Disability-and-Health Books

My son appreciated reading this. He said numerous times, "that's just like me". He refers to the book in conversation when we are discussing behaivor. Good reference for kids and parents!

This is perfect for helping parents understand what children who have ADHD are feeling and for children to felt understood!!!

My 8 yr old daughter enjoyed this book and really related to the character. Would recommend this!

Our 9 year old son has been recently identified as a child with ADD and mild hyperactivity. We have been discussing techniques with a therapist on how to stay on task, but after reading this book with our son, we found out that he feels like more of an outcast than we realized. He was excited to know that someone else feels the way he does, that the rest of the family has some of those same thoughts and feelings too and it made all of us laugh about it.

A wonderful book that helps children and even adults understand what it feels like to have ADHD. I think it really helped by 6 year old son understand that he is not alone in how he feels with this disorder. For the past two years we didn't know what was wrong with him, we thought that maybe he was just really hyper. When his teachers told us that his behavior was so bad at school they were thinking of putting him in a special class, we knew we had to do something. He was diagnosed with ADHD and is now in therapy and takes medication. We have noticed a huge difference. It feels good to know that we are not the only ones going through this, and that he is not a bad kid, he is just different. This book really helped to get that point across. I bought a few copies for his grandparents and teachers. A great recommendation for parents looking to explain their child's ADHD to them.

This is the work of a funny, optimistic woman who took great joy in her work and in her life itself. The quality of her prose was excellent; she was both persuasive and charming. This book should appeal to those interested in disability rights, civil rights, and in social justice.

The chapters in this book are arranged chronologically, but each is a discrete story. The episodes varied enough so that I was never bored: Ms. Johnson protested telethons, resisted a search of her dorm by the Secret Service, ran for office, served as a delegate at the Democratic National Convention, visited Cuba for an international conference on people with disabilities, argued in a jury trial, and more.

Her views on disability as a civil rights issue aren't presented in a didactic way; they become clear to the reader as she confronts her opponents. I liked being privy to the details of her experience, even though she presents herself as nearly always right. While I read I was thinking that she came off as SO sure of herself that I would find her overbearing and a little obnoxious in person. However, she acknowledges the thorniness, and clearly isn't out to be the reader's best friend.

Other than that note, I felt myself in good hands. I have a better understanding of what it's like to need and live with a personal assistant. I was familiar with the basics of disability rights, but the book got into nuances I hadn't considered-- the pressures and trade-offs in Cuba, where genuine intentions for equality butt up against severe economic limits, for example. And it reinforced ideas that non-disabled people glide over: most of us will be disabled sometime. Disabled people aren't necessarily more "terminal" or "suffering" than the rest of us, because frankly everyone suffers and dies. And if that sounds depressing, don't worry: some of the stories in this book were so funny I had to read bits out loud to my spouse.

This is a four- instead of a five-star review because I didn't feel I quite got a fair view of the author's opponents; it was just a little too one-sided, although that enhanced some of the humor. But the book was still well-written and fascinating. Definitely worth reading.

As a child, Harriet McBryde Johnson never thought she would live a long life. At least that is what the telethons on television kept saying. However, she has. Yet, this is not a "triumph over disability" story. It is a story of a woman who is living her life fully. From a law student schooling the University of South Carolina on the subject of civil liberties to experiencing a disability-themed conference in Cuba, the reader is taken on a journey in which he or she just might view disability in a different way by the end of the book.

This book was really powerful for me. I was born with Cerebral Palsy. However, it has not been until the last couple of years that I started feeling comfortable with myself as a person with a disability. I read this book as part of a class I took this semester and I'm very glad I did. Stories like these remind me that disability is not a negative and that we are worthy of full, rich lives.

While I disagree with a fundamental premise argued in the book, I do recommend it for many reasons. First of all, the author can write! She has filled the book with interesting and unusual experiences, described them with wit as well as passion, and she challenges people like me on some basic assumptions and conclusions. I do hope readers of this book will follow up with Peter Singer's Writings on an Ethical Life (referred to in Harriet Johnson's book) in order to hear Singer's opinions in his own words.

