Book Description

"The Needle and the Damage Done" is a personal journal ofreporterScott Bowles as hestuggled with diabetes, its complications, lications, and life on the organ transplant wait list as he waited for a new pancreas and kidney. The journal has been running in installment in USA TODAY, but "The Needle and the Damage Done" containschapters never before published. ... Read more

Amazon.com

"My grandmother Cheever taught me how to embroider, how to say the Lord's Prayer, and how to make a perfect dry martini."

Alcoholism seems to have been a family tradition among the Cheevers. The posthumous publication of pater John Cheever's journals revealed both his fondness for the bottle and his bisexuality; daughter Susan has gone her father one better, publishing a memoir of promiscuity and drunkenness while still alive. In Note in a Bottle, she leaves little to the imagination as she chronicles her career, her many sexual escapades and, of course, her drinking. A typical passage goes something like this:

Warren knows San Francisco so well it's like being in his own house to be there with him. He took me to a bar with wooden booths. We ate delicious chowder and drank white wine. He drank vodka and grapefruit; it was lunchtime but I could see he had just gotten up.I wondered who he had been in bed with. I drank more white wine.... "I still love you," he said, and he kissed me. I was late for dinner with Calvin.

Book Description

In this well-crafted memoir, a woman recounts her husband's battle with terminal brain cancer. Men and women who have lost a life partner to cancer or Alzheimer's will immediately recognize Lynch's all-too-familiar description of the decline of her husband's memory and motor skills, but will find emotional support and healing comfort as they join her on the journey through grief and recovery. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Compelling
This book reaches well beyond connecting with those who have experienced a similar loss. It is a compelling story for everyone to read who wants to experience a full life. The emotions that the author feels while going through her process are unfiltered, and real beyond what is politically correct in these circumstances. It is as if I were living in her mind and heart -- as if the experience was my own. This is the only book I have read in one sitting in a long time -- I couldn't put it down!

Required Reading for Those Dealing with a Terminal Illness
An excellent memoir that is both refreshing and helpful for those people who are experiencing the death of a loved one from a terminal illness. There is no glossing over the author's feelings-they are raw, real, and significant. The beauty of the book is that it provides a person's real experience, not a theoretical experience. More importantly, it explains a person's grief, and the realization that people do survive the pain. This book is highly recommended.

A Nightmare's Humanity
I've just finished my second reading of "In Sickness & In Health," and wanted to express to the author, Gail Lynch, my sadness for the loss of such a wonderful partnership, and my appreciation for the forthrightness with which she shares such intimate and moving details of Bob's final struggle, and her own struggle, and the struggles of their families. Her straightforward narrative offers the reader familiar yet bizarre scenes in a way that lets the reader bring her own emotional life to the account. I can imagine that this book will help many readers find the humanity and sweetness in the nightmare.

I think writing this book must have taken a lot of courage. I look forward to sharing it with my colleagues.

One Woman's Story of Love, Loss and Healing
This is a book you can't put dowm until you've read the last page. The true story of a woman's journey with her beloved husband through the medical maze of trying to conquor brain concer. The aability of the quthor's strengh to head after this trauma is inspiring to us all. ... Read more

Book Description

Staying Alive is the beautifully wrought memoir of three generations of family life, beginning in depression-era Paterson, New Jersey, where the three Smith sisters-Janet Reibstein's mother and two aunts-and their close-knit extended, Jewish family settle in the New World. Over fifty years, we see Janet's relatives grow into the professionally successful, ethnically mixed family typical in America today. What makes it atypical is the specter of breast cancer that hangs like a dark cloud over all the women in the family.It claims her two aunts first, then her mother, then a cousin.Finally Janet faces a far-reaching decision: to break the pattern and undergo a preemptive mastectomy.

This family portrait is also a palimpsest of the history of the disease. We see how support systems and awareness have grown over the years and how advances in research give women fighting breast cancer a higher survival rate and more humane treatments than the dark years of the Smith girls' early struggles.

Staying Alive is at once heartbreaking and heartwarming, a brilliant rendering of the emotional and psychological shadows cast on both the afflicted and the family members who support them. It is a story of sisters, of mothers and daughters, and also the men who loved them. In the end we are inspired by the extraordinary strength of these women, by their will to fight the disease, and the power of love in survival.
... Read more

Reviews (6)

Revealing and engrossing
This family memory of overcoming sickness recounts the experiences of the author, who decided to undergo radical surgery in an effort to prevent the cancer diagnosis and death which had plagued women of her family for decades. Their terrible legacy and suffering caused the author to make a painful decision which would change her life. Staying Alive is revealing and engrossing.

Intelligent Hope
Once upon a time there were three beautiful sisters: that's howfairy stories ae supposed to begin. And that is how in the real world the story of life in America did begin, for the daughters of one Jewish-American family, Mary, Fannie and Regina. But there was a secret darkening the future that awaited these sisters, a secret that had followed them from Europe and from the past. It is the gradual unfolding of this secret, that Janet Reibstein, the daughter of Regina, tracks as finallyit comes to play out in her own generation too.

Looking back with the intensity of a child's vision, she recreates a world, so that we too relish itsfabrics,its colours and textures. She makes the pleasure in clothes and dress that the sisters shared live again for us to share. And she also invites us to share her own journey within that family, as one by one her aunts and even her own mother arre diagnosed with the same illness, breast cancer. But instead of a story of doom, Staying Alive is a story of survival, of proactive, intelligent struggle.

You can read this book with pleasure as a family memoir exploring the generations in an American immigrant family. But what makes it truly compelling is the insight it offers into the relationship between mother and daughter, between Regina and Janet, both clearly extraordinary women but like so many mothers and daughters often painfully at odds.The sensitivitywith which Reibstein reconstructs her mother's inner life using her last journals bears witness thoughto the strength of the bond between them.

