Disability-and-Health Books

In this book, Rosenfeld visits 36 people - famous and not - and engages them in conversations which explore every aspect of chronic pain. Divided into patients, caregivers and thinkers (with some overlapping), the three sections of the book (when combined with Rosenfeld's linking commentary) create a mosaic which is comprehensive, yet always facinating. The author unerringly asks the very follow-up questions the reader would like to have answered. These are genuine conversations, not a collection of responses to pre-programmed questions. For those concerned about loved ones suffering from chronic pain, the insights, the information, the list of resources and the book's glossary are invaluable.

This work documents specific instances of how people get into
chronic pain cycles and the actions required to manage
these conditions over the long term. There are many important
interviews with both patients and physicians which document
typical experiences and valuable corrective steps to combat
pain on an ongoing basis. This work would be a valuable
addition to any personal medical library.

If you're looking for useful advice in dealing with pain this is not the book for you. This is the first reading I've done on this subject, and I was hoping for some practical advice and specific pain-coping strategies rather than a lot of talk about why chronic pain is generally undertreated by the medical profession. I read this book and I still don't know what to do about my pain.

While the book does explore the personal experiences of those suffering in pain adeptly, the author and contributors fail to include many sides of this complex issue of the way pain in our society is viewed and why it is so. I would say there is a limited scope at best. The book assumes for instance that addiction is a separate disease when in fact many patients in pain have co existing addiction problems past or present which clouds the issues inherent in prescribing opiates obviously. Further, there is growing acceptance currently for the theory that "disease" is a term applied to addiction too freely, apparently a trend not limited to outside of this book. Also I note a glaring lack of references. I recall seeing similar discourse and material discussed in several separate magazine articles and web blogs unrelated to this author, pre dating the publishing of this book. Not all original premises but certainly a valiant attempt to have an all inclusive resource.

I wish every doctor, psychiatrist and psychologist would read this amazing work. It should be a required text for medical school students. It is a painfully honest account of the medical profession and society's view of the chronic pain patient. Arthur and Isodore seem to have entered my mind and viewed the world as I see it.

Am I missing something here? What is with all these positive reviews? This is the most laborious book I have ever let grace my senses. It is required reading for one of my classes, but there is absolutely NO in depth analysis of the statistical data presented. It is a VERY pedestrian and pedantic review of some very real common sense. Here is the whole book in a nutshell: The worse off you are in society, the worse your health is in this country. Now if you feel like you need 300 pages of graphs you'll probably never look at (because they are painstakingly described in text anyways), or you really want to know exactly how much more likely you are to have chronic illness if you are black, poor, and uninsured, then be my guest and buy this book. Just don't say you weren't warned. This book is only useful if you need a large source of recompiled stats and data on the topic.

The authors make a great point that poverty rates are increasing in this country, companies are fast dropping health insurance coverage for their employees, and immigration continues to be on the rise. These facts make this book applicable to almost everyone...since there is no guarantee that the middle and upper classes will have health insurance in the next few years. Remember how Starbucks became famous for offering health insurance to all employees, but the points raised in this book were echoed just a few months back, when Starbucks stood on the steps of Congress and said they soon would no longer be able to offer this coverage because of the huge increases in price. This book prepares you for what's to come and offers some GREAT tips on what needs to be done to help make sure that these problems don't tear apart this country. It's a great read...Shi and Stevens should really be commmended.

What else is there to say...this is a winner by far. It covers issues in health care for the poor and underserved so solidly, that this might well be considered the defining book on the issue. Considering how much it has to say, and how deep the theory goes, its amazing that it can also be SO UNDERSTANDABLE. If you need a good primer in health care for the "vulnerable" in this world (well, primarily the U.S. in this case), this is your book. I would only recommend that they cover international issues more...but that's probably something they could write an entire other book about.

I bought this book for a class on health care in the U.S. and it was the only book in my entire year of school that I actually kept! The others I sold back for $10 each, but this one is a keeper. In particular, I liked that it gives step-by-step instructions for people and organizations to use to solve the problem of health disparities. Also, very clearly written!

