Book Description

In December of 1995, at the age of twenty-four, Lisa Shaw-Brawley was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease, a form of lymphoma. Shaw-Brawley and her husband were visiting her family in California during the Christmas holidays when swollen glands sent her to see her lifelong family doctor. Only When I Sleep: My Family's Journey Through Cancer is her inspiring, first-hand account of what she learned that day and the battle she fought against cancer, based on the journal she kept from the moment she was diagnosed.

The story chronicles in detailed, compelling scenes both the emotional and physical journey of cancer, including the numerous tests and treatments Shaw-Brawley endured. Honest and forthright, the author does not disguise the bitter truth of her experience or the fear that accompanied her diagnosis. Because of this, the book will reassure newly diagnosed cancer patients that their fears-of possible infertility, hair loss and recurrence-are normal and give them guidance on facing these fears.

Only When I Sleep is also the story of Shaw-Brawley's family, and their journey through a harrowing and ultimately strengthening experience. The book is a remarkable story of family love and the commitment of marriage, which also explores the tensions and comforts of returning home as a married adult. In vivid prose, the author invites the reader into her family's home, into their hearts, and into the battle of their lives. As readers join in this journey, they will be moved, informed, reassured and assisted in their personal journey. The author's father also contributes a heart-warming journal entry of what his family endured, offering comfort and insight to every mother and father in a similar situation.

In the end, a second miracle in Shaw-Brawley's life proves to be the ultimate lesson in redemption and hope. This, coupled with her determined fight, will send a clear message of survival that will inspire and empower other cancer patients.

Reviews (15)

A MUST READ!!!!
This is a wonderful book. It will make you cry, but will also bring joy to your heart and a smile to your face. It makes you realize the "choices" Lisa and her family had to make to survive where very hard for her and her family. You will admire her strength, courage, and her determination to beat this. You see first hand how it effects everyone in her family. How the love of her husband, parents, family members and friends are unconditional. It shows us how the small things we all take for granted can be taken away from us in seconds and our world can be turned upside down. How Lisa never gave up and if you "believe" anything is possible.

I highly recommend this book to everyone, not just those dealing with cancer. There is a "lesson" for everyone to learn from Lisa's experience. It's a WONDERFUL story of love, courage, faith and determination of a young woman who is fighting to survive cancer.

A MUST READ!!!!
This is a wonderful book. It will make you cry, but will also bring joy to your heart and a smile to your face. It makes you realize the "choices" Lisa and her family had to make to survive where very hard for her and her family. You will admire her strength, courage, and her determination to beat this. You see first hand how it effects everyone in her family. How the love of her husband, parents, family members and friends are unconditional. It shows us how the small things we all take for granted can be taken away from us in seconds and our world can be turned upside down. How Lisa never gave up and if you "believe" anything is possible.

I highly recommend this book to everyone, not just those dealing with cancer. There is a "lesson" for everyone to learn from Lisa's experience. It's a WONDERFUL story of love, courage, faith and determination of a young woman who is fighting to survive cancer.

Superbly written, presented, and inspiring biography.
Only When I Sleep: My Family's Journey Through Cancer is an intenselypersonal, candid, and compelling account of then 24-year-old LisaShaw-Brawley's battle to overcome Hodgkin's disease and give birth to achild. This superbly written and presented biographical account is aninspiring testament to the human spirit in overcoming adversity andstriving for a dream against all the odds. Highly recommended reading.

You won't be the same, you will cry tears of pain and joy.
I still have the red 6" scar on my back reminding me of how just sixweeks ago the surgeon removed a large piece of my back which contained theremaining parts of malignant melanoma.When the doctor told me I hadcancer, I just went numb.How could that be?I am young, I am a mom, Ihave so much more I want to do with my life.Cancer doesn't care about anyof that, it doesn't pick and choose, and when it chooses you, your lifewill never be the same.This book is for anyone who has had cancer, has itnow, or knows of someone who has had it or is going through it now.Youliterally feel as though you are in the treatment room with her and goingthrough not only her pain, but her families pain as well.You will crytears of pain for what she must endure, and thank God that it isn't you. You will cry tears of joy for her when she beats it.Cancer affects notonly the person whose body it has invaded, but also their family andfriends.I see things differently now, and this book will open your eyesup too.It will make your realize how precious life is, and that youshould live it to the fullest each and everyday and thank God for thelittle things in life.I thank her for being able to share her experiencewith us in hopes of helping others deal with the experience.

Definitely Helpful
I like Sade T. found this book to be helpful in understanding what myfriends and family have been going through and can only hope that it willlead to more compassion as we all conitune on our journey.I have fivefriends who had/have cancer before they were 28.Reading Lisa's bookreally helped to ease the anger of seeing people being sick so young andput the focus back onto faith.

Lisa you have inspired me to givesomething back.I am forming a team for our local "Relay for Life2000" team event to fight cancer.This is a major fundraiser for theAmerican Cancer Society.I encourage other supporters and survivors tolook for an event in their area.

We all face challenges in our lives,some more difficult than others, but with courage, hope and faith we canall become a little better because of them.Lisa proved that in her book. Read it and see what it can do to help you. ... Read more

Book Description

Rarely has a public figure addressed such difficult, intimate issues with such courage and bravery. In a moving, passionate memoir, former Senator George McGovern recalls the events leading up to his daughter Terry's death as a result of alcoholism. What McGovern learned from Terry is an unforgettable, poignant tale certain to engender controversy and compassion. of photos. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

RIVETING READING, GAVE ME COLD HANDS AND DRY MOUTH!
Seldom have I read a book about a real person that held me inmy chair for such a long time. I had heard about Terry Mcgovern butnever knew the real story. This first hand account of Terry Mcgovern's life is tough to read. George Mcgovern's account of his daughters life had the right mixture of pathos and humor and made me think about alcoholism in a totally different light. GREAT!

Shockingly familiar grounds
I read this book when it first came out. At the time I was suffering from depression and alcoholism. I wept as I read the pages because I knew that I too could end up like Terry. I felt for Terry and her family all through out the book. I also realized how my family must have felt and how they might feel if I too fell victim to myself and alcohol. You have to give credit to the courageouls George McGovern to share his families sacred secrets and tradgedy. This is a must have book for anyone who is an alcoholic, heavy drinker or depressed or anyone who knows or lives with an alcoholic or heavy drinker.

A harrowing and heartrending tale of alcoholism.
Former South Dakota senator, and one time Presidential hopeful, George McGovern relates the sad story of his daughter Terry, who's alcoholism finally killed her when she passed out in a snowfilled alley outside of a bar one cold December night. With an objective honest and insight into both his daughter and the nature of addiction, McGovern tells how him middle daughter grew up and became mired in an inescapable quicksand of addiction. Having recently lost my wife to the ravages of this disease (ironically this book was one of hers and one she quite enjoyed reading) I can relate to McGovern's feelings of anger, frustration, and helpless regret over how the disease warped both his daughter's spirit and mind. This book is an essential for anyone who has ever had to battle, or has a loved who battles, this wretched, life eating disease. Highest recommendation.