Regina is the last of the sisters to be diagnosed; time and methods of treatment have moved on and these allow her to live to the age of sixty-four. How Janet herself copes as a grown woman with the threat posed by her genetic inheritance is the thread which carries the story into the present. Her own struggle against fear and her determination to obtain the very best advice concerning the treatment of breast cancer make this a book to put into the hands of any woman who ;has been diagnosed or who lives in fear of such a diagnosis.

I learned a lot from this book, not least about mothers and daughters-and I loved the clothes.

Staying Alive
Beautifully written book about the struggles of a family with a history of cancer.It was informative, heartwarming and at the same time heartbreaking to read about the three sisters and how they struggled and lost theirfight against Cancer. The book told how much courage Janet's Mother (Regina) and her two sisters Fannie and Mary had in their battle.I learned how much medical procedures have advanced since the depression-era.It is also a compelling story of how Janet Reibstein (the author) took a pro-active role in beating the cancer for herself. I would highly recommend this book to anyone facing this challenge and their families as well. Italso describes how it affects the whole family and how they cope with all of these emotions.

Powerful
I'm in awe of the strength that the author possessed to take on such a decision as well as the strength that her mother had during her battle with cancer.I'm sure this book will have an impact on everyone who reads it.

Moving, inspiring memoir about breast-cancer family
A moving, inter-generational memoir, also, an inspiring book that will help to empower women to take charge of their destiny.A portrait of several generations of a family whose lives are full of so much--joy, at times, distress, at other times and, much of the time--the anxiety that accompanies the ever-present threat of breast cancer which threatens many members of this family.How they handle it, howhealthcare evolves through the generations, and, in particular, how the author triumphs over it makes riveting, important reading. ... Read more

Amazon.com

When he was 10 years old, the author watched as his brother Michael losthis mind. High on LSD and screaming uncontrollably because God was torturinghim, the 14-year-old smashed everything in his bedroom, his feet red with bloodfrom broken glass. Michael collected snakes and let them slither around hisnaked body; he beat Greg nearly senseless, then smashed his own forehead into asharp branch in repentance; he stayed up all night, watching Christiantelevision or "puzzling over his strange and cruel distance from God." Theirparents, preoccupied by the ceaseless work that had taken them from a dirt-poorVirginia town to an affluent suburb that they really couldn't afford, thoughtdrugs the problem and throwing Michael out the answer. Not until 1977, when hewas 21, did they learn that he was an acute paranoid schizophrenic, so severelymentally ill that he probably would never be healed, although medication mightcontrol his behavior. Michael became increasingly dangerous, but could not beinstitutionalized against his will; when he set their house on fire in 1993, thefather's reaction was relief: "This was the best thing that could havehappened.... He'll be put away." He was, and, Bottoms acknowledges, "We've allfound a peace without Michael that we're not willing to give up." There's nofalse sentiment in this unflinching memoir of a family that's alienated, insteadof united, by tragedy: "We all hid from each other," Bottoms writes withcharacteristic candor. "We shared a space, a roof, nothing else." There is,however, tremendous sorrow for a blighted life and the havoc that it wrought.Bottoms's finely crafted prose offers no consolation or easy answers--simplyemotional precision and the satisfaction of hard truth. --Wendy Smith ... Read more

Book Description

The Outsider is an unsentimental yet profoundly moving look at one family’s experience with mental illness.In 1978, Charles Lachenmeyer was a happily married professor of sociology who lived in the New York suburbs with his wife and nine-year-old son, Nathaniel.But within a few short years, schizophrenia–a devastating mental illness with no known cure–would cost him everything: his sanity, his career, his family, even the roof over his head.Upon learning of his father’s death in 1995, Nathaniel set out to search for the truth behind his father’s haunted, solitary existence.Rich in imagery and poignant symbolism, The Outsider is a beautifully written memoir of a father’s struggle to survive with dignity, and a son’s struggle to know the father he lost to schizophrenia long before he finally lost him to death.

The Outsider is a recipient of the Kenneth Johnson Memorial Research Library Book Award and is the winner of the 2000 Bell of Hope Award, presented annually by the Mental Health Association of Philadelphia to honor “significant and far-reaching contributions benefiting those facing the challenge of mental illness.” ... Read more

Book Description

In the six decades since he took to the stage and screen, Kirk Douglas has starred in eighty-three films and nine plays, written seven books, and made a remarkable commitment to humanitarian causes throughout the world. Known internationally and across generations for playing the indomitable Spartacus, topping international bestseller lists, and building parks and schools in troubled communities, Kirk Douglas is a legend in his own time and serves as an inspiration to us all.

Now, in My Stroke of Luck, his vivid and very personal reflection upon his extraordinary life, Kirk Douglas finally completes his story by offering a candid and heartfelt memoir of where it all went right. Written in his own words, Douglas offers tender vignettes in tribute to the childhood that shaped him, the wife and devoted family who supported him, and the life-changing event that helped him to appreciate the gifts given to him over his eightythree years.

Revealing for the first time not only the incredible physical and emotional toll of his debilitating stroke, but how it has changed his life for the better, Douglas offers the lessons that saved him and helped him to heal. Alongside his heartfelt advice and insight, he also shares warm memories involving some of the most famous figures of our time -- including Burt Lancaster, Michael J. Fox, and Gary Cooper -- as well as others who have soared to greatness in the face of adversity.

Touching and funny, inspiring and uplifting, Kirk Douglas traces how his greatest setback became a source of strength and renewal -- leading him to find the eighth decade of his life the most fulfilling yet. Charming, soulful, and filled with personal insights and never-before-seen personal photographs, My Stroke of Luck is an intimate look at the real person behind the fabulous talent -- and at a life lived to its very fullest.

Reviews (8)

Inspirational memoir
Read MY STROKE OF LUCK by Kirk Douglas, his inspirational
memoir depicting the past few years of his life . . . they have not been healthy ones for the famed actor, in that he first
was in a helicopter crash and then suffered a stroke.