This new book by Harriet McBryde Johnson, a civil rights attorney in Charleston, SC and disability activist, is a must read! Her book, Too Late to Die Young, provides insight into aspects of her life and career, but the author states upfront that "This book doesn't have a tidy message." Ms. Johnson is a gifted writer with a provocatively tilted perspective that is worth hearing. She accurately describes herself as a story teller in the great tradition of southern story tellers. I knew her stories were worth reading when, early on in the book, in describing a German doctor's bedside overnight care, she wrote "Now I remember how he kept vigil at my bedside so my parents could sleep and then fell sleep himself. As I listened to his deep, barrel-chested rumble, I imagined he was snoring in German." Later in the book, Harriet, after having noted that her normal viewpoint of most people is at crotch level (due to her posture), described her first impression of someone she met: "It's love at first sight - at my first sight of his shoes." Wonderful!

This easy to read book (a mere 258 pages) includes the bulk of the text of Unspeakable Conversations, a 2003 New York Times Magazine article she wrote that described her conversations with Princeton Professor Peter Singer about his beliefs that the severely disabled, in some circumstances, can justifiably be killed. Interestingly, she is conflicted about the accommodating and courteous man versus his "evil" ideas. She acknowledges that she stands outside the radical mainstream simply for having engaged Mr. Singer in a conversation. Sundry other topics this self-described "crip" covers are her personal crusade against telethons, her atheism, her battles with the Secret Service, caustically amusing anecdotes from the 1996 Democratic Convention in Chicago, a trip to Cuba, and battles with a New York Times photographer who wants to shoot her nude ("nekkid" in her parlance) and does -- but not for publication, and many more amusing and unsettling stories.

If you want to read a sweet story about a courageous and noble fight against disability that profiles an individual who overcomes great obstacles to achieve self-fulfillment, this IT NOT the book to read. Johnson`s book isn't about her disability (adamantly so)...but the fact that she is disabled inescapably colors her stories in powerful ways. You won't necessarily fall in love with Harriet, her politics, or all of her causes, but I think you will love her passion for what she believes, what she does, who she is, and why she does what she does. Ms. McBryde is a new and profound voice (at least to me) that is worth listening to.

There are many great resources directed at families and now, more than ever, there are many choices for those on the spectrum. In this book, we have a bit of both-- this resource is appropriate for many different audiences and allows the reader to learn from many who are connected to life with autism. This is an excellent choice for "introducing" someone to autism but also for those who are well versed but want to expand their understanding.

In this book I was so pleased to read about other people being married to a person with autism. They talk about how the spouse with autism did many things that they didn't understand but they still stayed in the marriage and I feel that is because being married to a person with autism is being married to a very unique and caring person.I have survived 49 years of life with autism.In this book I read so much that was similar to my own life. I highly praise the people who have helped and got so deeply involved with the children with autism. I unfortunately never had that kind of help when I was a child. All the stories in this book should be read by anyone who wants to understand the beauty of autism.

We have climbed that mountain and seen the valley...from up high, you get a wonderful panoramic view. I want everybody to join us on this mountain and lift up your voices and shout about autism!

Shout about the challenges of having autism; living with someone who has it or about the reaction that those uninformed about autism express. Shout out a celebration of having autism as well because people with autism make life much more interesting. Shout about the injustices towards those with autism and stupid prejudices about autism such as that tired "R*** M***" (which is a slur in the autism world) cliche. Shout out about what autism means to you personally. Do an autism dance if you need to. Add your voice and be heard!

This is an excellent book. Relatives of people with autism as well as professionals get to add their voices to the chorus about autism and its affect on people at large. Readers get treated to the personal insights of those who contributed to this wonderful book.

This is a book that I feel everybody will benefit from and come away with a larger store of tolerance and acceptance of autism. I like the wide range of voices and experiences that are heard and shared in this book. That makes for a richer chorus. As for adults with Asperger's, make this book a new friend and join in the Mountain Top Chorus!

Reading Voices from the Spectrum was like talking with friends who knew and loved my son. The Autism spectrum is so varied, but the majority of entries had something I could relate to. While reading I started taking notes, I found new ways to explain my sons' needs, in IEP meetings as well as to friends and relatives. I highlighted supports to implement and ideas for his future. From sibling entries I gained an added appreciation for how my other children might be feeling.

There are many books on the Autism Spectrum with valuable facts and research information, but this is the only one I've found written by people who actually live the facts and research.