An EXCELLENT read!
I found 'Terry' an interesting, disturbing, educational read. My ex-husband is an alcoholic, and parts of this book were like reading about him - most reassuring to know I was not the only one to experience such traumas. I think this book is well worth reading for anyone with alcoholism in their family.

very unselfish account of a personal tragedy
I heard George McGovern talking about this book on NPR when it first came out, but it wasn't till recently that i had a chance to read it. I thoroughly enjoyed it, because it gave me some insight on addiction that i did not have before. Sen. McGovern's intentions in writing this book are laudable, and i have a lot of respect for him. I can only imagine how painful it must have been to research the material (Terry's journals, social workers' reports, etc), and to actually write the book and go through those memories. He is sincere and acknowledges his responsibility as a father, and does not try to place blame on alcohol, society, or many of the other targets of anti-abuse groups. Terry might as well have been born with CF, because she suffered from (in her case) an incurable disease. If you want to understand the incredible power of addiction, this book is a great place to start. ... Read more

Book Description

It was a lazy afternoon in April, 1995, when the unthinkable happened. Six- year-old John-Paul, the youngest son of Gregory and Maureen Floyd was playing in the front lawn with his brother David when both were struck by an out-of-control car. Rushed to separate hospitals, David survived with bruises, but John-Paul died instantly. In A Grief Unveiled, Floyd reveals his heart-breaking journey through the sorrow of losing a young child, as he deals not only with his own broken heart, but also with the struggle to reconstruct his role as husband, father, and protector. With rare candor, Floyd captures the almost indescribable moments of pain as well as the palpable moments of grace as he openly shares his struggle with the theological why's and the personal emotions that question the goodness of God. This book is a witness to the intimate presence of God in the midst of unbearable lossoffering hope to all who struggle. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

A Grace Revealed
This book is the attempt of one father to come to terms with the anguish, the heart-break, the devastation, and the questions that arise when tragedy strikes. Others books have attempted the same. The great English apologist C.S. Lewis wrote a book entitled The Problem of Pain, exploring these difficult questions. It is interesting to compare it with a book he wrote later, after his wife died of cancer. His A Grief Observed does not so much refute what he wrote earlier, but in many ways goes far beyond it.

A theoretical and theological reflection of suffering is one thing. A first-hand personal account is another. A Grief Unveiled is of the second type. Not that theological and biblical reflection is absent. But this is the very personal and very moving account of how one father copes with the worst pain imaginable, moments after the event, hours after, days after, months after, and years after. What does the journey of grief look like from the inside? This volume is an unforgettable account of one long and painful trip through grief.

For anyone who has experienced any comparable tragedy, the book will echo similar thoughts and emotions, and will bring forth many tears. The book does not over-sentimentalize, but neither does it over-spiritualize. It is brutally honest and totally real.

Anyone who suffers will resonate with these moving chapters. Yet it is not just a book about sorrow, grief and pain. It is also a book about hope, joy and victory. It is the story of a radiant faith; a faith that takes a terrible hammering, but a faith the survives and grows and triumphs. But it is triumphant faith because it has as its object a triumphant God. Indeed, God is the real subject of this book in many ways. It is only because of the great love, grace and mercy of God that the Floyds can make it through the valley of the shadow of death.

The opening chapters are the most painful. Descriptions of the accident. Cradling a dying boy. The nervous wait at the hospital. The bad news from the doctor. Watching a lifeless boy in a casket, bandages over the eyes, because the organs were donated. The burial. The days immediately thereafter.

The grief seems unbearable. But with time comes some relief. The hole in the soul is always there. It will never disappear. But the intense pain and grief slowly, and surely, begin to subside. And through it all, one believer's relationship with his God is sorely tested, but in the end, vindicated. And with it comes the spiritual understanding that comes with the suffering, the realization that the God we serve is a suffering God.

God the Father knows all about suffering. He too lost a son in tragic circumstances. And Mary, the mother of Jesus, also knows the heartbreak of losing a beloved son. But as Floyd makes quite clear, Good Friday is followed by Easter Sunday. John-Paul is not dead, but alive, waiting for the glorious reunion that will one day take place. The promise of the resurrection is the believer's hope. And the resurrection of Jesus is the guarantee that we too will one day be raised.

But it works both ways, There can be no Easter without Calvary. Suffering is the path chosen by Christ, and it is the path his followers must also accept. The hard questions may never fully be answered. But the ultimate answer to the problem of suffering and evil is not a proposition but a person. Jesus, who is acquainted with grief and familiar with sorrow, is the only one who can offer comfort and hope to those who suffer.

If God can take the most horrible and painful event in human history, the cross, and turn it into the most glorious and blessed of events, then there is hope for us as well. Suffering can be redeemed. It can make us more like the one who knows all about suffering.

This book is a testament to the way the death of one man two thousand years ago becomes the basis of hope for everyone today. This powerful story will help those who are suffering to make it through. And it will help all of us to get our priorities a little more straight, and help us refocus our attention on what is truly important and of value in life.

This book is, without a doubt, life changing.
There are no words to describe what an amazing book this is. I read this book when I began my journey down the road of grief and healing over my dad's death. I wept. I laughed. Sometimes at the same time,but God ministered to me through the openeness of this family. They allow you into such a private, intimate time and let you see that you can grieve with hope. There is no doubt that you will be blessed by their courage, strength, faith, and unending devotion to the Lord. May God bless them for their willingness to be used by him in such a vulnerable way.

A must for all Christians: to understand the loss of a child
Gregory Floyd writes from the heart - and what he has to share is compelling not just from the perspective that he is sharing the depths of his grief - and how his faith in God helped him to deal with that grief. His insights are for ALL Christians, and will benefit the non-Christian as well. Gregory shares poignantly about the world - wanting to provide only worldly comfort, some Christians who only wanted to offer "spiritual" consolation, and how the most precious who reached out to him and his family were those who BLENDED the heavenly and earthly realities. He gained insights into how all Christians are called, albeit in different ways, to bear their share of the suffering of Christ to ultimately experience the true JOY of Jesus. I can't say enough how every Christian will benefit from reading this book: it will help men to see the need to not be afraid to show their feelings (after all - "Jesus wept"), and will enable them (through reading of Gregory's many examples with helping his wife and children deal with the death of John Paul) better husbands, fathers, and spiritual heads of their households; it will speak to all of how to deal better with catastophic personal suffering, or improve their consolation and compassion on those around them who are in the throes of some form of suffering. Don't think twice about getting this book!

Required Reading for Engaged Couples
In High Schools, the students watch "Schindler's List", a difficult but important film, in order to learn from the tragedy. This book is the "Schindler's List" for marriage prep. Without it, "For better or for worse" is a glib statement, by two egotists who are unprepared when that "worse" (whatever it may be) inevitably rears its head. Because I'm reading it before my wedding, I have a firmer grasp (like cement) of the importance of the commitment, the experience of a family (albeit a large family), and confirmation of that ever-present presence of grace, God's grace, still flickering while nearly everything else is in shambles.

While the story is agonizing to tell, Gregory Floyd handles such impossible material with grace. There's great potential for the book to be a dual threat: to be emotionally draining, and repetitive. Granted, it's both, but it's never boring. The book grabs you by the jugular and causes personal introspection to take over. I was reminded of how a child can have a dual personality, angelic wonder intermixed with a carnal longing for playtime and candy, all within a half-hour. I was encouraged by his friends and large family, and reminded of the blessings of what a family could mean. I was floored by the powerful words of wisdom of Fr. Philip Merdinger at the funeral mass, the stunning reassurance that where Johnny-Paul was, he would never want to leave. All this and I'm still not halfway through.