But he has managed to survive both, even managing to
resume his acting career . . . you'll be moved by both his
upbeat attitude and sense of humor as he faced many life
events that have unfortunately gotten the best of many
others . . . I don't know if I would be able to maintain Douglas' grace, but I would make every attempt to do so.

This book is a "must" for anybody who has suffered a
stroke or knows anybody who has . . . in addition, movie
fans will like it for the many reminisces sprinkled throughout.

There were many memorable passages; among them:
What a hard life she [my mother] endured. I kept studying
her face. My mother's eyes opened and she stared at my face,
filled with anxiety. She smiled softly and squeezed my hand
gently. Her eyes, almost black on her white face, seemed to be
looking through me. She whispered, "Don't be afraid, it happens
to everyone." She took a deep breath and exhaled. The air came
out of her mouth like a slowly deflating balloon. She stopped
breathing.

The world is filled with people who have suffered from one misfortune or another. The only thing that sets one apart from the rest is the desire and the attempt to help others. People who reach out beyond their pain, out into the world in a trusting way-they are the ones who make a difference. Nietzsche said, "He who has a why to live for can bear with almost any how."

Why? Because deep down we know that what matters in this life
is more than winning for ourselves. What matters in this life
is helping others win, even if it means slowing down and changing our course. We all want happiness. Life teaches us that we achieve happiness when we seek the happiness and well-being of others.

MAN WITH A GREAT EGO
MY STROKE OF LUCK By Kirk Douglas

This is a case where a huge ego with character comes in handy. It let him help others and it helped him become one of the best actors in his time. Additionally, he wrote this book about a stroke he had in his 80s-and this is one of several books he wrote. I hope my ego is large enough to keep me going for that long. It's not big enough to even to start what he has done is one lifetime. So he couldn't talk. I know just how he felt. I couldn't either.

A brain attack is a strange experience, especially if you have aphasia. You are trying to talk to the doctor and he hears nothing but strange sounds. At least Kirk Douglas could walk which was wonderful at his age and after what he had already put his body through.

They have medicine for depression which some times does not help as Kirk found out. Thank God for an ego and a wonderful sense of humor, which he had to have. He has a very good memory and the things he did, and is still doing for his friends and strangers will always be remembered by the world.

I got a good laugh out of his thoughts of death where he appeared in front of an old man and asked him if he was in heaven. The old man roared, "THAT'S WHERE YOU CAME FROM, don't you like what I gave you on earth, this is a RECYCLING PLANT, where humans are made of dust and in the end return to dust!" For some of us it is our heaven, the Earth! That why we are in no hurry to leave.

It's wonderful that a man of Kirks age can write a book while he is recovering from a stroke. And, not just a book, but also an excellent book, which will help anyone with any kind of disability problem who reads it. For others it's just an excellent book.

Roger L. Lee

A truly inspiring book
Mr. Douglas chronicles his debilitating stroke, and how it changed his life. He pays tribute to those who helped him, and also tells us of the things he learned along the way.

A must-read book, which shows the REAL Kirk Douglas--an exceptionally brave man, and a wonderful human being.

Self-Praise
Will Rogers once said, "The movies are the only business where you can go out front and applaud yourself." This must be what drew Kirk Douglas to the acting profession, for this slight volume (considerably slimmer than one might expect with its small trim size and double spacing), his third memoir after The Ragman's Son and Climbing the Mountain, can barely contain his ego.

Although mostly peppered with the praise he has received over the years for his roles in over 80 films, the stated purpose of the book is detailing the aftermath of the minor stroke Douglas suffered in 1996.

In doing so, he casts many side-glances at the film industry, a profession he advised his sons not to enter because, "The chances of success are so remote; the pitfalls of failure and depression lie hidden along the trail," but, "Alas, they don't listen to me."

The reality of dealing with a stroke made Douglas sit up and take notice of fellow actors who have also had to deal with their own health challenges, among them, Christopher Reeve, Michael J. Fox and Dudley Moore, "who use their celebrity to bring light to the darkness."

In 1996, Douglas was at his home in Los Angeles when he noticed a strange pain that ran from his temple to his cheek, after which his speech was impaired. Not realizing he had suffered a stroke, his cook added insult to injury by slapping him in the face in an attempt to "revive" him. But his wife's swift action - once alerted to the situation - in seeking medical treatment for her husband probably minimized the effects of the stroke, and may have saved his life.

When it came to death, his mother had modeled acceptance, on her deathbed whispering, "Don't be afraid, it happens to everyone," but Douglas was not so sure he was ready to resign himself to such a fate. Upon his release from hospital, he retreated to a hospital bed in his room at home, his "cocoon."

He shares the fear and bewilderment that accompanied his recovery: "Strokes are for elderly people," he writes, "I was only 80...." In the process, he speaks of depression and hopelessness (at one point considering suicide): "Each day I did nothing but lie in this black hole, which only seemed to get smaller and darker."

To cope with being confined to bed, Douglas relived some of his most cherished memories in his mind. "When I found a good memory, like a dog I hid my favorite bone, to be chewed on later." Those memories included his mother telling him as a child that snow comes from "the angels sweeping the porch of heaven," and memories of getting ice cream with his father.

Here, he shares the trials and travails of his rehabilitation. When he'd had enough of self-pity, anguish and despair, he turned his thoughts to doing something to help others. Inspired by how Ronald Reagan had "the courage to write a letter to the world when he knew he had Alzheimer's disease," Douglas established the Motion Picture Relief Home's Alzheimer's Unit in 1997.

Douglas fans won't be disappointed since the book has its share of stargazing nostalgia. He recalls how he walked actor Patricia Neal home after the premiere of The Fountainhead, how he "kissed her good night, passionately, as I remember, and often. A jealous Gary Cooper was watching from across the street." Neal has had three massive strokes herself but was able to recover and resume work.

Outside the acting profession, Stephen Hawking is hailed for dealing with Lou Gehrig's disease, as are Tipper Gore and Mike Wallace for their frank admissions about suffering from depression, and the message is clear: "Sometimes God gives us obstacles in life to overcome to make us stronger."

