviews (2)

Pure Magic
As someone with the disease, FOP, I thought this book
A Tale of Courage, Humor, and Love
With self-effacing humor and grace, Carol Zapata-Whelan chronicles her son Vincent's ongoing journey with a rare genetic disease, and the gifts of faith, humility, and acceptance that sustain them along the way.Juggling a family of five children ranging in age from college to kindergarten, Ms. Zapata-Whelan writes about life, parenting, and spirituality, citing both our greatest poets and the playground wisdom of four-year-olds along the way.A testament to a son's courage and a mother's perseverance and love, this book's inspiring message will stay with you for a long time to come. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography And Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva    6. Medical - General    7. Parental Memoirs    8. Parenting - General    9. Personal Memoirs    10. Popular works    11. Specific Groups - Special Needs    12. Women    13. Mind, body, spirit: disciplines & techniques    14. Psychology    15. Self-Help / Personal Growth / General   

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Entertainment & Performing Arts - General    5. Performing Arts (Specific Aspects)    6. Specific Groups - Special Needs    7. Biography: general   

Editorial Review

Nothing's off limits in Katherine Russell Rich's gutsy account of her breast cancer treatment, from harsh insights about her relationships ("I was a stiff-lipped, bloodless, manners-obsessed WASP. He was Ricky Ricardo in a bad mood") to the wrenching details of her disease's progression to stage 4 status. For example, the tumors break through bone and into her spine, making her bones crack from within: "After months of straining against its leash, the fury of pain broke free and ripped into me as I bent down, slashing through my back, tearing into flesh, pressing without mercy onto bone.... I struggled to make myself stand, and felt--heard--something rip in my back." She holds back nothing--the pain of her tests, the apathy of many of her health providers, the intimate details of relationships, and the necessary wit ("Cancer humor is like the Zen laugh; it's a way of gathering back forces, a means of breathing in absurdity, darkness, and pain and blowing them out in one great joyous guffaw."). You follow her journey from being meek and fearful to the kind of "kick-ass cancer patient" she comes to respect. This is a riveting book that will change your understanding of what it's like to be treated for--and live with--cancer. Read more

Reviews (35)

one of the best books on breast cancer I've read
I would recommend this book to anyone with breast cancer who enjoys reading other's story of breast cancer. It is well written, easy to read and hard to put down. If you don't like reading books that show the darker side of breast cancer and all that entails, then don't buy this book. Not only does this book show you the dark, miserable, lonely side of dealing with breast cancer, but gives you many examples of miracles, hope, humor and I laughed out loud at the ms patient who decided to join the breast cancer support group. Hilarous. I loved it because of the truthful way she portrayed this disease and it's impact on the woman, her mate, her family, work and work relationships, oncologists, the medical system in general etc. She has a wonderfully delightful way of writing her story. Would read anything else she publishes based on that fact alone.

Courageous
For a cancer survivor to record the whole nasty experience and not succumb to the fear that the words she writes will be her last is so courageous and selfless. They don't have to share, but they do. My mother-in-law is in her second remission from ovarian cancer. As a family member who so dearly loves her and wishes this evil cancer would be silenced, Kathy's novel is refreshing. I agree with the fact a cancer patient has to keep her head in the game. Trusting one doctor is foolish when you're gambling with your life. It's better to ask, then lose time. Loved it.

Touching and ironically humorous
I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in May of 2000; I am seventeen years old.Although this memoir deals with breast cancer, I still found it extremely helpful, funny, comforting, sad, etc.It illustrates the experience of cancer as not only harrowing, but as a learning experience.Ms. Rich attacks her disease with truth and strength.I recommend this book to ANYONE, involved with cancer or not. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Breast    6. Breast cancer    7. Cancer    8. Cancer (Psychosocial Aspects)    9. Diseases - Cancer    10. Health    11. Medical - General    12. Patients    13. Rich, Katherine Russell    14. Specific Groups - Special Needs    15. United States    16. Women    17. Biography & Autobiography / Medical    18. Coping with illness    19. Autobiography    20. Memoir   

Reviews (15)

What Would the Neighbors Say?
Molly Bruce Jacobs reveals a secret society that creates havoc, disbelief, and self destruction. A poignant memoir complete with self disclosure, self acceptance and death on the wings of angels.