Most people wouldn't consider getting a book like this until (God forbid) this sort of tragedy strikes home. Don't wait until then... you will not have the strength to read this. Don't be intimidated by the material... it's easy to read, it flows, it goes down easy (if easy is the best word). Though it all, my hope in families are invigorated, and my faith in God is reassured (like fire).

Tragedy - Hope - God's Grace
This was a difficult book to read -- because it's difficult to read through tears. Reading this account of the death of six year old John Paul Floyd and the unveiling of the grief process for his father, mother, siblings, family and friends was sad but also uplifing as Gregory Floyd allows us to enter into his thoughts, his prayers, his anger, his questioning of God, his extreme love of God, his fire-tested faith in God, and ultimately his hope. This is an important book that should be read by all who have suffered the loss of a loved one -- and a book that should be read by all parents and grandparents. You will consider your children and your grandchildren in an entirely different light after reading this powerful book. Thank you, Gregory Flood, for sharing your pain and your hope with us. I am a better person for having read this book! ... Read more

Book Description

Cancer isn't funny. But humor is healing. When Laura Jensen Walker was diagnosed with breast cancer on her first wedding anniversary, she found this to be abundantly true. "As someone who has gone through breast cancer-mastectomy, chemotherapy, and reconstruction-and gratefully come out the other side-okay, a little lopsided-I've learned firsthand that laughter helps," she writes. In this energetic and hope-filled book, Walker draws on her faith and sense of humor to write about a frightening experience that one in eight women will face. From discovering that "bald is beautiful" to navigating the world of saline breast implants, Walker recounts the highs and lows of coping with cancer. Infused with strength and dignity, this book will encourage women confronting the disease-and those who love them-that faith, hope, and a healthy dose of laughter can make all the difference. One chapter is written specifically to single women with breast cancer; another, written by the author's husband, speaks to caregivers. A portion of the proceeds of this book are being contributed to the American Cancer Society by both the author and the publisher. ... Read more

Reviews (20)

"Thanks for the Mammogram" is just what women need...
"Thanks for the Mammogram" is a humerous yet heartwrenching book that exposes every woman's nightmare and offers proof that there is a way to confront this awful nemesis with humor. With 1 out of 7 women currently expected to someday face this enemy, it is most probable that we each know someone, be it a friend or cherished loved one who will enter the abyss of breast cancer. Laura Jensen Walker fell into this abyss and emerged victorious. This is her story... The reader will find themselves quickly drawn into her experience and will sometimes cry, sometimes laugh, and always feel relief that there is light at the end of the tunnel of such a devastating disease. I heartily recommend this book to anyone whose life has been affected by breast cancer. Read it, savor its humorous moments, and be touched by the love that the author poured into the pages.

Silly, Real, Refreshing
Breast cancer is a big deal. Serious stuff. Many women die from it. Other women endure masectomies. Why make light of such a heavy topic? Simple: humor is healing.

Laura Jensen Walker has something to say about breast cancer. She's a survivor. She has faced this beast, and now is able to articulately help readers smile in the midst of a tough time.

In "Thanks for the Mammogram!" Jensen tells her story. Most of the book details a narrative of her diagnosis, treatment and how she survived. However, in reflecting through the most difficult of moments, she draws us in ala Erma Bombeck into candid silliness. It is as practical as it is funny.

Boldly bringing humor into a discussion of cancer marks this book as a standout among its peers. Having lost my mother to lung cancer and flipping through too many solemn tomes of pop-psychology, I read through Jensen's book refreshed. I wished my mom could've read this book. At a certain point, cancer is cancer, and anyone with any cancer would enjoy "Thanks for the Mammogram!"

Each page is a different view of her situation. For example, she spends a delightful chapter on the end of her chemo, and how she and her husband (a 'Disnoid') celebrated this landmark at Disneyland. We read of her struggle to find a decent book to read (unless Mickey Mouse's various adventures appealed to an adult woman, that is).

The chapters are in very chewable chunks--none too long.

With chapters like, "To Baldly Go Where I've Never Gone Before" (a consideration of Capt. Jean Paul-Luc Picard, Michael Jordan and other sexy baldies, she looks for the upside of a hairless head), you, like me, might find a new way of seeing what so many people go through.

She admits her fears, but pushes also the benefits of having a realistic, yet positive view of dealing with breast cancer. Jensen explains her husband's point of view in the whole matter (even letting him write a chapter, "Her Body, His Pain"). She walks the reader through the process, citing how she related to people who had or didn't have cancer.

I fully recommend "Thanks for the Mammogram!" by Laura Jensen Walker. It is a very worthy gift for those whom you love who have cancer, or know someone who does.

Anthony Trendl

Laughing through the Pain
"Almost everyone - whether it's your friend, neighbor, coworker, wife, mother, or sister ? has been touched by breast cancer. The cancer survivors I've talked to over the years say that what helped them through their ordeal was faith and often humor." ~Laura Jensen Walker

What is more healing than laughter when you are faced with a situation you can't control? Even science has shown the healing power of laughter. Cancer isn't funny, but somehow the author finds a way to heal through her own vibrant wit. Many of the chapters are rather serious until the end when she gives the punch line.

This is a book about courage, hope and humor. Laura Jensen Walker demonstrates her ability to face the challenge of cancer and fight it with faith, hope and "mild/laid back" humor.

I learned a lot about reconstruction, chemo and was amazed at how Laura's husband stood by her through the entire process.

"How to Lose Thirty Pounds in Thirty Days: The Chemo Diet Way. The original Slim-Fast liquid diet. (But not one I'd recommend.)" was an interesting chapter to be sure. This spells it all out, tells you what chemo is all about and it isn't fun especially if your nurse forgets to give you "zofran." Yes somehow Laura finds a way to appreciate the effects of rapid weight loss even when it is the result of chemo.

If you want to understand what a cancer survivor goes through, this is the book. I recently read "Knowing Stephanie" which I can also recommend for the detailed information and pictures.

The last chapter on what really matters was also quite inspirational.

You may also enjoy:

Mental Pause
Through the Rocky Road and into the Rainbow Sherbet

A "Must Read" book when faced with breast cancer
This is an incredible book. Laura Jensen Walker has beautifully and sometimes humorously, written about her breast cancer journey. I read this book in the hospital following my breast cancer surgery (3/01) and have been very inspired by Laura's writing. This is the first book I loan out to others when they are first diagnosed. I highly recommend "Thanks For The Mammogram" !!
Karen Lange, Asst. Mgr., FriendsInTouch.net (an online breast cancer support site)

A must-read for anyone facing breast cancer
I have never been diagnosed with breast cancer, but I am certain anyone facing this disease would want a copy of Laura Walker's "Thanks for the Mammogram." Mrs. Walker remarks that this book was the hardest thing she ever had to write. Like any good memoir, it takes in the uncomfortable, even embarrassing moments as well as the lighter and uplifting ones.