Douglas borrowed the inspiration for the book's title from his friend Jim MacLaren, who, despite losing a leg in a motorcycle accident persevered as an actor and a triathlete. When MacLaren - unbelievably - was paralyzed by a further accident involving a truck, he later told Douglas, "I consider it a stroke of luck," adding, "it changed me. I didn't like the guy I used to be."

As for Douglas's own experience, he reports he has "developed an appreciation for language" after being left with a speech impediment as a result of the stroke. But on a happier note, he relates his son Michael says he's noticed improvement in his father's golf game since he plays less aggressively now. Of Michael, Douglas once quipped, "If I knew he was going to be that famous, I would have been nicer to him when he was young."

My Stroke of Luck also includes Douglas's advice on love and a tribute to his wife Anne, who herself had to endure breast cancer and whom he has been married to for 48 years.

Since his stroke, Douglas has spent much of his time helping other stroke survivors and their families deal with the aftermath of a stroke. Now he offers further advice.

Referring to his acting career, Douglas says, "For years, I was so busy, I had no time to think about anyone but me, me, me," and "How time flies when you're thinking only of yourself." That hasn't really changed here, given his constant references to the flattery he's received over the years, but still he is to be congratulated for his attempt at shedding light on this common affliction.

Also admirable is Douglas's drive and determination. Post-stroke he has starred in a movie and made a guest appearance in a television series, and at the time of writing - at the age of 83 - he is anxious for more parts, still waiting for the phone to ring, hoping it's his agent.

Profoundly Simple and Moving
Kirk Douglas chronicles his own struggle to overcome the personal and professional demons tied to the aftermath of a devastating stroke in MY STROKE OF LUCK. The stories are full of passion, courage, and spontaneity.

The book is an incredibly swift read, as he concentrates solely on the vignettes associated to the events instead of dealing (as some books of this variety do) with the mountains and mountains of ancilliary details that, while may be eye-opening, can be as exhaustive to the reader as they are to the stroke survivor.

In my family, a relation on my wife's side endured a stroke, and we watched how the debilitating condition affected her ability to communicate, to express, and to feel. Of course, we always knew of her frustration, but we couldn't step into her shoes and begin to comprehend just how infuriating her condition could be. Mr. Douglas's book brings much of this to light, in bravely discussing openly some of his own feelings of inadequacy and anger, but, ultimately, he tells the reader how he managed to achieve a type of peace, humor, and acceptance of one of the cruelest tricks life could play on any of us.

While some of the prose is light, this is a triumph best told simply, allowing the reader to almost walk hand-in-hand with one of the world's greatest actors and hear how even the littlest experiences have all of a sudden become incredible physical and emotional obstacles. ... Read more

Book Description

While working alone on his parent's farm one January morning in 1992, eighteen year old John Thompson became entangled in a piece of machinery. In an instant, both arms were ripped from his body and he was knocked unconscious. Not knowing if he would survive his injuries, John get off the ground, staggered over 100 yards to the house, and opened a door with his mouth. Once in the house he grasped a pen in his teeth to punch numbers on the phone and call for help. He then went to the bathroom, climbed in the bathtub so he wouldn't bleed on his mother's new carpets, and waited for help to arrive. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

A True Hero!
Being from the midwest I had heard about John Thompson.
Well really who did not hear about this awful accident.
I had no idea he had written a book, until I went to
the gift shop at North Memorial and had been a patient
there. Right on the counter was his book. Bought it,
read it in 2 days. It is hard to take at times as he
mentions the operations etc. You relize what he went
through beyond the spotlights. And it was not nice at
times, but he held on. What was so sad when his dog
died, Tuffy was the one who licked his face when his
arms were torn off and awoke him. Tuffy was his hero.
John is a hero and will always be a hero in my heart. Also
he had signed the book!

I learned about courage
For a period of a few months ten years ago, just about everyone knew who John Thompson was - his accident was front page news. His book relates not only how he coped with the loss and subsequent reattachment of his arms, but also how he dealt with the publicity that followed and how he came to terms with having his life changed forever.

Exceptional Story, Exceptionally Written
John and Paula collaborated to bring this compelling story to print. Makes you appreciate all that you have and realize that there really are still hero's in our chaotic world.

A Touching Story
I was living far from North Dakota when the news about John Thompson's accident became national news ten years ago. Like many, I was struck by John's courage and the inspiration it brought to all who heard it. Many of us wonder how we would deal with a traumatic accident like this to ourselves or to a loved one. John Thompson's book honestly tells us the story behind the headlines and how he has struggled to overcome both the physical and emotional challenges this accident brought him. As difficult as this must have been for him to write, he has given a gift to anyone who has survived a similar ordeal. His story is a must-read. Once I started, I couldn't put the book down!

This one you don't want to miss!!!!!!!!!!!
Normally this is something I wouldn't pick up and read it's not my thing. But I did pick it up out of curiosity and read a page or two out of the midsection. That made me go back to the beginning and read it in total from the beginning. It's great! Well written and a very compelling story. Pick it up you won't regret it. ... Read more

Book Description

Unlike her ubiquitous brothers, psychologist and philosopher William and novelist Henry, Jr., Alice James (1848-1892)-the youngest child and only daughter of the wealthy, mercurial, and eccentric New Englander Henry James, Sr.-passed much of her brief lifetime at home, largely isolated from society, unafforded the opportunity to receive extensive formal education or to attain the public success or recognition of her famous siblings.She was, in many ways, a victim of a society that severely circumscribed the lives of women, and that deprived even privileged and talented women like Alice of their intellectual, spiritual, and emotional-as well as physical-freedom.Indeed, James spent many of her years as an invalid, afflicted with a depressive malaise that left her constantly trying to recover a sense of identity and integrity.