Secret Girl: A Well Kept Secret
I flew through this book in one weekend.Although it's a memoir, Secret Girl reminded me of a mystery as the author carefully unravels the unknown of her sister's past.
You MUST read this! It is a truly heartfelt and human memior.
I strongly recommend this memoir to anyone searching for meaning, lessons in compassion and self-definition. Molly Bruce Jacobs has somehow wrenched out her raw emotions from deep inside and painted them into words- of herself and her family's life. This gifted ability of hers is rare and must have takena lot of courage to get out.
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Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Family Relationships    4. Handicapped    5. Hydrocephalus    6. Patients    7. People with mental disabilities    8. Personal Memoirs    9. Social Science    10. Sociology    11. Specific Groups - Special Needs    12. Women    13. Social Science / Handicapped   

Editorial Review

In the space of a few months, 11-year-old Alex Raeburn is bounced among seven psychiatrists and prescribed even more drugs, among them Lithium and Depakote, after lashing out at his 5th-grade teacher. The doctors are swift to prescribe pills but slow to provide therapy, despite varying opinions on what the diagnosis may be--maybe depression, ADHD, or an anxiety disorder. While the family finds little relief from the medical establishment, author Paul Raeburn, Alex's dad, slowly admits that his lack of parenting and anger-management skills may have exacerbated his son's condition. Some of his temper tantrums, one of which involves flooding their kitchen, are as frightening as his son's manic episodes.Read more

Reviews (26)

Compelling reading
I could not put this book down.Within Paul Raeburn's personal story are a few critical and quotable summaries of the dilemmas that all parents of "different" children face, especially in regards to diagnosis and medications.Parents of bipolar children should read this book not as a "how-to" story, but to understand that we are not the only people living with this challenge.Every piece of information helps us put together our own life puzzles.

Brutally honest, most effective in showing America's mental health crisis
This book was hard to get through, not because of the writing, which was excellent, but because it was so relentlessly honest and upsetting.I don't think I've ever read a book where the author was quite so hard on himself or made himself out so poorly.I think he took on more blame than he needed to for his childrens' problems.
First Half Great, Second Half Defensive
The first half of this book is just wonderful.Written by an author with great skill, the book has the drama of a nonfiction book as he weaves together all the charcters and elements in the plot.His research about the disease brought out things I'd not learned yet in my journey with friends and loved ones with bipolar disorder. (Although he also left out some basic elements which, if included, would have balanced the presentation a bit more.)That he and his wife would divorce was "foreshadowed" powerfully.
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Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Children with Special Needs    4. Depression in children    5. Family    6. General    7. Manic-depressive illness in children    8. Mental Illness    9. Mental health    10. Patients    11. Psychology    12. Raeburn, Alex    13. Raeburn, Alicia    14. Raeburn, Paul    15. Specific Groups - Special Needs    16. United States    17. Medical / Psychiatry / Child & Adolescent   

Reviews (19)

This book saved my life....
I originally read this book about John Baker's life and impact on young people when I was in grade school.I still had it on my bookshelf when I was in college in 1988.I felt a lump on my testicle and immediately saw a doctor.The diagnosis was malignant testicular cancer, but thanks to God and the fact that I had re-read John Baker's story so many times, I caught it early and am completely cured.John's life continues to have an impact on many people long after his tragic death.

A Shining Season: The True Story of John Baker
I was 8 years old when John Baker passed away but, I do remember when they changed the name of the school to honor this hero.This book is chicken soup for the human soul.This book belongs in everyone's personal library and it should be read at least once a year to remind us that every little thing counts.

A Definite Must Read!
I first read this book when it was passed on to me in high school by a friend.The story of John's life and battle with cancer is something that really makes you put your life in perspective and is truly inspirational.I don't know anyone that has made it through the book without some tears...just reading through the reviews here, I found myself with tears streaming down my cheeks.If each of us could do 1/2 the good in our lifetimes that John Baker did in his that ended much too soon, imagine how much better the world would be.
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Subjects:  1. Specific Groups - Special Needs    2. Diseases - Cancer    3. United States    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Running    6. Runners (Sports)    7. General    8. Sports - General    9. Track & field sports, athletics    10. Biography & Autobiography    11. Baker, John,    12. Patients    13. Biography/Autobiography    14. d. 1970    15. Biography    16. Cancer   