Walker includes a lot of detail, from procedures like reconstruction, chemotherapy right down to the day-to-day patient care and how she felt emotionally. But this is not a gruesome story--instead it is intended to help anyone else along the road to recovery. The best chapter "Where do I go from here" gives eight important points (such as taking charge of your treatment, talking to your family, dropping the Wonder Woman cape for women who do it all) and also useful addresses and a list of books.

This book is interesting reading for any woman, but if you have a loved one facing this challenge or if you are a woman who has been diagnosed with breast cancer, you should get this book. Nothing I have read comes close to this book for frankness and assistance. ... Read more

Book Description

"[Slater has] the playful mind of a philosopher and the exquisite, unique voice of a poet." (The Washington Post Book World)

In this powerful and provocative new memoir, award-winning author Lauren Slater forces readers to redraw the boundary between what we know as fact and what we believe through the creation of our own personal fictions. Mixing memoir with mendacity, Slater examines memories of her youth, when after being diagnosed with a strange illness she developed seizures and neurological disturbances-and the compulsion to lie. Openly questioning the reliability of memoir itself, Slater presents the mesmerizing story of a young woman who discovers not only what plagues her but also what cures her-the birth of her sensuality, her creativity as an artist, and storytelling as an act of healing. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Trust your instincts when you read this book.
Is this a coming of age with epilepsy story?

Or is it a coming of age with Munchausen's story?

Or is it a stunning example of postmodern fiction, which is neither of the above but written simply to mess with our minds?

[I vote for the latter.]

Whether you believe this is fiction or nonfiction, you are certain to have a strong reaction to the protagonist.

I am a certified medical transcriptionist with 18 years of experience in acute care hospital work. Over the years, through both my work and my voracious reading, I have received quite a medical education. When I read Lying for the first time, certain of the medical details struck me as odd. Slater includes an analysis of her epilepsy and its subsequent surgical treatment written by her treating neurologist. In it, the author states that LJS had eliopathic epilepsy. Hmmm, I thought. I've never encountered that term before; I'd better look it up. In another chapter, Slater describes presurgical testing; she explains her doctor will make a small incision in her scalp then stimulate different areas of her brain. That's odd, I thought; it's not quite that simple. Our brains are not enclosed in only our scalps -- there's another layer involved, our hard, bony skulls. Still I read on, on some level distrusting my thoughts.

Yet when I finished the book and understood as much as I could, for there is much information the author does not, will not supply, I didn't feel manipulated.

I felt instead awe. Don't take the chapter about marketing the book at face value. Ignore the author's insistence on categorizing this work as nonfiction. Forget that you found it shelved with the other illness memoirs.

Slater has written the best piece of fiction I've read since I devoured J.K. Rowling's first novel. I hope she writes many more.

stunning
This is, simply, the best memoir available in contemporary American letters. Slater here tells a gripping story of spiritual and moral awakening in beautiful prose. At the same time, this memoir explores the contradictions and possibilities at the heart of this new creative non fiction form, and she does this in a way that is not pretentious or overly "post modern," but that is exacting and exciting. Slater's book in many ways is like Dave Egger's book, A Heartbreaking work Of Staggering Genius in its innovative and oftentimes hilarious and heartbreaking sttructure and theme, but Slater's book is better, because while Eggers plays some neat narrative tricks, they never integrate with the deeper meaning of his work. Lying integrates form and function gorgeously. It will make you laugh, cry, and think. Congratulations, Lauren Slater, on a brilliant book.

A good read for people who like mind games
I could read this book over and over again, and I doubt I'd ever get sick of it. If you like symbolism, you'll love this book. Possibly the entire book (which is a non-fiction autobiography) is written as a metaphor, plus the author admits from the very beginning that she's a liar. In the end, the reader is left wondering which parts of this spectacular book are true and which aren't. Moreover, the author challenges the reader to consider what is truly real and what isn't. A worthwhile read, for sure.

Eye Opening and Mind Teasing!
Wow! This book was incredible. I am taking an autobiography class right now and it was a required reading. This is probably one of the most fascinating books I have ever read. Slater writes this book from an interesting perspective. As I was reading it I thought it was similar to the movie A Beautiful Mind. Like A Beautiful Mind you see her story directly through her eyes and from her perspective. Eventhough the reader is left wodnering what is real in her story, she does a great job of leading the reader through her story/her lie. In the beginning you read her story, beleiving what she says is the truth, but by the end you have no idea what the truth is. Some of my classmates said that they got frustrated with not knowing what the truth was, one literally threw the book across the room when she was reading. I, however, didn't get frustrated with it, but for some twisted reason I just saw it as looking at the world through her eyes. I mean afterall it is her autobiography, just because it isn't a fact doesn't neccessarily mean it isn't how she felt or what she expereinced. She even says this is a metaphorical memior and through it you can see that it wasn't about the events of her life but about her innerself, her emotions, and her perceptions of life. Overall though this book was excellent. It was hard to put it down and it constantly kept my attention. Definately a must read!

Magnificent
I frequently find myself quoting from pages of this book. Anyone who doesn't believe that they can't relate in some way would be, in fact, a liar... to themselves.

Whether torn by the duality of Gemini, or having gone through a crisis that makes you question your belief and being, you must identify with this book.

The descriptive style and constant jumps from reality to perceived psychosis will keep you turning pages. I can't wait to read more of her work. ... Read more

Book Description

"A worthwhile tale about true nourishment that comes not from [eating] but from engaging on a spiritual path." --Los Angeles Times

In this wrenchingly honest, eloquent memoir, Bullitt-Jonas describes a childhood darkened by the repressive shadows of her alcoholic father and her emotionally reclusive mother, whose demands for excellence, poise, and self-control drove Bullitt-Jonas to develop an insatiable hunger.

What began with pilfering extra slices of bread at her parents' dinner table turned into binges with cream pies and pancakes, sometimes gaining as much as eleven pounds in four days. When the family urged her father into treatment, the author recognized her own addiction and embarked on the path to recovery by discovering the spiritual hunger beneath her craving for food. Holy Hunger is a brave and perceptive account of compulsion and the healing process.



... Read more

Reviews (26)

A Triumph of Loving Honesty: Holy Hunger by M. Bullitt-Jonas
A searing reflection on growing up in a family of passionate, loving and flawed human beings, Holy Hunger is the product of a decades-long struggle by a person of courage and imagination to discover and honor her true nature.

Margaret Bullitt-Jonas writes from the point of view of someone who is on the other side of years of suffering, telling a story of addiction, loss and renewal from a very unusual point of view. This former literary scholar turned minister combines a clear-eyed honesty about herself, her family and the lives they lead with a depth of compassion for her subjects that I have rarely encountered. Holy Hunger weaves together suffering, anger, insight and forgiveness in an engaging and moving way.

It has always seemed to me an enormous occupational hazard of the novelist or autobiographer that one's duty to the craft collides with, and often trumps, one's loyalty to and respect for the feelings and memory of family and loved ones. If ever a book had the potential to support this thesis, Holy Hunger would have seemed to be it, as addictions and psychological wounds drive painful and self-destructive behaviors in two generations of a complex, high-achieving, and often very unhappy family. Instead, what one gets from Ms. Bullitt-Jonas is a blend of intellectual candor and emotional decency which one suspects is the result of sterling character, deep love, and great effort. This is a wise, strong, loving storyteller at work, and both she and her other subjects are in good hands.