Yet, within the pages of the journal she kept during the last four years of her life, Alice James emerges neither as a downtrodden casualty of her era nor as merely an interesting footnote to the illustrious James family saga, but rather as a formidable and triumphant individual in her own right.Far from displaying any wholesale acceptance of the ruling assumptions about her gender-or, for that matter, about anything else-James's diary reveals a vigorously opinionated, intellectually curious, extremely gifted writer renegotiating her position within the discourses of her time.

Long unavailable to students, scholars, and the general reader, this volume reprints Leon Edel's 1964 edition, which is widely accepted as the most faithful reproduction of the original diary.A new introduction by Linda Simon draws extensively on recent scholarship to illuminate James's role both in the context of her family and nineteenth-century culture. ... Read more

Book Description

Joseph Carey Merrick, born in Leicester on August 5th, 1852, is better known as The Elephant Man.

Through horrible physical deformities which were almost impossible to describe, he spent much of his life exhibited as a fairground freak until even nineteenth-century sensibilities could take no more.

Hounded, persecuted, and starving, he ended up one dy at Liverpool Street Station, where he was rescued, housed, and fed by the distinguished surgeon Frederick Treves.To Treve's surprise, he discovered during thecourse of their friendship that lurking beneath the mass of Merrick's corrupting flesh lived a spirit that was as courageous as it had been tortured and a nature as gentle and dignified as it had been deprived and tormented.

The subject of several books, a Broadway hit, and film, Joseph Merrick has become part of popular mythology.Here, in this fully revised edition conatining much fresh information, are the true and unromanticized facts of his life.An extraordinary and moving story, set amongst the brutal realities of the Victorian world, telling of a tragic individual and his survival against overwhelming odds. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Joseph Carey Merrick - the Man, the Soul
'Tis true my form is something odd
but blaming me is blaming God,
Could I create myself anew
I would not fail in pleasing you.

If I could reach from pole to pole
or grasp the ocean with a span,
I would be measured by the soul -
the mind's the standard of the man.

I bought this book many years ago, unfortunately I made the mistake of lending it to someone and I never got it back. This is a remarkable book. I was touched by Joseph Merrick years ago. For the past nine years, I have been running the Joseph Carey Merrick Tribute Website. It is a site dedicated to Joseph, the person - not Joseph, the disability. I'm presently heading a London and Leicester (UK) campaign to have a commemorative plaque erected in his honour. He deserves to have a permanent tribute. He has done a great deal to advance medical science, through his skeleton, and thanks to him, there will one day be a cure for Proteus Syndrome. It's time the world said 'thank you'. Please give your moral support by visiting the site. I'm not sure if web addresses can be mentioned here, so simply type the following in your web browser: Joseph Carey Merrick Tribute Website

Soul stirring and heart warming account of a young man
I inherited this book from a deceased family member. I had heard about David Lynch's movie about The Elephant Man, but I never saw it. Reading this book made me cry and empathize with Joseph Carey Merrick for his condition and the ostractize he received from the world based on his looks and not his soul.

Joseph Carey Merrick was the real Elephant Man not a fictional character. Joseph had a loving mother that died when he was a child and his father moved and remarried. His step-mother didn't like him and scorned him for his looks and his inability to find work due to his lameness, telling him that what she fed him was more than he earned. Eventually he refused to return home for meals because he didn't want to listen to step-mother barate him anymore. His father stopped looking for him, but did get him a hawker's license to hawk wares on the street. But people were afraid of him and would not buy his wares, and he acquired a gathering of curious people around him. His uncle gave him shelter for a while, but Joseph left there too. He worked in the workhouse a place of refuge and work for the poor and destitute for 3 years, but hated it and left. He ended up being exhibited as a sideshow freak under the name of "The Elephant Man" because his congenital deformity made it so that he resemble that of an elephant (or so the posters showed him to resemble). When he was at Whitechapel Road, across the street from the London Hospital Dr. Treves saw him for the first time and brought him to the hospital to examine him. Over the next few years Joseph was exhibited, his managers robbed him of his life savings and left. Joseph went back to Whitechapel Road and to the care of the only friend he knew . . . Dr. Treves. He spent his remaining years under the friendship and care of the staff at the London Hospital.

I loved this story. Michael Howell and Peter Ford told a true and compassionate account of Joseph Merrick's life. A man who was like any other human being with hopes and dreams with one setback.. His congenital deformity that prohibited his ability to be like, and experience and sleep lying down on his back like other people. Through all of years and hardships, Joseph was scared, but kind and kept a calm serenity inside himself about his condition. He had so much gratitude for the staff and his new friends who helped him, he made cardboard models and sent these things to those people who saw to his care in his appreciation for their help. The book also includes pictures how Merrick looked when he was admitted to the London Hospital, and a display of his skeleton after death.

The True History of the Elephant Man
I first read the original article on the elephant man Joseph Merrick by Dr Treves in a magazine in the mid 1970s. I then saw the movie in 1980. The movie peaked my interest for further info so I bought the book. The book not only goes into extensive detail of the disease but goes also extensively into Joseph Merrick's life as well as life in the Victorian era as it effected the common man. The imagery of the period was brought out by the writers: the London Hospital, the surrounding area, the showmen and their lives, etc. The research was very detailed, although later after the book's publication we learned of the possibility that Merrick suffered from Proteus and not pneumofibromatosis. This book should be read by anybody interested in these diseases as well as anybody interested in this time period.

Undeniably human, Unquestioningly Heroic
Joseph Merrick is a personal hero of mine. I picked up this book around ten years ago when I was diagnosed with what was thought to be an inoperable spinal tumour and I was told I had Neurofibromatosis, what was then thought to be the disease attributed to Joseph Merrick's. Not only was it an inspirational story that helped me in my struggle to learn to walk again but I found it (and still do) an intensly readable account of surely one of Britain's most unfortuante son's and one of popular culture's most enduring figure. The story of The Elephant Man is familiar to many from the 1980 Brooksfilms production starring Anthony Hopkins as Sir Frederick Treves and John Hurt as the enigmatic Joseph Merrick. Michael Howell and Peter Ford tell Merrick's story with a rich blend of history giving the reader an insight into late nineteenth century England and the fairground attraction that gripped the European community as well as exploring the medical insight into Neurofibromatosis the disease which, at the time of it's orignal printing, it was widely regarded Merrick did indeed have. This insight proves fascinating without alienating the reader with complicated medical jargon. Whilst Frederick Treves figures prominently, perhaps too much so as other reviewers have suggested, one can't deny that it was this passionate surgeon that was Joseph's salvation in the last years of his life providing a quality of life he surely would never had if there lives had not intertwined.