Editorial Review

Son of the famous World War II Marine commander "Chesty" Puller, Lewis Puller proudly followed in his father's footsteps. It was his misfortune, though, to serve in Vietnam in a war that brought not honor but contempt, and exacted a brutal personal price: Puller lost both legs, one hand, and most of his buttocks and stomach. Years later he was functional enough to run for Congress, bitterly denouncing the war. He lost, became an alcoholic, and almost died again. Then he climbed out of that circle of Hell to write this searingly graphic autobiography, which won a Pulitzer Prize in 1992. One last poignant postscript: three years after the enormous success of this book, the author killed himself. ... Read more

Reviews (28)

Heatbreakingly fact
What can we say? If you lived it you know. The War, the Times, the Government. Our country was lead by falures and the grunts were the ones that took the bullet. I remember in 1968 I quit reading the newspapers as they made me sick and I wondered if our great country would survive. We did but patriots as Lewis didn't. In my heart and I hope in millions of others we will always remember him. The book is the most touching I have ever read.

My favorite Vietnam memoir
The only time I ever met Puller was on October 3, 1991, at the Pentagon where he had been working as a staff attorney. I was shocked when I first saw him. He appeared dimunitive in his wheelchair as compared to the book jacket photo. We ate lunch at the cafeteria and he autographed his book for me. It is one of my most-treasured signed copies.
Shall we ask from some - everything ?
If you have doubts about war and America's place in the world, check this one out. Mr. Puller left behind a story of sacrifice difficult to fully understand and perhaps we owe his memory some time and consideration. Is there some dirty work to be done against sinister, murdering enemies of the open society? Maybe we should consider the problem ( for a few seconds ) just as we drift off to sleep in safe, warm beds, protected by laws and courts and most of all by our valiant young warriors on battlefields. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Disabled veterans    6. Military    7. Military History - Vietnam Conflict    8. Personal narratives, American    9. Specific Groups - Special Needs    10. United States    11. Veterans    12. Vietnamese Conflict, 1961-1975    13. American history: postwar, from c 1945 -    14. Biography: general    15. USA   

Reviews (8)

An Amazing Year for One with ALS
An inspiring book for anyone facing disability or a terminal illness.Actually there's a lot that any of us can discover from reading about someone with Wakefield's spirit and attitude.
thank you, Darcy
I went to Smith with Darcy.I loved this book -- it inspired me to actually do something I have been talking about doing for many years (take up horseback riding -- not running!).I'm deeply grateful to have known Darcy and read this book.

Touching and thoughtful
This book provides a source of strength and humor for anyone, not only those facing a terrible disease.Her easy and accessible style give the reader a clear picture of her daily struggles and triumphs.I have recommended it to my friends as a book about appreciating life, both the peaks and the valleys. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1969-    2. 1969-2005    3. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis    4. Biography    5. Biography & Autobiography    6. Biography / Autobiography    7. Biography/Autobiography    8. Diseases - General    9. Diseases - Nervous System (incl. Brain)    10. Health    11. Motivational & Inspirational    12. Patients    13. Personal Memoirs    14. Specific Groups - Special Needs    15. Wakefield, Darcy,    16. Body, Mind & Spirit / Personal Transformation   

Reviews (20)

Human tragedy:A lawyer with nobody to sue
When I first starting reading this book my frame of reference was Christopher Reeve's book "Still Me", about the struggles of facing quadriplegia after a tragic accident.I found Mr. Reeve's book inspiring in many ways and disheartening in other ways. Mr. Reeve was wealthy enough, and had multiple insurance and disability policies to fund a private clinic in his own home, with a full time staff of nurses, aides and therapists.In Mr. Galli's book, I was disheartened more than anything else.For a large part of the book he weighs the pros and cons of ending his son's life, not considering what his son would want to do. We're not talking about a brain dead person here, just how his son's new life of incapacity and dependence will impact his parents. Mr. Galli, in the irony of ironies, is an attorney, and is facing the prospect of hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars in costs caring for his son over his lifetime, and has nobody to sue.That seems to be a strong undercurrent in this book.Not just "Whose Life Is It Anyway?", but who pays for the continuance of this life in anyplace other than a lousy nursing home?This is really an issue for our society to deal with.I'm not sure if I want my taxes and health insurance costs to go up enough to cover paying $500,000. a year for every handicapped person who wants to remain at home to get all of the services that are required.And I was also very turned off by Mr. Galli's appeal for funds to pay for his son's care.Christopher Reeve solicited money for his foundation to do research and give out "quality of life" grants to paralyzed individuals, not for his personal use.Mr. Galli wants people to send in money to his son's trust fund to lighten the burden on himself.
Outstanding
This is a finely written memoir of a dreadful event -- a swimming accident that left the author's teenaged son paralyzed.The story takes us over the first days after the accident -- a time when the parents are trying to balance their son's options -- and the possibility of terminating life support.This is a very moving book, and I could not help but be profoundly impressed by the son, Jeffrey, along with his family and the network of supportive friends.I recommend this book without reservation.On another, perhaps less important note, I should mention that the author is also a very good writer.It is frequent in memoir books that I overlook style because of the content.But in this case, the content was very moving, as I said;the writing was very, very good. One last comment -- I cannot help but wonder if the negative reviewers finished the book.They might be surprised.

