Cystic-Fibrosis Books

I found this book to be interesting because of the unusual plot. Boys get switched at birth but they don't find out until much later. It dealt with identity issues, prejudice, love and Cystic Fibrosis and how two families worked through lot of tough issues. I enjoyed it very much.

Karen Arlettaz Zemek, author of "My Funny Dad, Harry"

WHEN BLOOD TESTS PROOF THAT MARGRET AND ARUTHER CRAWFIELD'S DYING SON PETER, WAS NOT BORN TO THEM THEY DISCOVER THERE WAS A BIG HOSPITAL MIX UP AND THAT THERE BIOLOGECAL CHILD STILL LIVES. HEARTBROKEN AS THEY ARE THEY BEGEN TO SEARCH FOR THERE REAL CHILD.

MEANWHILE IN THE RICE FAMALLY LARUA RICE DISCOVERS THAT AFTER 19 YEARS OF MARRIGE SHE AND HER HUSBEND BUD ARE PERFECT STRANGERS. THEY HAVE TWO SONS, 19 YEAR OLD HANDSOME TOM AND 11-YEAR OLD ILL TIMMY. LAURA BELIVES THAT TOM IS INVOLVED IN A GROUP OF CAMPUS BIGOTS. SUDDENLY THE CRAWFIELDS ENTER THERE LIVES AND CLAIM TOM BELONGS TO THEM. BUD IS VERY PREJUDEST AND HE IS MAD BECAUSE THE CRASWFIELDS ARE JEWS. SUDDENLY THE TWO FAMILLY'S ARE ENTARD INTO A WOURLD OF HATRED AND VIOLIENCE

This is an excellent book. Join Harry and his friends to unlock the secret of the department of mysteries in the Ministry of Magic, and come with dumbledore to fight Voldemort, and come to learn that one of the most dearest characters is dead. If you read this you will be in a world of fantasy and mystery, read this, and you will never want it to end.

Belva Plain came through once again. A very touching and emotional story about two boys switched at birth. The story was well written with lots of twists and turns. Definitely a page turner.

I personally like Belva Plain's writing a lot, ...The story was very touching, and Belva Plain expressed the emotions very well of waht others would do in that situation finding out that one of your children isn't your 'biological' child after all. She wrote with feeling through the whole book, and the ending was very well done with all the characters. An excellent read if you ask me!

*Spoiler's below*

I was a tad disturbed by this book. I know that all fairy tales aren't happily ever afters but I was still hoping for some optimistic twist near the end.

Instead I found that every possible thing that could go wrong did. The story is tragic starting with the fact that the main character Salz (basically 'Salt') has cystic fibrosis a disease that makes it difficult for a person to breathe due to mucus accumulating in their lungs. That he survived into his teenage years during the medieval times is practically a miracle.

This affliction is not so bad in comparison to the rest of the plot but it makes the sorrows heaped upon Salz seem even more unbearable. Salz lives in the German hamlet of Hameln and during the spring the countryside suffered a rainy spring followed by a summer of dying livestock and an infestation of rats. Strange behavior by the townsfolk followed by disturbing symptoms makes the residents of Hameln think the rats are responsible for the disease. But despicable as the rats are, they are not spreading the plague. Desperate to relieve themselves of the disease the townsfolk seek out an end to the rats. At one point Salz is accused of witchcraft but manages to save himself. Eventually Salz recalls the strange piper that called the forest animals to him one day in the woods and somehow convinces the town to find this piper to lead away the rats. Thus the rest of the story is familiar. The piper is unpaid and leads the town's children (the only remaining healthy members) away leaving only Salz behind as he could not catch up due to his CF affliction.

As I stated before I kept hoping for some glimmer of hope but the story kept seeking out darker and sadder plotpoints. Salz's grandmother dies under a scythe meant for him and the little sister he had adopted and truly loved is taken from him by the piper. The illustrations on the front of the copy I read are disturbing at best and the naked death they display is a bit disturbing just like the story within.

Nearly almost all of Donna Jo Napoli's books are based around a simple formula: to take a well-known myth, legend or fairytale, and retell the story from the eyes of a certain character (often the villain, allowing them to defend their actions). It has been a technique that has worked brilliantly for several of her stories, such as (my personal favourites) Zel, Spinners and Beast.

In this case, "Breath" draws upon the German folktale of the Pied Piper of Hamilton, though it is not told by the Piper himself. Instead, our narrator is a twelve-year old boy named Saltz, a resistant of the town of Hameln (who is ultimately revealed to be the young boy who is left behind by the piper's music - though you probably guessed that from the start). Though we are not told this till the postscript, Saltz suffers from cystic fibrosis and is named after the sweat that often pours off his body; the "salt" as it were.