In my work as the Editor of a large, international newsletter for parents of individuals on the autism spectrum, I read about 6 books each month on individuals with ASD, their families, new therapies and research. This book is absolutely superb. Dr. Naseef's essay as a parent is one of the most porfound, realistic and positive I've read in my 24 years of service to the autism community and in my 34 years as the parent of a woman with autism. The variety of essays and perspectives sets this book apart from all others.
Susan J. Moreno, M.A.
President, MAAP Services for Autism and Asperger Syndrome
Editor, The MAAP newsletter

My nephew was diagnosed with autism and although Joe is different then most 3 yr. olds his older brother Nick always his greatest ally. It is nice to have a book that talks about how this little girl views her autistic brother and it is refreshing how she views Evans quirks! My nephew also loves popsicles!! I defiantly recommend to anyone with an Autistic family member who has a sibling!

We have a 5 year old with Autism, and his 4 year old sister is already asking questions about some of his behavior. This book has been a nice way to start to talk about how and why her brother is different.

It is simple in its language, and the approach is a great one of acceptance. The author loves her brother, and he is a great brother, he just happens to have Autism. It does not define him, any more than any one trait defines you or I, it is just part of who he is.

Highly recommended for those with siblings dealing with Autism.

This is one of the best books I have ever read by, for and about a sibling who has autism. Sarah, the young author of this book draws a rich portrait of her day-to-day life with her brother, Evan. She provided all the illustrations for the book and her family is a rich portrait of love and acceptance. The bright colors Sarah uses suggests hope and understanding. I like the way she explains and understands Evan's behavior; she knows he likes to chew on frozen foods and uncooked pasta because he likes the crunchy consistency. She understands Evan's way of communicating; e.g. she identifies the sounds Evan makes in response to certain circumstances, such has his happy humming when he is in water.

I loved the way Sarah used technical terms she learned from Evan's team intervention specialists. When she uses them, she says quite matter-of-factly, "All I know is we have fun." I like the way she interacts with Evan and accepts and loves him unconditionally. All of the things they do together and all of the socialization she unwittingly teaches him through natural example, she is doing it for love and because it's just plain fun. Get this with SUNDAYS WITH MATTHEW.

what a wonderful book! my daughter is the big sister of a brother with autism and this book helped her to see that she isn't alone. AND it insired her to write a book of her own about her brother.

We bought this book for our 6 year old, who is an older brother to our 4 year old autistic son. He loves reading it again and again because it so well describes his own brother. The sibling perspective is charming - and one that many adult authors simply fail to capture. A beautiful book.

Valuable insights into the world of the disabled from many angles by a respected professor with progressive spinal cord disease. Highly recommended to persons with disabilities and to the general public who often encounter them.

As a graduate student in anthropology, I came to know and respect Bob Murphy more than any other scholar. Of the texts he wrote, The Body Silent, stands apart in that it says much about the man, anthropology, disability in American society, and life itself. It will deeply touch a wide variety of readers, and for those that knew him, will bring tears to their eyes. As to its impact on what is now known as disability studies, it put the discipline on the academic agenda. As such, it is a seminal text and is a must for anyone thinking of entering the field.

This is one of my books that I bought and put aside to read later. I don't remember how long ago I bought it but I am certainly glad that I gave it a second chance to read it before discarding it. I am now not planning to sell this book, as it is too important a volume on disability in society, and it certainly applies to the bioethical and eduethical work I do on the side of my 'regular' job of teaching and writing.

Murphy is unlike me in that he came upon his disability later in life, while I was born basically deaf and remained that way for the first 13 years of my life before getting a hearing aid at the age of 13. Murphy had to deal with a slow-growing tumor that entwined itself into his spinal cord. Unlike many tumors that can be excised with surgery, his was such that the possibility of removing it also came with the possibility of losing everything else, including his life or the ability to continue to do his important work. Like many of us who have chosen not to take the risk of surgery and who don't believe that to be disabled is worse than to be dead, Murphy worked with and around his progressive disabling and was able to give the world another 15 years of his wisdom in cultural anthropology.

This book is a must-read for any person with a disability, no matter when they became disabled. Murphy had the background of an academic anthropologist, with many years of successful teaching and writing for major journals in anthropology and culture. He had also written major books, one of which continues to be used in most universities on women and gender in primitive societies. So in coming into the genre of disability studies, he brought to the field a first-rate mind and ability to write so others can understand difficult concepts.