The question of why, how and whether people will come back from the precipice of self-destructive behaviors to fashion lives of meaning and joy is a topic of common importance to many, perhaps most of us. In Bullitt-Jonas's life, and in this book, the story is about those who make it and those who do not. This is the real stuff.

There is a density to this book not reflected in the number of its pages, but despite its fullness, it left me wanting to know and hear more. At its end, I wished I knew even more about the nature of Bullitt-Jonas's spiritual journey, then and now. I wanted to hear her reflect and dig even more deeply into the nature of desire, as a spiritual longing, a physical condition, and a daily human emotion, particularly in this period of her life, at her strongest and most powerful. I suspect this is true for others of her readers. This is a great problem to have -- an embarrassment of intellectual and narrative riches -- and one I feel sure she will address in her future work. So we'll just have to wait for the next book, with pleasurable anticipation.

Thoughtful, honest and helpful
I not only enjoyed this book but profited from reading it. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas doesn't so much tell her story as find it as she traces her path from compulsive eating to sanity. I felt humbled and thankful to be invited with her on this sacred trek. Her tone is reflective, and, despite her star-studded academic origins and family wealth, she always chooses matter-of-fact intimacy over sensationalism. Where a previous reviewer identified "whining" I found only frankness, thankfulness and hope.

Bravely and beautifully told.
It angers me that a couple of smug and snippy reviewers may have prevented this beautiful story from getting to all the people it could help. In my own twelve-step struggle, Margaret Bullitt-Jonas has become a strong companion on the uphill climb.

Inspiring & Profoundly Spiritual Book on Overeating
I could not put this book down. As a person who struggles with compulsive overeating and I have joined Overeater's Anonymous and found the program most effective. The author of this book has also benefitted from the life-saving work of OA and the help of God. A truly beautiful book, it should be read by all women! But especially those struggling with any eating disorder.

A Wonderful Book
I don't have much to add to the positive reviews below, but I do want to underscore the quality of the writing, as well as the insight offered in this book. This is a narrative, rather than a 'how-to,' where the author really opens herself up, using her journey as a model for the journey so many of us must take. She is a wonderful example, expressing her life through her excellent writing. ... Read more

Book Description

"I believe that Marion Woodman now lives on a new level. Radiant . . . her intensely personal book, looking death straight in the eye, may also be her best book yet." (The Bloomsbury Review)

November 7, 1993, Marion Woodman was diagnosed with uterine cancer. Here, in journal form, is the story of her illness, her healing process, and her acceptance of life and death. Breathtakingly honest about the factors she feels contributed to her cancer, Woodman also explains how she drew upon every resource-physical and spiritual-available to her to come to terms with her illness. Dreams and imagery, self-reflection and body work, and both traditional and alternative medicine play distinctive roles in Woodman's recovery. Her personal treasury of art, photographs, and quotations-from Dickinson to Blake to Rumi-embellish this unique chronicle of a very personal journey toward transformation. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A Rare Opportunity
After having read all of Marion Woodman's books and participating in two workshops at Esalen and one with Robert Bly in San Francisco, it was very exciting for me to be able to read this very intimate personal journal of her own spiritual and psychological process. In her lectures this wonderful woman is so open and honest and present and she is even more so in this book. It took my breath away to travel this moving difficult path with her. If you know Marion and love her this book is a must read. If you don't have any experience with her or Jungian theory I think it will be hard to follow since much of it assumes familiarity with her theories of the conscious feminine. She is a deep thinker with complex feelings. She models for us how to practice what she teaches. The book is also filled with her favorite poems and passages from the writers who inspired her teaching career before she went to Zurich to study Jung. There are also glimpses into her long and fruitful marriage to Ross and even a postscript from him to the reader. I am waiting for her book on the demon lover which she alludes to in this book. I love this book. There is much to savor and learn on many dimensions.

powerful and profound
marion woodman is unequaled in her ability to see life, in all it's complicated paradoxes, and articulate her journey through it... i find her latest book to be compelling as she shares her personal story with compassion and rigorous honesty... just knowing that she has walked her own path inspires me to continue to walk mine... if you've ever wondered if someone walks ahead of you then read 'bone' and know she is .... ... Read more

Book Description

Things No Longer There is a lovingly crafted collection of personal stories about the author’s struggle toward enlightenment while losing her eyesight. It is also about invisible landscapes—places of the heart that linger long after they have disappeared from the world outside. In these ten brief tales and one novella-length intimate drama, Susan Krieger takes us on a series of adventures in vision, a journey both inward and to various parts of the country. We travel with her as she goes birdwatching before sunrise in the New Mexico desert, learns to walk with a white cane, revisits an old love, returns to a summer camp of her youth, and reflects on the nature of blindness and sight. Krieger’s touching memoir explores the ways that outer landscapes may change and sight may be lost, but inner visions persist, giving meaning, jarring the senses with a very different picture than what appears before the eyes. This book will reward both the general reader and those interested in disability studies, feminist ethnography, and lesbian studies. ... Read more

Book Description

When beloved Alabama football coach Gene Stallings's son was born with Down syndrome and a serious heart defect, doctors predicted he wouldn't live to see his first birthday and urged Coach Stallings and his wife to institutionalize him.

But for Gene and Ruth Ann that was not an option.Johnny quickly won the hearts and adoration of the Stallings family and everyone who took the time to know him, and, proving the doctors wrong by living a full life, he has become a vital and important part of his father's life and career.

With intimate glimpses of family life and thrilling football anecdotes, Another Season is brimming with poignant lessons about defying the odds and finding joy in every moment. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

John Mark Stallings is the true hero of Another Season.
I'm giving the book three stars for three reasons: One, we have a 3-month-old son with Down syndrome and anything on the subject is a welcomed addition to our library. Two, as difficult as it was to read some of Gene Stallings' comments about his own son, it probably took a lot for this football coach to bare his soul in print. Three, John Mark Stallings touched a deep nerve, giving me more hope that our little boy has every opportunity to grow up to be a loving, giving, productive man. But until the last two chapters, the book leaves you wondering whether Johnny was truly given a fair shake. Instead of celebrating the birth of his only son, in typical jock fashion, Stallings tries to punch out the doctor, changed the boy's name ("...we knew he would never be able to carry on the family name..."), laments that the boy will never be a strapping quarterback in the NFL, and worries over Johnny's slight physical differences. The book does illustrates how far we've progressed in our acceptance of people with Down syndrome, and brings home the fact that it is only the families of children with this disability who will ensure they get the unconditional love, attention and education they deserve. At the same time, though, I'm afraid it perpetuates some of the stereotypes and misconceptions that people continue to place on those with Down syndrome.

Touching, heartfelt, will reach the soul of all who read
Gene Stallings is a man's man. A father's father. He was, and still is, a great coach, husband, and teacher. Yet he has a tender compassion not always seen in men of his calling. He owes much of that part of him to his son and he knows it. He has taken the sorrow and pain his family bore and turned it into an story of amazing hard work, courage, and love. This book should be one of the first things read by a couple faced with the reality of a Down Syndrome baby. Coach Stallings shows us there is life after DS, and it can be very good, indeed,it can be wonderful.