He is a perceptive and compassionate boy, a member of the local coven and a friend to the priests of the local churches, who likes to draw his own conclusions about Christianity and paganism, seeing both virtue and corruption in both of them. Living with the rest of his family on a small farm, he is often bullied by his oldest brother thanks to his inability to help with the heavy chores of the place, and so he usually keeps in the company of his grandmother who knows how to best deal with his affliction.

When the people around him begin to suffer under the effects of some mysterious disease, he is the only one to try and rationally understand what might be causing it. Superstition and witchcraft runs rampant, and despite Saltz's best efforts to rid the town of rats and help the townsfolk, those around him cannot help but be suspicious when he is the only one not affected.

The story itself is a little choppy; the blurb would have you believe that the accusation and trial of Saltz on charges of witchcraft is the climax of the story, though in reality this portion of the book amounts to very little. Instead it is more a story of endurance through illness and despair, spotted through with little moments of illumination and hope.

It all accumulates in the famous charming of the children (and in this case, the adults as well) of Hameln, as the vengeful Piper spirits them away into the hills. I couldn't help but feel, when Saltz prepares himself to follow in their footsteps and attempt to find his adoptive sister, that this is where the story should have *started*. The Piper himself, his methods and his destination are left a mystery (something that Napoli generally attempts to unwind in her other novels).

Napoli is very good - almost too good - at describing the effects of the disease that ravages the town: the swollen feet, blackened limbs, the insatiable sexual urges, the terrifying hallucinations; and often there are some rather grisly episode - a baby who has its fingers chewed off by rats, a toad that is eaten alive, the bloody murder of a person with a scythe as the murder weapon. After reading this book, I felt like taking a long walk in the sunshine.

As usual, Napoli paints a vivid picture of a time and place unfamiliar to our own; it is hardly a pleasant book to read. (Of course, the counter-argument to this is that it obviously isn't *supposed* to be, but just be warned that this isn't a light bit of holiday reading). Although a postscript tells us what the true cause of the malady was, it hardly alleviates the horrors we've just experienced.

I can't fault Napoli for her atmosphere: it's grim, confusing, terrifying but ultimately (even though despair holds sway in Hameln town) Saltz's character provides a glimmer of hope. Is this a good book book? Yes. Is it an enjoyable one? Not really.

This was a very interesting book indeed. Set in a medieval town called Hameln in 1284, this book is about a boy named Salz who has cystic fibrosis (although they didn't call it that at that time) and has to do all kinds of crazy things just to stay alive. He has to avoid beer, stand on his head, and belong to a coven to name a few. As the story progresses the town becomes infested with rats and a very strange disease. Eventually the whole village is plunged into madness and Salz is accused of witchcraft. This story---which is based on the pied piper legends---would be ideal for the history buff in your family and would make an excellent Christmas gift!

Book Review of Breath By: Donna Jo Napoli

Set in medieval times, in the town of Hameln, Breath is a fantasy of madness and mystery. The main character, a young boy named Salz, has a disease that causes him to uncontrollably cough, stopping him from breathing. In order to stay alive, Salz has to join a coven, steer clear of beer, and stand on his hands to resume breathing.
One summer, the entire town gets trapped under a blanket of chaos that no one understands. On top of that, rats have infested everything, creeping around townsfolk houses and pestering everyone, except Salz. What's happening in the town of Hameln? How did it get this way... or who brought it here?
I want to congratulate Napoli for writing a magnificent book. It always kept me guessing; I never knew what was about to happen. The descriptions of the town and the lifestyles are so detailed, you feel as if you're living in Hameln.
Compared to other books in the fantasy genre, I thought Breath to be fresh and original. It's not the typical wizards, dwarfs, or heroic prince stories, and because of that, I greatly enjoyed reading this book. Anyone interested in the medieval times or fantasy, will fall in love with this frenzied, unsuspecting story.