As with the 1980 film The Elephant Man Howell and Ford's book does question Treves motives for rescuing Merrick only to make him a curiosity all over again within the Victorian medical fraternity leaving the reader to ponder those motives, but when one reads the Appendix written by Treves himself shortly before his death in 1923 included in this book one can only admire the special frienship that was forged between these two men. Joseph was a hero on so many levels something that a clear theme throughout the book and it leaves little doubt in my mind why his memory is so enduring even today. There simply hasn't been a human being quite like Joseph Merrick since his death at 27 years in 1890. Howell and Ford's The True History Of The Elephant Man is a compelling account that is as relevant now as it was on it's original release in 1980. And like the film I can only describe as a luminous experience...

It was okay but needed to give Merrick more credit
Well I love anything that has to do with Joseph Merrick and this is actually the first book I found about him, but the authors seemed to be giving more attention to Sir Fredrick Treves than to Joseph himself, regarding him as a conquering hero and Merrick a pathetic freak.Ofcourse this just my opinion, and i'll give it 3stars for all the information it gives and the pictures that I truley needed to see. ... Read more

Book Description

By the time he was three, Walker's parents were concerned enough about his delayed development to consult a paediatric neurologist. Doctors diagnosed autism and issued a grim prognosis: 'I hold out no hope for this child'. But they hadn't accounted for Walker's intelligence, affection, and sense of humour - or for the remarkable bonds that grew within his family.

Walker's father, Robert Hughes, tells a touching and inspiring story of discovering that their 'perfect little boy had a problem'. With disarming honesty and humour, the book tells how a family copes and keeps hope alive despite the staggering difficulties autism presents. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Running With Walker, A Family Story of True Love
Faith, hope,courage,easy words to say ,even easier to aspire to, but Running With Walker tells of a family who lives these ideals as a matter of course.I read this book ,or rather devoured it, in a day and a half,its' story as compelling,its' characters as real as any best-selling novel.Running With Walker far exceeds the specifics of a family coping with an autistic child. The humor,warmth and some-times painful honesty of the fathers' narrative,the mom's undaunting hope and determination, the younger brother Davy's compassion and love in the midst of an unusual and difficult situation can speak to any of us in a heartfelt and profound way.
Walker, as the focus of the story,is revealed as a joyous , energetic and loving human being who happens to be autistic.Because his family sees the real boy and not the autistic label, we can too , and join the Hughes'in their struggle to provide a satisfying and fulfilling life for both their sons and each other.I know I will reread this book many times for its' insight and uplifting message and recommend it wholeheartedly to anyone who appreciates a true story about family love.

Running with Walker
After reading this book, it helped me come to realize that no matter what obstacles seem to overwhelm us, we always find a way to overcome them and achieve a sense of accomplishment in our lives. Running With Walker is truly an inspirational tale to any that have had issues, and it sends a firm message: believe.
The way this is written allows an inside look at the lives of the Hughes family and how they established a caring, loving family despite their austistic son, Walker, who grows better each day due to the encouragement of his parents and brother. I thought this story was wonderful in both the written word and the message it gives to those who read it. The sheer ability of the entire storyline to change instantly from dramatic and heartfelt to vibrant and amusing is really quite amazing, and this is a great addition to any bookshelf.

Fantastic
I began reading "Running With Walker" after brunch one Sunday, and didn't put it down until I finished it later that evening. I hope that peple don't make the assumption, as I did at first, that this is a "medical" book about an illness. This is no more a book about autism than "The Da Vinci Code" is a book about art. This is a story about a family and how they used thier stregnth and love for one another help them to overcome adversity. Hughes puts such a lighthearted, often humorous spin on events that many would have a hard time seeing the silver lining in, and you walk away from his story feeling that you have new good friends in the Hughes Family.

Care providers need to see this book
Care providers in Early Childhood and Developmental Delay need to see this book, for their own professional good. The author is an incredibly perceptive parent. He vividly draws the story of his son's experiences in the hands of a range of professionals. In doing so, Hughes shines a hard light on what appear to be the worst and best possible practices in today's arena. His descriptions elicit gasps -- of consternation or admiration -- page after page. Heart-rending frankness here is lightened by a saving sense of humor. As a fellow parent of a special-needs child, I am left in awe.

intelligence and compassion
As I read this memoir-I was struck by the intelligence and compassion that informs it. Of course-it is about a family with an autistic child. But it is also filled with insight and practical wisdom-about parenting and loving and guiding and coping and persevering. A superbly crafted book, "Running With Walker" is perceptive, imaginative, witty, poignant, humorous-all at the same time. Hughes has created remarkable portraits-not to be missed-of his family-even his city-and especially-of himself. ... Read more

Book Description

Now a Hallmark Hall of Fame TV-movie starring Kathy Bates, Elizabeth Perkins, and Lynn Redgrave.

When Margaret Moorman's older sister, Sally, was first hospitalized with schizophrenia in 1959, her family denied the truth to neighbors, friends-and even themselves. Not until thirty years later, when their mother's death made her Sally's sole caretaker, did Margaret face the truth. In this poignant memoir, she tells the brave story of her struggle to come to grips with the legacy of her sister's devastating disease, its effect on her own life and on her entire family. Candid, moving, and ultimately healing, My Sister's Keeper is a heartwarming story about two sisters and their love for one another. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Anyone who has a difficult family member will understand...
This true-story book tells of a woman's experiences in dealing with a sister with bipolar disorder. Throughout her life, her sister's illness has impacted her own life in a variety of ways, and after the mother dies and she is the only one responsible for her sister, the situation intensifies. While on medication, the bipolar sister can function reasonably well, but she goes off meds from time to time and then the sister eventually has a mess to sort out.