I am not a public health nurse, I am an ICU nurse at heart. However as doctoral student, this text was required for a course I am currently taking. It truly opened my eyes to vulnerability even within the US. With the recent and current national crisis and disasters, the concepts discussed are brought home.

Ms Harrington provides a thorough understanding of how to enjoy travel from a wheelchair and troubleshoot those annoying glitches that tend to pop up. The information is useful and fairly current. It has helped me to secure appropriate accomodations and understand my rights and possible options when hotel/travel problems occurred. Be prepared and enjoy travel again! I look forward to the next edition!

I think it's a fairly good book, but has more focus to those limited to those in wheelchair and less for slow walkers. A couple of tips for slow walkers the author didn't mention was that several hot destination areas rent or loan for free wheelchairs or scooters. Such as all DC museums which loans out wheelchairs free of charge. (A piece of information I learned by chance.) Any travel desinations or activities for slow walkers? I'm still trying to figure that out as I try to plan vacations for my father who's a slow walker and rather a large person, too. Did you know that most Las Vegas hotels rent scooters to those slow walkers - and they let you store them in your room and take them out in the town. Though, the title does suggest that it's a guide for wheelers and slow walkers, it's probably more suited for "...A Nuts and Bolt Guide for Wheelers" and leave out the slow walkers as it doesn't offer too much on this subject.

I got this book as a primer on traveling with a disability. I have Multiple Sclerosis and am both a "Wheeler" and a "Slow Walker" depending on the day. I found the information in Candy Harrington's book quite helpful as a place to start learning about accessible travel, but was sad to learn that many of her references are now outdated.

Fortunately, there is a new edition of this book, published earlier in the year. I haven't purchased it yet, but intend to. With current information, if the new edition is as comprehensive as this one, it would warrant 5 stars. This is a book for anyone, young or old, who happens to live with a disability -- even a temporary one -- but doesn't intend to be defined by it. Get out and travel!

My wife had a stroke four years ago and now has to use a wheelchair. We both wanted to travel bur I didn't know the first place to look to find out the things we needed to know. The physical therapist said lots of people who have had strokes travel, so we wanted to give it a try. But it was hard to find information. That's where this book helped. It contains a lot of information you need. It should be titled "owners manual" as nobody tells you this stuff when you end up in a wheelchair.

The cruise chapter was very helpful to me. I just figured I could call up a travel agent and book a cruise with a handicapped cabin. I'm glad I read the book before I made that mistake. There is also a very helpful chapter about choosing a travel agent and how to travel on an airplane with a wheelchair.

We just got back from our first cruise and it was great. I wouldn't have been able to do it without this book. If you are even only thinking about travel, I urge you to read this book. We are already planning our next trip.

I bought the first edition of this book and I was interested to see if the second edition had any new information in it or if it was just the same book with a new cover. I have to say that I feel I got my moneys worth. The second edition not only contains updated information and resources, but it also contains a lot of new stuff too.

The cruise chapter is really enlarged and there seems to be new information in the other chapters too. There is also a new chapter about traveling with children, and it seems good, but it really didn’t apply to me.

I would definitely recommend the second edition of the book...even if you bought the first one. It’s important to keep current with the laws and learn about new resources, and I think that the second edition does a very good job of that.

I just finished reading "Choosing Naia" and very much enjoyed it. I have a six year old boy with DS who was diagnosed when I was 20-21 weeks pregnant. I was interesting to see some of the similarites between my families situation and reactions and the Fairchilds. I would highly reccommend this book. I do not feel there was undue emphanise on the potenital abililies or inabilities of the unborn child. I have a hard time believing anyone in this situation would not have those thoughts. I feel everyone wants a child who is happy ,interactive and to some degree self suffient. The issue of abortion was explored and I found it interesting to profile a couple who had made the decision to terminate. It is amazing the technology availble to diagnose DS during pregnancy but I personally wished I had not known before the birth of my son. Knowing ahead of time ruined the joy of my first pregnancy He was born without any health problems which was a blessing. Mattie is not what I would consider high functioning (not talking or potty trained) but he is his own person and can't imagine life without him. Having a child with DS is not the end of the world or even close.