Breath
Donna Jo Napoli

The main character of the book's name is Salz. He lives in a town called Hameln. This story is set in medieval times and suspicious times. The townsfolk are terrified of a severe rat problem. People are going crazy, coughing, and dying. Salz has breathing problems and to avoid choking, he throws himself into a hand stand. His father and his brothers all ignore him and abuse him. Though they realize that he is unaffected by the plague of the rats, and say he is evil, and infected by the rats disease because he coughs all the time. The author has done a good job on this book and put quite a bit of work on the story board, and the attention to detail is obvious. The story is very realistic and precise with most of the stuff related to the suspicion, wrongful prosecution, and rumors that happened a long time ago, and then added the story of the piper and added a twist. I didn't like this book. I thought it was mostly a prequel of the folk tale of the piper. And I was kind of awed and sickened by the thought of some of the things described. I didn't enjoy the subject of the book, but I think the author did a good job.

The Mom's Choice Awards® honors excellence in family-friendly media, products and services. An esteemed panel of judges includes education, media and other experts as well as parents, children, librarians, performing artists, producers, medical and business professionals, authors, scientists and others. A sampling of the panel members includes: Dr. Twila C. Liggett, Ten-time Emmy-winner, professor and founder of Reading Rainbow; Julie Aigner-Clark, Creator of Baby Einstein and The Safe Side Project; Jodee Blanco, New York Times Best-Selling Author; LeAnn Thieman, Motivational speaker and coauthor of seven Chicken Soup For The Soul books; Tara Paterson, Certified Parent Coach, and founder of The Just For Mom Foundation(tm) and the Mom's Choice Awards®. Parents and educators look for the Mom's Choice Awards® seal in selecting quality materials and products for children and families. This book has been honored by this distinguished award.

This book is a profound yet practical guide to raising resilient children who have significant health issues. The publication of this book can best be described as a gift to families who are faced with far more complex challenges than are found in those with more typical children. These challenges include how to help children feel a sense of control, acceptance and hope while living with serious disorders. It provides a wise guide for helping raise children who are able to embrace life while taking good care of their health conditions. The book reflects a synthesis of the best in parenting skills along with a rich understanding of child psychology, family dynamics and a range of chronic disorders. This wealth of information is distilled for the reader in a format that is easy to follow; readers are provided with numerous examples of how to implement these insights. It is a unique and thorough guide to critical aspects of child-rearing that are just not found anywhere else. I regard this book as simply indispensable for families and professionals alike. It is a gem.

Laura E. Marshak
Author (with Fran Prezant) of : Married with Special-Needs Children [A couple's guide to keeping connected], Woodbine House 2007

Child psychiatrist Foster W. Cline and mother of two children with cystic fibrosis Lisa Greene present Parenting Children with Health Issues: Essential Tools, Tips and Tactics for Raising Kids with Chronic Illness, Medical Conditions & Special Healthcare Needs, a guide to learning and applying the parenting skills needed for raising children who require special medical or dietary care. Chapters discuss how to handle a child's refusal to take medication or undergo medical treatments, promote personal responsibility, deal with sibling, family, and couple relationship issues, and much more. "Because chronically ill children can so easily drift into feeling 'unfair-ed upon' by life, some become entitled and demanding, developing and exploiting placating parents who, as their child becomes more demanding, have increasing difficulty separating 'wants' from 'needs.' Entitled people, children or adults, have a tendency to control others through what they define as their 'needs.'" An invaluable, experience-laden guide accessible to parents and caretakers of all backgrounds, highly recommended.

Authors Cline and Green offer a truthful testimony to the question "How would you spend your precious moments with your child with health problems?" They present a systematic approach, Love & Logic, to positive parenting, the goal of which is to enable a child to learn the health habits to care for him\herself. Moreover, the parenting in these family situations requires thoughtfulness and compassionae conversation about real issues as grief, death, medications, self-care as well as normal child rearing tasks.

Part One of the book focuses on the basic Love & Logic strategies that most parents face: self esteem, boundaries, problem solving, and how children learn. Part 2, Advanced Love & Logic applications discusses the realities of the medical challenges within the family and how to deal with them. Added bonuses at the back of the book are extra parenting tips, the authors' personal stories, and resources.

The book is thorough, well written and easy to read. You will appreciate the honest approach in dealing with the real world situations through loving strategies. I highly recommend it.

For additional resources for stressful family situations see Help Kids Cope with Stress & Trauma

In a review of another Love and Logic publication on Amazon, one reviewer suggested people Google Foster Cline and Rage Reduction. That's good advice.

Being a fellow person stricken with Cystic Fibrosis, I can relate to alot of what the author went through. I enjoyed her book, especially the first half, then I feel she dabbed too much into her relationship with her beau and the age old "why me" mentality. I've come to the conclusion that she was clearly having a rough time, presumably a lung infection, at the time she was writing much of this.

The inappropriate front page illustration would probably stop most people from looking further into the contents of the book.