Murphy's book is not the usual autobiography that one usually expects, but rather explores disability (specifically his, but he introduces others and also the culture) without a single shard of either self-pity or 'hey, look at me' attitude that is so often written about in media (where the media puts someone with a disability on a pedestal that is unrealistic of the very real problems that those of us with disabilities face daily). He writes presenting his disablement as a fait-accompli, dealing with the problems as they arose...and in some cases, he ignored his health situation to the point of putting him at risk for infection from bedsores because he was too busy teaching. Like Murphy states, that wasn't courage as often as it was just not wanting to take the time to have his physical body get in the way of what he was trying to do. In treating his disablement with this attitude, he did become the courageous person that he presented to the public...and I wish so badly I had had the opportunity to meet him and hear him speak. Like so many others such as Michael Fox and Christopher REeve, Murphy was a non-disabled person whose close encounters with his own disablement led him to become a voice in a minority that has long been voiceless. He died much too soon, but in giving his last fifteen years of work to physical disabilities in society, he has provided us with an ongoing voice. I certainly intend to use his words and his writing in my work in hopes that it will inspire others as it has inspired me.

Karen Sadler

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

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

"Brainlash" by Gail L. Denton is the book my neurologist, my PT, my neuro-psych, my chiropractor, etc. should have recommended immediately so my family and other supporters would have known what might happen during my (now) 4 year ordeal as a MTBI victim. It's written with a sense of humour and it is written to be easily understood. I strongly feel this book would have made it much easier for my family to understand what I no longer had the ability to explain and that knowledge would have made it possible for them to better support the healing process which still continues for me today. This is not only about her recovery but how to enhance my own recovery. Hallalejuah!! Brainlash: Maximize Your Recovery from Mild Brain Injury

This book is a guide to sanity for those who have experienced mild brain injury, as I have. In the fall of 2000, I suffered an accidental fall and spent the following 15 months in a struggle to recover my 'real self". With the aid of this book, I am now fully functional again and able to cope with the minor relapses. I strongly recommend this book to those who suffer, their friends and caregivers.

I have read a number of books on the subject as I am a person who has a brain Injury. This book, more than any other I have read, has been extremely helpful to me. First of all because it explains so well what happens to the sufferer, both physiologically as well as emotionally. The book also gives lots of possitive suggestions for coping as well as for healing.

I fulheartedly recommend this book for both patients as well as their family and friends. It gives much understanding into the issue of brain injury and also much encouragement. It is an uplifting book, at least for me it was!

Thank you Gail Denton.

If you have suffered from a mild traumatic brain injury, as I have,"Brainlash" was the starting point of recovery for me. And I thank God for this book & Gail Denton every day. I quote a paragraph from the book that sums up the point I was at when I started to read BrainLash. "Brain injury races undetected, underdiagnosed, and undertreated through our society." "Between the medical professions ( untrained to recognize it), the insurance community ( unwilling to pay for it ), and the legal sector (unable to represent the loss or grasp the consequences), the mildly brain injured individual has little to rely on and less to go on." And NO!!!! your not going crazy, It just seems that way. The Book is easy to read and finially puts a name on, fully defines,and gives solutions to the symptoms feelings and thoughts that a brain injured person is experiencing but dosen't know why. It is also important to have your family and friends read it so they can try to understand what you are going thru even when you can't understand it yourself. From the resource section of the book I highly recomend that you consider attending the Sensory learning institute and having cranio-sacral therapy. It has been aprox 18 months since my accident and although I feel full recovery is obtainable, it is a long journey and my journey didn't start until I read this book and used its resources.

This book is a must have for patients and families of brain trauma. It clearly states symptoms and stages of the trauma. It tells you what to expect. It isn't a medical description but a patient to patient description in terms that anyone can comprehend. It is one excellent book. Thank you Gail Denton for writing this book.

You can't miss the hard-headed commitment, the dogged won't-take-no-for-an-answer determination of this father in his loving and relentless pursuit of appropriate services for his son with autism. Bill Davis "tells it like it is" -- no wishy-washiness, no pie-in-the sky, no empty promises or fairy tale endings. His book makes clear the unfathomable depth of his love -- his passion -- for his beautiful son Chris, and the unyielding belief that no work is too hard, no frustration too crippling, no sacrifice too great if the goals are to provide for his son avenues by which this child with autism can make sense of our complex, swirling, overstimulating world, and find ways to express his own rich perceptions, ideas, and wit.