Some of you in the Boston area may have seen the series that ran in the Globe last year, the author expanded it into a book. It profiles a couple who gets back the AFP results showing an increased risk for abnormalities, has the amnio and then has to choose between having a child with Down syndrome or terminating the pregnancy and trying again. The author, Mitchell Zuckoff, spoke at the National Down Syndrome Congress convention in Denver back in August and said that his original intention with the series was to show how advances in technology present us with very serious choices and explore how different families deal with them. The book is not at all preachy in either the pro-life or pro-choice direction, very balanced. It really makes you think about the nature of the challenges of parenthood and how our choices play out.

I was very disappointed with "Choosing Naia". I would not recommend this book to anyone expecting a child with Down syndrome, or even to someone who already has a child with Down syndrome. I found the style dry and uninteresting; I found the emphasis on "how retarded" she'd be (and the end implication that the only reason the story had a happy ending was because of her cognition skills) extremely disturbing. Despite the fact that the author has put everything ever written about Down syndrome into this book (although with an emphasis on eugenics and abortion), I would not recommend this to students. People, including those with Down syndrome, aren't worthy because of their cognitive or language abilities. They are worthy because they are human beings. Kids are kids. If you want to know more about Down syndrome, meet a few people who happen to have it. Read stories from parents, not from a journalist. And give this book a miss.

Greg and Tierney Fairchild are a well-educated, middle class couple who are thrilled to discover that Tierney is pregnant. Tierney undergoes all of the usual tests, and the Fairchilds are stunned to discover that not only does their unborn child have a hole in her heart, but that she may also be born with Down syndrome.

Investigative reporter Mitchell Zuckoff spent hundreds of hours with Tierney and Greg, and the result is "Choosing Naia," a book that began as a series of articles in the Boston Globe. This book is not only the story of a couple's arduous journey, but it is also an eye-opening look at the history of Down syndrome and a good explanation for the layman of what such a diagnosis means to a child and his parents.

Zuckoff's conversational style makes "Choosing Naia" flow smoothly. Throughout the book, the author provides valuable information on such topics as genetic testing and counseling, early intervention for children with Down syndrome, and the importance of networking in order to get the most valuable information and assistance for your child. Another factor that makes "Choosing Naia" stand out is its unflinching honesty. It is a tribute to the Fairchilds that they allowed their doubts, fears and uncertainties to be recorded for posterity. They come across as vulnerable, yet strong and determined, real people who have decided to meet a difficult challenge.

I highly recommend this touching and informative book. "Choosing Naia" reminds us that in an age of amazing technology and prenatal testing, we are privy to information that may make our lives more complicated than ever before.

How many of us have said we believe in a woman's right to choose, but would not personally choose abortion? What if you knew that your child would be born with an unknown degree of mental retardation?

In these situations, many Americans, including those who declare themselves to be pro-choice, don't see a pregnancy as a "choice": the woman/couple should abort a child with a condition such as Down syndrome or spinal bifida.

Mitchell Zuckoff's tale is one of a couple who discover that their long-awaited child not only has a hole in her tiny heart, but also has Down syndrome. Zuckoff takes us through Greg and Tierney Fairchild's weeks of agony as they explore the decision to continue Tierney's pregnancy and the months following their choice.

Family members urge them to consider both termination and continuance, while doctors and counselors strive to remain neutral. Meanwhile, Greg and Tierney wrestle with the questions that would inform our own opinions: would they be able to have other children, knowing that their first-born may require a great deal of time, money, and energy? Were they willing to fight discrimination and ignorance for their child's life?

As the book's title makes clear, the couple chooses to continue the pregnancy and take the future as it comes. Unfortunately, it comes with much more heartache. Zuckoff recounts the early health difficulties that plagued baby Naia's life, as well as her parents's introductions to the social challenges she will face.

I applaud Zuckoff's work on this book. While the reader is aware that none of the characters are telling the story, the journalist also does not appear in the tale. He effectively minimizes the space he occupies on the edges of the page.