A solid -- if difficult -- story, told by a solid man
I received this book unexpectedly after making a donation to my alma mater, from which Coach Stallings' daughters also graduated. Until then, I didn't even know the story had been written. The book fascinated me from many angles -- as a teacher, as the sister of someone born with a congenital handicap (whose parents were likewise advised to put him in an institution), as a reader of this genre of literature, and most of all, as someone who as a kid knew and adored John Mark Stallings.

Many have commented on the way the author plainly tells his early disappointments, fears, and frustrations at having his only son be born with such apparent limitations. I, too, initially felt uncomfortable. However, I came to admire Mr. Stallings' willingness to expose to scorn the ideas that he had back in the 1960s and 70s, ideas that over the course of the book he does slowly show to have been mistaken. By the end of the book it is clear he realizes that people born with Down syndrome are far more capable and have a more meaningful life than was dreamed of at the time John Mark was born. The narrative also puts into perspective the origins of those ideas.

The end result is an honest portrait by an unfailingly honest man, and the book shows the strong and loving relationship between Johnny and his father today.

-- Andrea

A VICTORY FOR ALL
He longed for a son. So much so that at times Coach Gene Stallings imagined he could see him. "He'd always be a big strapping boy," Stallings writes, "and I'd envision him intercepting a pass, tucking that football under his arm, and sprinting to make a touchdown."

When his wife, Ruth Ann, did give birth to a son on June 11, 1962, Stallings couldn't wait to call his mentor and friend, Paul "Bear" Bryant. "We've got the boy, Coach Bryant!" he exulted. Then he proudly handed out blue banded cigars.

His elation was short lived. The next day when Stallings was told that his son was a mongoloid, the strapping assistant coach at Alabama passed out cold. It would be years before "Down syndrome" replaced mongoloid as an accepted term for the chromosomal disorder that results in delayed physical and mental development. It was only a few months before the couple learned that their son, John Mark, called Johnny, also had a serious heart defect.

Doctors and friends urged them to institutionalize their baby. The Stallings refused. They would raise their third child at home despite predictions that Johnny would never sit, walk or talk and, in all probability, not live to see his first birthday.

More than an account of raising an exceptional child, Another Season is testimony to a father's love. It is the heartwarming story of a remarkable family., as well as a poignant reminder of how perseverance and courage can overcome daunting obstacles.

Johnny's four sisters were his staunchest allies. Eager for him to learn, they rigged shoelaces on bedposts to repeatedly show him how to make loops and tie a knot - a feat he accomplished at six. Later, his sisters measured prospective dates by how warmly the boys responded to Johnny.

The bond between father and son grew stronger each day. Whether Stallings was coaching at Texas A & M, with the Dallas Cowboys, with the St. Louis Cardinals or leading the Crimson Tide, a devoted happy Johnny accompanied him to practice.

Two good reasons prompted Stallings' move to Dallas in 1972: superior educational opportunities for Johnny, and he needed a job. However, his first days as defensive secondary coach for the Cowboys were rocky. Players and staff knew he'd never been to a pro camp, never played pro football, and didn't have an enviable record at Texas A & M. As he brought Johnny to Saturday practice for the first time, he wondered how the Cowboy players would react. He knew when he saw a grinning Johnny squeezed between Roger Staubach and Lee Roy Jordan on a locker room bench. His son would belong.

The boy became such an integral part of the team that when Tom Landry passed out 1977 Super Bowl rings, Johnny's name was called . After slowly making his way to the front of the room, Johnny found that the diamond studded ring fit perfectly on his clubbed finger.

In 1989 Stallings saw himself as "a fifty-four-year-old coach who had been fired twice" (by A& M and the Cardinals). Then came the call from the president of the University of Alabama.

On January 11, 1990, in Tuscaloosa, he was introduced as Alabama's 22nd head coach . There Johnny found work he enjoyed at the Paul Bryant Museum.

Stallings was happy to be where his career had begun. That was also where it would end. After six years with the Crimson Tide, most of his goals were accomplished. He had compiled an average of ten wins a season, they had a 70-15-1 record, and won a national championship. Believing Johnny was slowing down and needed him, Stallings resigned. Some 300 people attended the farewell reception hosted by the Museum staff in Johnny's honor. As Stallings stood in a corner, he watched his 34-year-old son smiling, hugging friends, and posing for photographers. His boy had beaten all the odds and grown to manhood.

In a television commercial filmed for the United Way, Stallings says of his son, "His progress is measured in little victories." For Johnny Stallings and his family those small victories added up to a major triumph.

A real-life story about football
This is an autobiography by a person who has had a highly successful career in college and pro football but knows the world does not start and end with sports. The raising of the Stallings' son Johnny, who has Down syndrome, is the real focus here. The two stories, football and family, are intertwined, as the authors never lose sight of the family even while describing the high and low points of Gene Stallings' coaching career. Indeed, Johnny as he grows shares in his father's work. The book gives insight into both the game and the people in it and in the Coach's family. These people are brought alive for the reader. It is the best book 'about' football I have read. ... Read more

Book Description

"The world is a surreal pageant," writes Stephen Kuusisto. "Ahead of me the shapes and colors suggest the sails of Tristan's ship or an elephant's ear floating in air, though in reality it is a middle-aged man in a London Fog rain coat which billows behind him in the April wind."

So begins Kuusisto's memoir, Planet of the Blind, a journey through the kaleidoscope geography of the partially-sighted, where everyday encounters become revelations, struggles, or simple triumphs. Not fully blind, not fully sighted, the author lives in what he describes as "the customs-house of the blind", a midway point between vision and blindness that makes possible his unique perception of the world. In this singular memoir, Kuusisto charts the years of a childhood spent behind bottle-lens glasses trying to pass as a normal boy, the depression that brought him from obesity to anorexia, the struggle through high school, college, first love, and sex. Ridiculed by his classmates, his parents in denial, here is the story of a man caught in a perilous world with no one to trust--until a devastating accident forces him to accept his own disability and place his confidence in the one relationship that can reconnect him to the world--the relationship with his guide dog, a golden Labrador retriever named Corky. With Corky at his side, Kuusisto is again awakened to his abilities, his voice as a writer and his own particular place in the world around him.

Written with all the emotional precision of poetry, Kuusisto's evocative memoir explores the painful irony of a visually sensitive individual--in love with reading, painting, and the everyday images of the natural world--faced with his gradual descent into blindness. Folded into his own experience is the rich folklore the phenomenon of blindness has inspired throughout history and legend. ... Read more

Reviews (18)

denial and disability
When people ask me if it isn't "painful" to be deaf, I often surprise them by saying: "not nearly as painful as being hard-of-hearing." Back in those days, you see, I was still trying hard to fit into a hearing world. I was still coming to terms with what hearing loss meant to me, and dreading what it might mean in the future. All in all, it is far easier for me now, totally deaf that I am, than it ever was to be hard-of-hearing when my constant companions were denial and pain.

I was reminded of all of this recently when I read Stephen Kuusisto's book "Planet of the Blind; a Memoir" for here is someone who knows well what it means to live hand-in-hand with those same companions.