The ambivalence of the relationship (the two sisters both love and resent each other) is perfectly captured in this book. It rings true. Although there was sufficient money left by the mother and social services available to assist, so that this was not the "worst case" scenario that some families experience, still, the family-wide devastation of mental illness was well captured in this book.

I couldn't put it down. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Beyond compare...
Humor beyond compare. This book belongs in every nursing home, living resources center, self-help library -- not to mention on the nightstand of anyone who's ailing and needs a good laugh. A prolific cartoonist, all of Callahan's books are excellent, and none of the cartoons repeat in any of his several volumes. The vision of John Callahan is monumental. Don't miss the laughter; it will make you well. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

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 live life 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.

Laura Murphy Atlanta, Ga.

On Any Given Day
I found this first person account co-authored by Joe Martin, who has ALS, very inspirational. Joe allows the reader to share his feelings of frustration as well as to grasp the depth of his convictions that life should be celebrated and cherished. Ross Yocke's commentary throughout the book provides an additional source of information which is helpful for the reader to gain perspective about Joe Martin's life with ALS. This short 178 page book pulls the reader into Joe Martin's reality, and allows the reader to share his religious and moral convictions, as well as to revel in his wonderful anecdots. This book reminds me of Tuesdays with Morrie. I hope others will enjoy reading On Any Given Day as much as I have.

Inspirational, real and challenging
Joe Martin and his family (family, friends and bank colleagues) are the greatest support system. Joe's life inspires, challenges and motivates all to do more. His will to live is refreshing, unbelievable given the impact of ALS on his body but not on his mind or spirit. For anyone facing disease, stress or looking for meaning, this is a must read.

It's a quick read and doesn't leave you down -- but instead deals with a tough subject -- living with a terminal disease -- with reality and purpose. You will learn how "you can live like this"

Hope Amid Hopelessness
I must admit my bias up front. I know the Author, although we've never met face-to-face. I viewed a video of Mr. Martin several years ago, "Mountains Into Molehills", where he gave his acceptance speech for the Whitney Young Award from the Urban League. I was so inspired, I sat down and wrote him a letter, and so started a long distance relationship (I would like to call a friendship) via e-mail. The Joe I've admired for these past 3 years certainly comes across in his book...a man who is "recovering" from ALS (Lou Gherig's Disease), a man so full of life and hope despite the fact that he cannot lift his head, or any other part of his body, from his pillow in the morning.

There will be obvious comparisons with this book and the best-seller "Tuesday's With Morrie". Both books deal with the struggle of ALS,and both books feature remarkable human beings. Joe, in fact, mentions that book in his memoir. If it's possible, Joe affirms life and hope even more that Morrie. He may not offer his observations on all of the points of life that "Tuesday's" addressed, but his lessons on life shine through in how he lives every day. He faces each day with hope, gratitude, and grace. Long before this book, Joe Martin has impacted lives across the country..mine included.

If you are questioning life, are feeling sorry for yourself, or are facing the challenges that living can sometimes bring, buy this book now, and read it tomorrow. I'm sure the book will never achieve the stratosperic sales that "Tuesday's with Morrie" has achieved, but the message is just as inspirational and timeless. Joe's lessons and words will endure for many, many years. ... Read more

Book Description

Until the middle-aged, unmarried Isabella Bird (1831-1904) left her native Scotland for an independent life of travel, she was debilitated by illness, suffering from "neuralgia, pain in my bones, pricking like pins and needles in my limbs, excruciating nervousness, exhaustion, inflamed eyes, sore throat, swelling of the glands behind each ear, stupidity."Bird was so weak that she required a steel support to hold her head up and spent most of her time confined to bed. Desperate to find a cure, her doctors finally packed her off to the Pacific and Switzerland.Once there, the forty-year-old invalid miraculously recovered, and became determined to seek any adventure that allowed her to see the singular beauty of nature.

In Hawaii, she was the first woman to climb the world’s highest volcano; in Perak, she rode elephants through the jungles; in Colorado, she scaled 14,000 foot mountains, spent six months traveling mostly alone on horseback, and fell in love with a one-eyed desperado named Rocky Mountain Jim.But whenever she came home to Scotland, her symptoms returned, making another trip essential.Bird's remarkable journeys took her to the remotest parts of the world and brought her considerable fame.She became the first female Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, advised Prime Minister William Gladstone on the issue of Armenian Christians, and was presented to Queen Victoria in 1893.Her numerous travel writings, including ‘The Hawaiian Archipelago,’ ‘A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains,’ ‘Unbeaten Tracks in Japan,’ and ‘The Golden Chersonese,’ remain popular today.

In this fascinating collection of Bird's previously unpublished letters to her homebound younger sister Henrietta, one experiences her journeys first-hand and gains insight into the ambiguous private life of a woman who often invented her public face.Containing correspondence from her first two grand tours to Australia, Hawaii, and Colorado in 1872–1873, and to Japan, China, Malaya, and the Holy Land in 1878–1879, ‘Letters to Henrietta’ provides a fresh view of the legendary Victorian traveler. ... Read more

Book Description

Reynolds Price has long been one of America's most acclaimed and accomplished men of letters -- the author of novels, stories, poems, essays, plays, and a memoir. In A Whole New Life, however, he steps from behind that roster of achievements to present us with a more personal story, a narrative as intimate and compelling as any work of the imagination.