Zuckoff strives to tell a complete story in every chapter. After opening with a scene from the family, he explores background information about prenatal testing, the history of mental retardation in the US, and the biology of Down syndrome. The reader is exposed to much of the same information the Fairchilds sought out during the decision-making period. While the author does not become over-technical, at times he fails to make a smooth transition between the Fairchilds and the other information.

What Zuckoff does not tackle is the Fairchilds's choice in the abstract. For those of us who call ourselves pro-choice, what does it mean when a woman/couple makes the "wrong" choice? Are we willing to support women/couples who choose to have a child with a debilitating condition, possibly suffering from profound mental retardation?

However, this is a small criticism. If his focus was on one particular couple, then these wider issues have limited value in the narrative. Greg and Tierney face this issue on a small scale when family members gently urge her to consider termination.

The tale is one of heartbreak, triumph, resilience, and overwhelming love. For those who enjoy it, I recommend both Martha Beck's "Expecting Adam" (which covers the same ground with a more mystical spin) and Rayna Rapp's "Testing Women, Testing the Fetus" (which covers the ethical and social issues of amniocentesis).

Awesome book. Well written and very informative. We also recommend the handle program as well, good stuff

I read the book quite some time ago and don't remember much of the details. All I know is that it convinced me to give the Handle approach a chance - to give my son a chance in life. We are in the fifth month of a Handle program directly under the author Judith Bluestone.
My son has changed so drastically within the last five months. I am very faithful to the exercises because I see the results which include being able to hear and see at the same time, being able to smell, being able to process sequences of sounds, being able to follow more than two commands, being able to use fingers on one hand without the other hand moving, becoming more social etc etc etc (My son is six years old).
The book comes with exercises to try so you can get an idea of what a full Handle program would be like.
I would like to add that my husband has a PhD in physics and works for NASA. He is very research orientated but when it comes to the Handle program, he just says "whatever you are doing, just keep going!"

In my opinion, Judith Bluestones "HANDLE" is pseudoscience at its best. Her approach lacks systematic documentation of clinical outcomes in regards to children with autism. The heart-warming anecdotes and testimonials found in "The Fabric of Autism" may seem convincing but try not to be fooled by this "fad" treatment. "HANDLE" demonstrates the classic signs of pseudoscience including high success rates at a rapid pace for a wide range of disorders. Learners with developmental disabilities have the right to treatments with proven documentation on effectiveness. Most of the issues discussed in "The Fabric of Autism", are based on sensory integration therapy, another controversial treatment that lacks objective evidence. There is obviously missing rationales for how this approach works. How are the neural pathways strengthened, how are short-circuits un-shorted, and how does any of this makes a difference? Another aspect that is unclear is in regards to Judith Bluestones expertise in the area of autism. Claims of recovering herself from autism hardly seem plausible.

My "favorite" story in "The Fabric of Autism" is about an autistic and non-verbal girl named Christine. Judith claims that the girl began to speak after a few months of "working" on her feet. Bluestones rational for this miraculous event is that the girl "allowed herself to open to her sensory vulnerabilities in order to be opened to express her sensibilities." Now where is the science in that?

I'm a parent with a teenage girl who has autism, so immeditately I was drawn to a woman who wrote about her own experiences with autism. Our family has been through almost everything imaginable, in trying to effectively treat it. I was absolutely at my wits end when a therapist went to a HANDLE training, and called me several times while she was there, to enthusiastically endorse this different approach to treating autism. Let me just say that my husband is highly educated and is a Harvard-trained physician, so he's not one to pay much attention to anecdotal or new-age claims. But he's every bit as convinced as I am, that this holistic method has greatly improved the brain functioning of our autistic daughter. It's helped her to such a degree that we don't even do any other interventions anymore! Reading this book was the eye-opener I needed, then actually meeting Judith in person, and working with her, and being guided by her, was the clincher. This method works, and I think it ought to be part of everyone's treatment program! I think my very favorite thing about HANDLE is that it's based on what is called "Gentle Enhancement." It's respectful of the changes that you're asking the body to do, and in doing so, it's easy, enjoyable, methodical, and best of all, it's improved my husband's and my brain functioning too! After years of frantic, forced interventions that frankly didn't work as well as we had hoped they would, we are now in such a beautiful place with our family. It's been over a year since we first began the exercises, and the change in our family is nothing short of amazing! We're so calm and unusually happy, because of the changes we only saw happen after trying the HANDLE method. I only wish we hadn't waited so long before we finally tried it!