Mr Kuusisto began his odyssey through the land of denial as a result of a premature birth, which resulted in almost total blindness. The seeds of pain took root soon afterwards, as his parents struggled to find their way through unanticipated and, to them, rather horrifying territory. In the end, like many parents faced with such a situation, they chose the "you can do anything you want to" path.

Now, this path, properly followed, is not bad in and of itself. Certainly we have all heard of people who have learned to manage despite harrowing disabilities. Just the other day, for example, I saw on TV a feature on a woman who is doing just fine without arms, compensating through the use of her legs and feet. "My parents" she told the audience, "always told me there was nothing I could not do." At the end of a film clip, in which she demonstrated her abilities, the audience stood up and gave her a standing ovation, and everyone, I am sure, went home with happy tears in their eyes.

The danger in this mind set is that, human that we are, we tend to look for happy endings and forget how important it is in such situations that the word "compensate" be factored into the equation. In other words, there has to be some way that the disabled person can get around the problems presented by the disability with some degree of ease and success. The lady on TV, for example, was able to use her legs and feet for almost all daily tasks.

Mr Kuusisto's parents took the same tactic, hoping I am sure to instill both ability and self confidence into their son. Alas, there were no figurative or metaphorical legs and feet to support the author as he was thrown willy-nilly into normal life situations with no means of gaining mastery over his daily problems. He was not, for example, taught braille, or given mobility training. Nor, when it came time for school, despite the fact that he could see letters only one at a time by holding a book inches from his one minimally functioning eye, were any special concessions made to his blindness. Instead, as in all other endeavors, he was left to manage as best he could.

As Mr Kuusiston himself puts it, in summarizing his first thirty odd years:

... raised to know I was blind but taught to disavow it, I grew bent over like the dry tinder grass. I couldn't stand up proudly, nor could I retreat. I reflected my mother's complex bravery and denial and marched everywhere at dizzying speeds without a cane. Still, I remained ashamed of my blind self, that blackened dolmen. The very words blind and blindness were scarcely spoken around me...(and) my mother could avoid the word, relegating it to the province of cancer.

Fortunately Mr Kuusisto was extraordinarily bright. He managed, somehow he managed; learning to ride, for example, a two wheeler, albeit in stark terror as he peddled. Graduating from college, he spent a year in Finland in totally unfamiliar surroundings, a situation akin to suddenly, because of the language barrier, becoming both blind and deaf. But still, though drowning in fear and anxiety at virtually every step, he marched on pretending to live as an equal citizen in a sighted world.

Eventfully, of course, he could manage no longer. Both his will and his strength gave out. He began to sink, and ended up virtually destitute, holed up in a small room at the mercy of the beasts that emerge when you deny not only who you are, but what you are. Then, and only then, did he allow reality entrance to his life and concede, after nearing being killed by a truck:

"I need help walking. I've needed help all my life. It's that simple."

It ought to be- that simple that is. For most of us, or at least for me, it was not. What is it in us that allows us to welcome such pain in our lives in lieu of truth? Is being like everyone else really so important that we are willing to deny ourselves, almost literally destroy ourselves, as we pay worship to it? Apparently so, for how well, and with what pain I remember pretending to have heard what was whispered to me in the dark of night in childhood. How well I remember those birthday parties which featured the old game of "telephone." Always outrageously wrong, I would sit there nodding my head, or shaking it with wonder at how distorted the message had become as it passed from person to person. Never would I have dared to admit that I could not understand, anymore than I could admit that I had not the foggiest idea of plot or dialogue when at the movies. Pretending. Always pretending; covered with sweat, consumed by anxiety, fearful of the future. Fearful, most of all of discovery.

I was lucky. I did not hit bottom nearly as deeply or as hard as Mr Kuusisto did. But I well remember the pain and fear with which I greeted each new day. I remember shaking in terror, hiding in bathrooms to avoid meetings at work, and going miles out of my way to deliver messages in person rather than attempt use of the telephone.

Life is easier now of course, We have the American Disabilities Act,, TTYs and Closed Captioning, to name just a few for the deaf, but still, all the technological advances in the world are useless if we refuse to acknowledge and name our disability,and, most importantly, reach out for help when we need it. Denial, as the old saying goes, is way more than the name of a river, and no one has shown this more clearly than Mr Kuusisto in this honest, beautiful and almost poetic, book; a cautionary tale, which should be required reading not only for disabled people, but for parents who suddenly find themselves in charge of guiding their children through the frightening and unfamiliar landscape of disability.

Excellent
As a graduate student, who is being forced to look beyond the comfortable world of deaf to an unknown planet of blind, this was a book of frightening similarities. The road of denial, surreptious coping, and ultimate empowerment through acceptance are parallel on both planets.

A definite must read for baby boomers entering on the macular degeneration road to the Planet of the Blind!

Very inspiring book EVEN inspires me to want to write
I was reccommended to read Planet of The Blind due to my interest in writing stories about people who had disabilities and about by own disablility for I'm visually impaired myself and I have an interest in writing. So I read Steven Kuusisto's book Planet of the Blind and found it very facinating and inspiring! I highly reccomend it! I'd love to know what is he doing now and is he still writing and speaking of the book?

Vivid and moving memoir
As a legally blind person, who had totally blind parents, this vividly written book went a long way in helping me come to terms with my own situation. Like Stephen, for years I was in denial about my own limited vision and tried, successfully for a time, to "pass" as fully sighted. This is no longer possible and I have to face my own limitations head on, as Stephen finally does.

I recommend this book to anyone who would like to understand what living on the "Planet of the Blind" is really like, and for anyone who enjoys beautiful writing.

Powerful and redemptive
I read Stephen's book late into the night and then got up and read more in the morning. The book not only brought me new understanding of the world of blindness, it spoke intimately of the journey of self-acceptance. Stephen's story is threaded through with grace, and his language is musical. A deeply spiritual memoir; you will finish it changed. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Within the 11 seconds that inspired this memoir, Travis Roy realized his dream, then smashed into his nightmare. On an October night in 1995, Roy, a talented young hockey player, skated onto the ice for his varsity debut with Boston University. Eleven fateful seconds later, he was paralyzed from the neck down. Aided by the sure touch of Sports Illustrated hockey writer E.M. Swift, Roy's moving account of his accident and his rehabilitation--confined to a wheelchair, he's gotten some use of his right arm back--avoids the maudlin.Instead, Eleven Seconds is filled with grit, hope, humor, and a thoughtful young man's introspection on the meaning of sports and the adjustments that follow when the ability to play them is taken away. ... Read more

Reviews (32)

Life can change in seconds!
The Travis Roy biography, Eleven Seconds, is a great book for hockey lovers, players, fans, or anybody who likes to read about triumph in the face of tragedy. The book starts out just like a biography of a superstar, like Steve Yzerman or Gordie Howe's begin. Travis' dad runs a skating skills camp, so Travis is advanced compared to the other skaters his age. Through high school he is one of the best players on the team. He transfers to prep school with a great hockey team. He shows off his skills and earns a spot on the BU hockey team, but eleven seconds into his first shift of division one hockey he goes headfirst into the boards and becomes a quadriplegic. For the first few months he can't talk due to hoses and cords running in his mouth. All his dreams of playing hockey in the NHL are over. What will his life be like? Who will take care of him? How will he live from now on?