Sharing Experiences
When my son was also injured in a diving accident in 1991 just pior to his 29th birthday, one of the counselors talked with me about the variances in each level of injury... and the variances within each level.This book relates totally ... and likewise, not at all.Such injuries do encompass such huge differences and yet still create huge bonds amongst SCI families and their friends.In 1991, I didn't have the availability of all the resources that can now be found so easily on the web... this improvement in availability is an additional tool in helping us learn and in helping us share/teach; alongside the medical improvements that increase the quality of life for those in wheelchairs.The wheelchair is what people see; the reality is so much more.As a mother, I appreciated reading the reactions from the other side of the parenting role... a father's honesty and truth... I know it was not easily exposed. Different angles of perception; same levels of love.Thank you, Jeffrey, as your father wrote... for sacrificing your privacy so he could tell the story. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Death, Grief, Bereavement    5. Euthanasia    6. Family & Relationships    7. General    8. Parental Memoirs    9. Patients    10. Rehabilitation    11. Specific Groups - Special Needs    12. Spinal cord    13. Wounds and injuries   

Reviews (6)

Excellent!!
This book is good for any student to read.Students need to know that just because they have a mild/moderate disability does not mean they can't be personally successful at something they love.It is often the disability that leads an individual to their success... and this book points that out.It should of course be noted that success doesn't necessarily equate with riches or fame.Non-disabled students should read this book so they can have a greater appreciation for their disabled classmates.Disabled students could use this book to do a 'hero' report on an individual in the book.I can also be a springboard for discussing well-known individuals with disabilities living today.

Beautiful and useful book
Those who ask why the book doesn't concentrate on the difficulties faced by those on A/A spectrum almost seem to answer their own question by illustrating those difficulties.People who know someone with Autism - or more importantly, those people themselves- are bound to be all too familiar with the difficulties posed by everyday life.That's what makes this book so useful.In a society that seems geared up to deny opportunities, before anyone even has a chance to prove themselves, a book that shows autistic children something to aspire to is incredibly useful.No, not every autistic kid can grow up to be Kant or Einstein, but not every neurotypical kid is going to become the next Neil Armstrong.We still, however, give them books about space, and encourage them if they say that they want to an astronaut when they grow up.
Let's remember AUTISM and ASPERGERS are very different!
I think this book is discouraging and mistitled. It should be my ASPERGERS friends. As a support group leader of an ASD group for many years, and a parent of an ASD child, I can tell you there is a WORLD of difference between a child with AUTISM and a child with ASPERGERS! HUGE differences. Don't be mislead by this book. Although you should not give up hope when you have a child with autism, you need to remember the child with aspergers IS higher functioning. Let us love our children for who they are, not what they can accomplish - or not. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Autism    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Celebrities    4. Children's 9-12 - Medical    5. Children: Grades 3-4    6. Juvenile Fiction    7. Juvenile Social Problems (General)    8. Juvenile literature    9. Pediatrics    10. Social Issues - Special Needs    11. Specific Groups - Special Needs    12. Coping with disability    13. Self-awareness & self-esteem    14. Special needs & learning difficulties    15. Teaching of those with special educational needs   

Reviews (15)

The one and only realistic mother's memoir
Having reading essentially all memoirs of mothers with kids of the spectrum, I have to say this is the one that really "tells it like it is."Judy Barron pulls no punches on the difficulties of managing her son.Sean, her adult son, provides wonderful insight into what his often maddening behavior meant.Mother and son find tremendous respect for each other's strengths and weaknesses.Truly an inspiring book.