This is an excellent book that helps to emphasize that people on the autism/Asperger's (a/A) continuum have many common threads with their neurotypical (NT) counterparts. I want more books like this. I find that message positive, affirming and very helpful indeed.

Bluestone does a brilliant job of combining a personal account with clinical research. When you get right down to it, all people have some common traits/aspects/behaviors with their a/A counterparts. The common thread is quite strong; it comes through in the beautiful, bright primary colors that make up the a/A enigma puzzle. Bluestone's research does a lot to unravel the enigma by providing logical explanations for sensory issues and behavioral responses to same.

I think this book deserves a place of honor among all professionals, parents and lay people. We all need this book!

My 25 yo daughter was diagnosed was Type 1 diabetes in April of this year. I read everything I could find on the subject. This book by far was the most helpful and encouraging. It helped me realize my daughter can handle this new challenge and live a full, active life.

I gave a copy of Getting a Grip to a twelve year old neighbor boy...he read the book with his mom...they said Getting a Grip gave them a sense of well-being and that it answered so many of their questions. They especially liked the chapters on sports, and academics and out door school!
RC

This book is easy to read. A newly diagnosed parent or child may enjoy this text because of it's simplicity.

As an avid reader of Books on Diabetes, I found it difficult to follow. The writers seemed disoriented and got off track often.

We received this book as a gift when our son was diagnosed with Type I diabetes. The whole family read the book and found it positive and very helpful. The book is filled with real life experiences and dozens of helpful tips. You just feel like you can do it when you read Getting a Grip on Diabetes.

If there are only two books you buy for diabetes type 1 management this is one of the two (the other being "Real Life Parenting of Kids with Diabetes)" written by Spike and Bo's mother (Virgina Nasmyth Loy).
I really enjoyed reading about diabetes from the viewpoint of the person with the disease. Spike and Bo provide practical suggestions on how to integrate diabetes management in a variety of settings: school, surfing, eating out, traving the globe, driving, etc.

My only complaint is that author Robert Horn could have picked a better title for his book. Otherwise, this is a great read, an honest look into the disaster that the American long-term health care system is in today. Horn lost his 24/7 nursing care coverage once he transitioned from private insurance to Medicare, which he qualified for as a working adult who became disabled and unable to work.

Even this affluent family couldn't afford to pay for round-the-clock nursing care, so they cobbled together health care aides, family and volunteers. If Horn had just given up and gone into a nursing home, his expenses would have been covered. Wanting to live in the world, with his wife, friends, colleagues and grown children, he paid a huge financial price, and his wife had to work the equivalent of two full-time jobs, one at her day job and the other job at night, as her husband's caretaker.

Is it really that hard for society to put a program together that will keep adults at home, if that's where they want to stay, after the onset of a life-threatening illness or disability? Much to his credit, Horn doesn't spend much time dwelling on the negative, instead revealing a strange zest for life, a willingness to go on living, when most of us would have given up.

A quick web search revealed that Horn died in 2002, living an amazing 14 years with a disease that usually results in death within 5 years. After reading his book, he comes across as the kind of man you wish you'd had a chance to know in life. Horn writes about a life lived with few regrets, and maybe that's the best we can all hope for, at the end of our lives.

In the opening pages, the author describes himself as a man who was, until his mid-forties, 'a very normal person and yet, at the same time, a somewhat abnormal one. I was normal in the sense that that there was nothing particularly unusual about me, no involvement in anything, positive or negative, unique or spectacular.' I am certain that those who knew and loved Mr. Horn would consider him to be a man who lived an unusual, spectacular and quite memorable life.

This is an excelent book! Very inspiring and humbling. I was first introduced to this book while teaching in Japan. The author's daughter was a previous teacher at my school, so the book found it's way to me. Once I began reading it, I was hooked! Another father of a good friend of mine also has the same condition, so it really gave me a greater understanding. It is seriously one of my favorite books!