Heart breaking and heart warming
I will start off by saying this is not the most well written book. However, what it lacks in style, it more than makes up for with honesty and heart. This is a book that shows all of the anguish, and hope that has come from this story. After reading this, you will believe that Travis Roy is one of the strongest and most inspiring people you could ever know of.

The best part about this book is that Travis freely expressed himself. He was unafraid to show his dispair, his grief, his desire, and his heart. I feel that element makes this different from any other similar story out there.

There were parts where I laughed and parts where I cried. This book made a big impact on me because I was there when Travis has his accident and I saw how the school got together as a community to support him, something which was rare for such a large and varied institution of people.

I higly recommend this book to any sports fan, hockey fan, or anyone who just needs a little inspiration in their life.

amazing
A amazing book,that you dont even need to know alot about hockey to read.

A touching and insightful autobiography.
You don't have to be a fan of the game of hockey to appreciate the captivating and touching human drama that plays out in the pages of this book. While hockey certainly is a central character in the story, Travis Roy's narrative is less of a sports-oriented piece than it is a tribute to his family and friends, and to the depths of human kindness. Roy writes in an intelligent and conversational style that offers insight into the struggles he has had to face since his injury, and the thoughts and questions that have run through his mind. His story is genuinely moving through its striking honesty and maturity. I highly recommend this book.

I couldn't put it down...
This amazing young man leaves nothing out, the good the bad and the ugly. Truly a remarkable person and with the strength to share his life so that others can see a glimpse of a wonderful heart and true spirit . ... Read more

Reviews (37)

Jerry Stahl gets honest where most do not...
Not only is this book graphic, it kept me on the edge of my seat wanting this Heroin addict-Pill popping guy on a death wish to wake up and see his death of an existance! His attention to detail and long (But ever important) descriptions of his eventful drug induced lifestyle made me want to read this book from beginning to end. He portrays the realism that many of us went through and continued on in life as if it were the only way to live. I was very impressed and grateful to finally hear the "real" thing and not some candy-coated made for Hollywood drama. Forget the movie, this book has more than you will ever "See" at the theater. Read along and feel his pain and triumph.

A cautionary tale, to be sure
To be honest, I bought this book expecting an inside peek into the world of a TV writer. What I got was a teeny bit of that; this book is Stahl's no-holds-barred account of heroin addiction at its utmost ugliest. At the same time riveting, disgusting and interesting, this memoir would deter anyone from falling into the same horrible abyss. His honesty is raw and unflinching, but I was a little irked by his writing style -- you'd think a TV writer would cut to the chase without enveloping his thoughts in an Ivy League-inspired miasma of metaphors and similes. He touches all too briefly on his upbringing, the true root of his seemingly narcissistic behavior . . . and ends the book on a "wha' happened?" note. A good, sturdy read, but I could have done without the mind-numbing descriptions, which were too clever by half. I hope his life has turned around . . . but you never find out.

Good Start, Medium Middle, Slow Finish
Like many drug memoirs, Permanent Midnight starts off with a great premise: man is young, man is poor, man meets drugs, man falls in love with drugs, man gets sudden rush of money, man takes too much drugs, man learns to take too much drugs and still make money, man gets tired of taking too much drugs and making too much money, man moves to Arizona.
And like many drug memoirs the end is grueling and slow. Near the end of the book it seems the writer is thinking more about his paycheck than his work. But I would definetly buy this book just for the first 80%.

Titles are for losers.
This book was PHENOMENAL! I haven't read a book this good since I picked up American Psycho, and that was probably about a year ago. (American Psycho is better, though. Nothing beats Patrick Bateman, ever.) I was addicted to this book. Jerry Stahl made me feel his confusion and his pain. It was as if he jammed the neelde into MY vein, and we rode the horse in Chinatown together.

I feel like I know Jerry Stahl now. I feel like we're really good friends. I think I want to give him a phone call and talk about Mother's Day. And then I think I want to go to the park, giggle with him, and point at geese. Oh, the fun! Like, Oh my GAWD Jerry! Let's go to tha Mall! Haha, I really need sleep.

This was such a good book. It will get under your skin. You will NOT be able to put it down. But let's not put the cart before the horse, or we'll shoot ourself in the foot... Don't see the movie! As much as I love Ben Stiller (a guilty pleasure?), this was just not good. And I thought Mr. Stiller did a wonderful job of acting like a junky. I kept thinking, "this can't be the guy that keeps shooting horses in his recent movies..." Maybe he really liked doing this movie... maybe they're all strange, cryptic references to Permanent Midnight: The Movie.

Anyway, I'll stop rambling. Read this book! Read it and love it, beeyotch.

As the Junkie Turns...
Some of us stop off at McDonald's for an egg mcmuffin and coffee on the way to work. Not Jerry, his is an assortment of chemicals that make a big mac look healthy. I can't write an e-mail if I haven't had enough sleep and somehow this guy was able to write tv shows nodding off on heroin. His honesty will pull you in. If you want to know the truth about what it's really like to make it in Hollywood, read this book. ... Read more

Book Description

The remarkable story of how one mother, faced with the almost insurmountable learning problems of her son, battled doctors, schools, and his disabilities to give him a chance to learn.

As a scientist and therapist, Cheri Florance had the skills and training to help her patients to overcome speech and hearing difficulties. But she was not completely prepared to encounter her toughest challenge-her own son Whitney. From birth Whitney appeared unable to hear, seemed incapable of making any sounds, and was indifferent to those around him. Although the diagnosis of autism seemed to fit, Cheri could not accept the life that such a condition predicted for Whitney. She recognized something in him that no one else saw-a boy desperate to connect; a boy skilled at building models and solving problems that reflected a highly visual intelligence; a boy who was trapped by his inability to communicate.

In Cheri Florance's intense search for answers, she not only found her son but discovered something profound about the way the brain works and how we learn. Hers is a story that will resonate with any parent who has struggled to help a child, while it also illuminates the mysteries of the brain. ... Read more

Reviews (58)

This could only be better were it not a true story
I've probably read this about 6 times and it doesn't lose a single thing each time.

As you probably know, Ryan White was a teen in the 80's who contracted AIDS in a terryfying manner(you'll have to read it to find out how). Ryan was ana amzing child whose sense of perseverence is astounding. His story is eloquent, but easy to read. It elicits a plethora of emotions throughout the read, being touching, gutwrenching, somber, and heartwarming. It touches on some of the early-day fears and falsitudes about AIDS, the prejudice he suffered as a result, and the people he touched. However the most amazing thing I can recall is that Ryan did the unthinkable: he makes Michael Jackson seem normal.

This book will most probably change you in one way or another. It's one of my personal favorites and the only biography I enjoyed more was "Andy Kaufman: REVEALED", but that's only because Kaufman's story was much more ligthearted. I think "Ryan White: My Own Story" could only be improved if by some miracle of fate it was a work of fiction and Ryan would not have had to suffer through what he did.

A Story Full of Hope
I first read Ryan White's Story last summer of 2002. It was a wonderful book. It really made me think about my own life and I relized that I needed to be thankful for each day the Lord gave me. Having AIDS can be a really hard thing for someone to deal with. But with all the courage that Ryan White had, he did everyting he could to stop it from coming but death took his toll and he died on