Good perspective
As an individual with an autism diagnosis, I found this book to be fascinating. I went through many of the same challenges. Both Sean and I had social problems growing up. Sean was diagnosed by medical professionals in the 1960's as being of "dull-normal" intelligence; I was diagnosed in 1987 at age 2 with mental retardation because I was nonverbal and ignored the tester. Both of our mothers stopped trusting what they were told. While our childhoods did also have some major differences, Sean gave a perspective that was easy for me to empathize with.
One of the first autism accounts to draw attention to impulse control disorders
This book is a powerful story written by the mother of a boy with autism and compulsive disorders.It is helpfully interspersed with reflections by the now adult Sean and the mother's style is straight forward, non-melodramatic and a very honest voice pushing no particular political barrow which is a welcome relief.This book came out the same year as Nobody Nowhere and both pushed the boundaries of existing autism stereotypes in mainstream society, perhaps particularly broadening our awareness of compulsive disorders and impulse control problems in people with autism.When these books first came out, both challenged existing belief in one pure form of autism and forced the autism field to begin to explore co-morbid conditions complicating what was being labelled as autism.There's a Boy In Here was a brave act of publishing in its time, being one of the first autism accounts to hit the bookshelves in High Street bookshops and bring awareness of autism to a far wider audience.A good read. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Child Care/Parenting    5. Childhood Memoir    6. Children with Special Needs    7. General    8. Specific Groups - Special Needs    9. Biography & Autobiography / General    10. Biography & Autobiography/General    11. Family & Relationships/Children with Special Needs    12. Sex & Gender/Masculine    13. Topical/Family    14. Topical/Mentally Challenged   

Reviews (7)

An excellent book!!!
It helps me to understand and have compassion for people with disability and illness. Going into the health profession field, this a great book for anyone to understand family members, friends, or anyone who have disability.An excellent book and I would recommend it for anyone, not just students in anthropology.

Hearing the Body
Bob became paraplegiac at a late age, after having enjoyed a long, brilliant career as a professor at Columbia and an anthropologist who, with his anthropologist wife Yolanda, lived among Amazonian Indians and Saharan camel nomads. He was too clever to be overwhelmed with self-pity. This book was written from the perspective that he loved most: what you'd think is true is probably just the opposite. We expect paralyzed people to get better, like other "sick" patients, but the problem is, they don't: they're damaged selves. Hey--just like everybody else. We all have to come to terms with life's damages and our isolation and loneliness as we attempt to cope with it. Who would ever have thought it possible--we can all learn something compelling about our normal selves, viewing life from the wheelchair! Ironically (and this is the kind of twist that styles Murphy's ideas) the disabled are a mirror for the rest of us: "The paralytic is, quite literally, a prisoner of the flesh, but most humans are convicts of sorts. We live within walls of our own making, staring out at life through bars thrown up by culture and annealed by our fears. . . .[that] induces a mental paralysis, a stilling of thought." Murphy has never sold his soul to an illusion: he speaks candidly as a participant observer of his own encounter with symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and transformation. Always the fox, he transcends the smoke screen that our cultural prejudices force upon us, and hears his own body and its message with astounding clarity and patience. This is a book that students read eagerly, in both anthropology and sociology classes, because its message is provocative, and its ethnography is true. It teaches us all to listen to the sound of our own struggles with personal identity and mortality, and to smile with the knowledge that we are not alone.

Disibility means reliance on others
Ten years ago since the American Disabilities Act went into effect, the disabled still feel that they are isolated from the real world.Former professor of anthropology at Columbia University Robert F. Murphy examinesfrom his personal perspective the life of a disabled person in a worldwhere he was independent and zealous of life. The reader will discover whatit is like for a disabled person to battle besides the inability to carryout everyday function we take for granted.The Body Silent is unlike otherbooks written by the disable.The Body Silent is an excellent book full ofprose and not journal entries of how fortunate the non-disabled really are.This book (recommended to me by anthropologist Dr. James Trostle) willchange your perspective and outlook on how it is like to grow up again andlearning how to walk, one step at a time. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Cancer (Psychosocial Aspects)    3. General    4. Handicapped    5. Health & Fitness    6. Health/Fitness    7. Services For The Physically Challenged    8. Social Scientists & Psychologists    9. Specific Groups - Special Needs    10. Disability: social aspects    11. Family & Health   

Reviews (10)