Read this book if you have a child with autism. Buy it and give it as a gift (as I have twice already) to someone you know who has a child with autism.

Read this book, too, if you have or know a child with ANY disability, for in Bill and Jae Davis' story of working with educational authorities, "working the system", "fighting the system" , improving the system, and not "settling" for halfway measures is a model for all parents of ALL kids with so-called special needs.

But read this book if what you're looking for is just a good love story. The love that springs out of every page is real and unsentimental. The whole story is here -- the love of Bill and Jae for each other despite fatigue and frustrations and fights, the love for their daughter Jessica and Jessica's love for Chris, and the loving personality of Chris himself, the true hero of the book.

When starting this book I felt it would be a technical rendition of an Autistic child's life. Boy was I surprised to read the heart felt story about a father, a mother and two children caught up in the baffling world of Autism. From the diagnosis, through the stress of daily life the commitment between these family members was so touching and compelling forcing me to reexamine my own life's priorities. The Davis' obstacle ridden devotion to further education and community awareness of this disease is nothing less than admirable, and hopes that through Mr. Davis' advocacy work he can compel others to open their eyes. I would encourage everyone to read this book, you will never regret or forget it.

I think this book is amazing because it let's you go into the mind of the author who is a man full of love for his son. He writes this book as if he is sitting in the room talking to you, and I like that. It's easy to read and easy to understand. And that is what people look for especially on Autism. I applaud this man and his family for doing wonderful things for the Austism Society and I'm proud to say that I'm a part of his world. I hope more people will read his books and get to know the love and suffering he and his family have been through. If anything he should get a medal in his honor.

Bill is so candid in his telling of the Davis family's life with Chris. He gives so much of himself and asks nothing in return. He is constantly out in the community advocating for not only his child but all children and adults with Autism. I'm proud to say I know him and I throughly enjoyed his book. If your child has been diagnosed you really should read this. Some parts will make you cry but many will make you laugh and say "Oh my god I'm not the only one!" It's an excellent book told from a point of view many never get to see. -Tracy Gipe, mother of a ten year old with ASD and his two younger siblings without.

When starting this book I felt it would be a technical rendition of an Autistics child's life. Boy was I surprised to read the heart felt story about a father, a mother and two children caught up in the baffling world of Autism. From the diagnosis, through the stress of daily life the commitment between these family members was so touching and compelling forcing me to reexamine my own life's priorities. The Davis' obstacle ridden devotion to further education and community awareness of this disease is nothing less than admirable, and hopes that through Mr. Davis' advocacy work he can compel others to open their eyes.

I ordered another book when I first found out about my daughter. I found it tailored toward the medical profession and definately hard to understand. Then I found this book. It was much easier to read; it spoke to me in words I could understand as opposed to just medical terminalogy. I refer to it often. It seems to have a little bit of information about everything that my daughter either has, or will have, to deal with during her life.

I've done a lot of Internet searches for information about spina bifida. This book is the best overall source I've found. I highly recommend this book for parents and caregivers of children with spina bifida. My daughter is now two years old, and I still refer to this resource often.

I purchased this book when my daughter was prenatally diagnosed with Spina Bifida. Since she's been born I have purchased more copies for family members. This book is an excellent resource for parents and loved ones. It teaches about the condition and related concerns in an easy to understand manner. This is by far the best book I have found on Spina Bifida. I would HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who is expecting/has a child with Spina Bifida. I would also recommend it for family members and caregivers of children with Spina Bifida.

This book is a wonderful book for anyone who knows of someone dealing with a child or teenager with spina bifida. Its very organized, informative, and even has several photos of kids with spina bifida. I highly recommend it!

This is one of the two books we ordered when we found out that our baby would be born with sb. We have read lots of books since then and still think this is the best. It is very comprehensive, presents the information well, and I have referred to it often over the past 8 months. We ended up purchasing several copies to give to our family members so they would understand what is going on with our son.

Because it's so intimate a portrayal of real-life experiences, this book moved me to tears. Each story relates, with differing degrees of depth and breadth, an individual and a family's encounter with the Holistic Approach to NeuroDevelopment and Learning Efficiency (HANDLE), tracing their stories before, during, and after the unique therapy program. Anyone interested in addressing issues with diagnoses like autism spectrum disorders, stroke, head injury, CHARGE Syndrome, Tourette's Syndrome, Down's Syndrome -- and "ordinary" learning disabilities -- ought to read this book.