In 1984, a large cancer was discovered in his spinal cord ("The tumor was pencil-thick and gray-colored, ten inches long from my neck-hair downward"). Here, for the first time, Price recounts without self-pity what became a long struggle to withstand and recover from this appalling, if all too common, affliction (one American in three will experience some from of cancer). He charts the first puzzling symptoms; the urgent surgery that fails to remove the growth and the radiation that temporarily arrests it (but hurries his loss of control of his lower body); the occasionally comic trials of rehab; the steady rise of severe pain and reliance on drugs; two further radical surgeries; the sustaining force of a certain religious vision; an eventual discovery of help from biofeedback and hypnosis; and the miraculous return of his powers as a writer in a new, active life.

Beyond the particulars of pain and mortal illness, larger concerns surface here -- a determination to get on with the human interaction that is so much a part of this writer's much-loved work, the gratitude he feels toward kin and friends and some (though by no means all) doctors, the return to his prolific work, and the "now appalling, now astonishing grace of God."

A Whole New Life offers more than the portrait of one brave person in tribulation; it offers honest insight, realistic encouragement and inspiration to others who suffer the bafflement of catastrophic illness or who know someone who does or will. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

ALong and Happy Life
Stricken with spinal cancer in 1984 at 51, novelist Reynolds Price lived to tell the tale, and what a tale it is. With not an ounce of self-pity, Price recounts his diagnosis, treatment, continuous battle with pain and his "whole new life" as someone who now uses a wheelchair with brutal honesty and humor. If you have ever doubted for an instant that we as individuals are ultimately left to put our lives back together after a traumatic illness, Price's story should put that myth to rest. He alone with the help of hypnosis learned how to deal with constant pain, a subject that many of his doctors ignored.

Mr. Price gives every indication that he has a new and happy life. He certainly has gotten on with it and continues to turn out books almost as rapidly as Joyce Carol Oates. It is fortunate that someone with the literary stature of Price chose to write down his experience. This book, along with Abraham Vergese's book about his experience as a doctor treating AIDS patients in East Tennessee in the early years of the epidemic-- MY OWN COUNTRY-- should be required reading for all med students. If reading these two books has no effect on them, they should get out of medicine and into computers.

A WHOLE NEW LIFE is truly an amazing book and as good as anything Price has ever written. It may be his best effort. I cannot recommend it too highly.

One test of a good book is...
One test of a good book is this: does it change the way you live your life or how you look at people. Reynolds Price, professor of English at Duke University, explores in this work a theme that hits everyone but that we don't often consider, or wish to consider, that is, the effect of major trauma on one's life and the life of one's friends, and perhaps everyone else around you.

RP tells the story of his own experience with spinal cancer in a bold, unflinching, but intensely personal way. One of the themes of the work is how profoundly a patient is affected by the attitudes and communication habits of medical care professionals. While he has tremendous praise for those who showed loving concern for him in his difficult times, he also wonders why some were so callous. For instance, he was informed of his tumor by two doctors while lying on a gurney in a crowded hallway. "What would those tow splendidly trained men have lost if they'd waited to play their trump til I was back in the private room for which Blue Cross was paying our mutual employer, Duke [University], a sizable mint in my behalf?"

Also wonderful in this book are his lessons/recommendation for those who have undergone similar tragedies such as this: "Generous people - true practical saints, some of them boring as root canals - are waiting to give you everything on Earth but your main want, which is simply THE PERSON YOU USED TO BE."

For me at least, this book helped change how I look at people, and I hope, will give me strength to deal with the traumas that will undoubtedly come someday to me and those I love.

Honest, insightful, earthy
I took a long time to read this book so that I could think about all that Mr. Price said, there was so much--about being a person struck down with a "catastrophic" illness, what it is like to lose the ability to walk or do anything else with your legs, about having cancer and wondering when it is coming back, navigating a large medical complex, about being a different person because of it all, about embracing that different person rather than resisting him, about what is most important about caregivers, doctors, nurses and friends. (Mr. Price has awesome friends who basically would go to the ends of the earth for him).I learned so much and found Mr Price's writing to be so honest and earthy and insightful.i hated coming to the final chapter.but loved what it had to say.i would recommend this book to everyone, it is a wonderful look at one's own humanity and that of others.Please also read "Letter to a Man in the Fire." after you have read "A whole new life." I read them the other way around, but it is more meaningful to read "a whole new life" first. Every member of every medical discipline should read this book--nurses, doctors, physical therapists, and students of all disciplines.As an oncologist, I learned a lot about how patients feel and what they might need.

Price fan and cancer survivor
I first read this in 1995, during the long week prior to surgery to remove a growing mass of cancer that, thankfully, has never revisited me.Aside from, once again, being awed by Price's magic with otherwise common words, it was especially comforting to read the very heart of a man whose prose I had read and long admired, someone who had survived a similar experience.Price is, hands down, my favorite writer.

A great message for those with cancer
I was sitting at the edge of a lake when I read A Whole New Life. I had finished by own book about the cancer experience and begun traveling to talk about the psychosocial (read emotional) issues of healing from such anexperience. And then I read the words "the best thing the radiologistcould have said to me was the old Reynolds Price is dead, who do you wantto be now." It summarized for me much of my searching for what I hadtried to say about what had happend tome. My old life is gone, was over theday they found the lump. I had forged a new one, but wish that someonealong the way had told me that the cancer journey means becoming someonedifferent -- and I think better. Thanks Reynolds Price. I recommend yourbook every time I speak. ... Read more

Book Description

A respected retired criminologist picks up a pistol and shoots his wife five times as she rocks on her plantation home's gallery.WHY??In this riveting book, the wife who miraculously survived provides some answers with remarkable candor, compassion, even humor.This is not fiction--it's stranger! ... Read more

Reviews (4)

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

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

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

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

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

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

Attempted murder of a Southern Angel
A book to read that will keep you captivated from beginning to end.The author tells her story as an experience that nearlly cost her her life.A true Southern Belle in the heart of Louisiana's plantation country running her familys plantation as a B&B.She tells her gripping events as she looked down the barrell a foot away of the 38 special that put 6 bullets in her body.Her courage to assume death to survie her attacker as he stood over her reloading.She talks of the unbelievable pain she has just been rendered, then feeling how serene her body felt as she was car