Unemotional Chronicle
This is an excellent recounting of the events of a life, but it is largely unemotional.The horrors of the primary school are not fully documented, leaving the reader with the impression that it must not have been all THAT bad - it was horrific, of course, but we don't see enough examples to really feel sympathy.Additionally, we never learn many personal things about the author, such as how she feels about her deafness (although this probably results from her stunted emotional growth) and why she felt compelled to write the book.
On Eagles' Wings
Anne Bolander suffered from congenital hearing loss which her paternal grandmother attributed to prenatal exposure to a certain medication.Anne and her twin brother, Peter, born in 1954 become part of a large family.Sadly, their mother dies in 1957 and Anne has trouble navigating in the hearing world.Unable to remain in preschool because of her hyperactive behavior and inability to hear directions, her father, stepmother and paternal grandparents are ill-equipped to meet her needs.
You're a wonderful person Anne!
I am not a fan of reading books, but the title of this book caught my attention.I could not put this book down once I started reading it and finished it over a weekend.I recommended this book to my entire family and I hope everyone gets a chance to read it.I was so moved on how Anne survived through all of the horrible obstactles she faced.It is sad to think that all of her "supposeable friends" during that time in her life took advantage of her the way they did when she needed them the most.I feel like I know her and forever I will think of Anne.I wish her the best and I hope the future for her is the most rewarding, for she has earned it!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Abuse of    2. Biography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography And Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Bolander, Anne M    7. Childhood Memoir    8. Deaf children    9. Deaf women    10. Education Of Hearing-Impaired Students    11. General    12. Handicapped    13. Public Policy - Social Services & Welfare    14. Social Science    15. Specific Groups - Special Needs    16. United States    17. Biography: general    18. Disability: social aspects   

Editorial Review

Who would have thought a memoir about going blind and suffering from severe depression could be so Read more

Reviews (36)

Snarky and Bittersweet
This memoir is funny,clever and engaging. Knipfel is an interesting guy to say the least. If "Slackjaw" hadn't come highly recomended to me, there's no way I would have read a book about a mentally-ill, guy who tried to kill himself several times before going blind. However, since I did, it was rewarding, humorous, proud and never depressing.

Very important book for rehabilitation teachers
The book is most interesting. Knipfel knows how to tell a story; he tells in a sarcastic way the story of his life. Very important book for rehabilitation teachers for the blind and social workers.

Like reading a fifteen-year-old's journal
Jim Knipfel is an idiot, truly. He's the type of person that delivers stories on characters like Werner Herzog and Ed Gein, very self-aggrandising, and, most significant to his idiot status, fails to understand anything at all. Want to be like Jim Knipfel? Quickly read a story in the newspaper, spend the next ten years watching The Nanny, then write a story based on what you read in the newspaper, and then assume the role of expert on the whole thing. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Childhood Memoir    6. Health    7. Knipfel, Jim    8. Literary    9. Patients    10. Retinitis pigmentosa    11. Specific Groups - Special Needs    12. Biography & Autobiography / Literary   

Reviews (6)

Facing Adversity
Mr. Martin's book is an inspirational and moving work for anyone to read, regardless of your position in life.If you've ever faced adversity, there is something to be learned about courage and optimism from this book.His candor, humor, and vision will inspire you and give you a sense of appreciation for this life we have. My mother is suffering from a degenerative disease, and this book gave me a new sense of perpective on what she and many others face as they battle each step of their disease. As a North Carolinian, I am proud that this brilliant writer and powerful soul is a leader for our community, and has been able to reach out and touch so many other lives.This book will make you cry, make you laugh, and most importantly, give you inspiration and appreciation for what you have.

A writer first
I cannot add much to the previous reviews-- all of with which I agree-- except this: Mr. Martin is, first and foremost, a writer. Indeed, he has ALS, and that is much of what he writes about here. But his lean, athletic style, keen observation and outstanding sense of humor would entice me to read router bit catalog copy, if Mr. Martin wrote it.I'm in search of his short story published in the Crescent Review (malcolm@walkaboutpress.org-- if anyone finds it first) and am hopeful he is at work on something else for us to enjoy and think about.

An inspiration for all
Like another reviewer, I also have the pleasure of knowing Joe Martin. And while I knew of some of his remarkable achievements, I was astounded to read of many more. Like Joe, I have ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease. He, and his book, have inspired me to livelife with joy, love, purpose, hope and faith notwithstanding the ravages of this disease. His book, like Tuesdays With Morrie, should inspire anyone and everyone. But while Morrie spoke as a dying man, Joe, with the same terminal illness, speaks with the vitality of a man truly living life to the fullest.Read more

Subjects:  1. 1940-    2. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis    3. Biography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Health    6. Martin, Joe,    7. Medical    8. North Carolina    9. Patients    10. Regional Subjects - South    11. Specific Groups - Special Needs    12. Inspirational