The stories in this book give hope to us all. For more than a decade I have worked with adults and children with neurodevelopmental disabilities. The usual treatments involve behavior modification and drug therapy. Little time is spent in observation and evaluation such as described by Judith Bluestone in this book. The Handle Institute's methods offer hope through its methods that have no reliance on drug therapy. This is a book for patients, family members and professionals.

Compiled and edited by Lisa Brenner, The Churkendoose Anthology: True Stories of Triumph over Neurological Dysfunction is a collection of uplifting testimonies offering a positive message of hope to individuals afflicted with neurodevelopment problems ranging from attention disorders, learning disabilities, Tourette's Syndrom, or an acquired brain injury, to Cerebral Palsy, sleep disorders, Vestibular Dysfunction, Down's Syndrome, and obsessive-compulsive behaviors. True success stories of the HANDLE (Holistic Approach to NeuroDevelopment and Learning Efficiency) approach in helping young people and their parents. Enhanced with an informative commentary by Judith Bluestone, The Churkendoose Anthology is highly recommended as an engaging and encouraging read, especially for anyone having to cope with a neurological dysfunction.

The Churkendoose Anthology is a touching compilation of true stories of individuals and families who have triumphed over behavioral dysfunction without the use of drugs. It is an inspiration to all who know someone or suffer themselves. Professional therapists, MDs, especially including pediatricians will benefit from reading and learning about this unique way of healing a multitude of behavioral issues.

Going through life as parent of a "special" child, one navigates a maze of physicians, experts, specialists, and amateur diagnosticians. Desperate for help, such parents try a range of treatments and tactics, sometimes destroying their families and their sanity in the process. Ms. Bluestone and HANDLE do not have a "magic bullet," but the simple and authentic wisdom in the HANDLE approach teaches us all that there really ARE honest and practical strategies to help individuals who don't fit any of the models in the medical literature. My son has benefitted greatly from the HANDLE precepts, and this book tells true stories of others whose lives have been forever changed. Ms. Bluestone's own story is an inspiration, and she brings to her work the unique empathy of one who has "been there" and found her way out. HANDLE respects individuality and eschews labels; the accounts of these HANDLE clients are compelling and dramatic. Perhaps the most important thing this book provides is hope, which is often in painfully short supply for "marginalized" people. I congratulate all these writers for recounting their journeys, and I think thousands of people can benefit from stepping into the Churkendoose shoes for a few hours. I recommend this book to those with open minds, tired spirits, and vital hearts.

Like most people, as you get older your hearing gets worse and worse but you place the blame on the movie makers or the failure of people not speaking loud enough. This book gives excellent information and advise on hearing loss. Some of the information on hearing aids is a little dated but you can find that with a little research on the internet. My new hearing aids from America Hears are fantastic. I can even hear the birds chirping again.

Covers the subject clearly. Recommend for anyone who is having hearing problem and doesn't know where to turn.

Kudos to clinical audiologist Richard Carmen for assembling this all-star cast of experts. I found this affordable, accessible volume to be loaded with interesting and practical information for us hard of hearing. Audiologists and scientists discuss the psychology and management of hearing loss, and new hearing technologies, and answer lots of questions: What causes ringing in the ears? How do aging, drugs, and noise affect hearing? What are the varieties of hearing aids now available? What cool new hearing assistance technologies might improve my life?

What a book this is. When I found out that I was going to need hearing aids I was thrilled and scared to death. How was this really going to change my life? Well this book (both editions) helped ease my fears. With the group of experts that the author brings together many questions are answered and one realizes that they are not alone. One thing that I found was that although the second edition was improved, some of the articles in the first edition that were deleted from the second was very helpful also; Great book(s)!

This book covers so many topics in such an empathetical way -- extremely well written. This book will help you if you know you are losing your hearing and are downright scared/nervous about seeking help. Understanding the hearing loss is important. This is not just for the person who has suffered hearing lose and needs help, but also for the rest of the family who needs to support and help as well. This book really cannot go recommended enough!Some of the greatest scientists/audiologists that there is have come together to share in good basic English to help. Exceptional!!