This book is life changing. I first met Bob through his son, my schoolmate Chris, in Malaysia, and thought he was Just another friend's dad(don't take it personally Bob, you were all like that:). After more than ten years, I arranged to visit Bob, his wife Judy, and my old school mate Chris. I was advised by Chris to read the book as a precursor to meeting Bob, so as not to "shock" me when I met him again. HOW WRONG COULD CHRIS BE!!! Bob's vitality, energy, and will to live life to it's fullest, regardless of the obstacles, should be a lesson to all so called able-bodied-people. I used to think that being put in a wheelchair would destroy my life. I now know I was wrong. Bob, you are a hero to me.

This book was impossible to put down. Mr. Horn's determination, will to live, outlook on life, and his achievements are something we all could take a lesson from. He seems so happy and vibrant you almost forget that he typed the whole book with his foot! His descriptions of his family and friends support is enough to make the happiest person in the world jealous. This book is a tribute to the human spirit and to Mr. Horn and his family

As a person with the same disease, I found myself saying "ME too!" to all of the stories and feelings. This book is uplifting and presents ALS as a condition that happens to our bodies but never to our minds and souls. Final piece of advice: Ignore the title. It's the worst part of the book.

I heard about Resperate from a friend who talked to me about it. She told me to check it out for myself which I did at http://www.caregiverpartnership.com/brand-resperate.aspx. This site has a nice video which explains what it is and how it works.

Weather you have high blood pressure or are just stressed, in just about 15 minutes a day, you will be totally relaxed. I wasnt' sure about buying one (they are $250 to $300), but it had a no excuses money back guarantee, plus my friend was sold. So I thought what the heck, give it a try. I ordered it from a place called The Caregiver Partnership and decided to call them first with questions. They seemed very knowledgeable about Resperate (and claimed to have used it personally). I would recommend checking them out as an option.

The manufacturer of Resperate claims to have proof postive that it works - clinically based on something like 10 big studies.

My recommendation is if you have high blood pressure or are just stressed, give it a try for yourself. You have nothing to lose.

This book is an excellent resource guide for the non-professional caregiver...whether it's for an elderly parent, a spouse or child, this book is a simple hands-on reference. A must read for anyone new to caregiving.

I'll Take Care of you is an excellent book that offers insight and information on the challenges of caregiving. Some day we will all be faced with either being a caregiver or one who receives the care. In this book we are given permission to feel the emotions and know that we are not alone in what we feel and what we are experienceing. I have purchased this book for a friend and am recommending it to all those I know who are currently giving care. It is comforting to know that there is a resource available that offers support, understanding and real concrete suggestions. Thank you Carole Rothman and Joseph Ilardo for making such a sensitive issue "speakable."

This clearly written book has been extremely useful in helping me deal with my disabled husband. Its advice is useful for all caregivers, not just for those dealing with the elderly. The section on "hidden caregivers" sheds a lot of light on why I feel the way I do. The practical advice has been most helpful. I have suggested it to many of my friends who are also caregivers, and have also given copies of it to may family to help them understand what I am going through.

I bought this book because I needed answers, not more questions. After reading this book, it is obvious to me that the author has had no experience taking care of an elderly relative. Where are the outcomes of the case studies?. yes, I saw myself in some of these studies, but none of them has a resolution. Researching a book is easy, writing a book is easy, anything is easy compared with actually being a caregiver. I am returning the book and looking for one that was written by someone who actually went through what I'm going through!

"Joey Goes to the Dentist" is a great book. I thought it was well written and the photos were pretty cool. Very informative and will help young children better understand what to expect when they go to the dentist. I felt the authors did their homework well & knew what they were talking about. I would definitely recommend this book!

The unknown as well as a change in routine can be terrifying to children. By exposing children to what to expect at a dental visit, many fears can be erased. Youngsters will love going over the steps of a visit to the dentist,looking at and discussing the wonderful pictures and story. This book paves the way for a secure, comfortable dental experience, rather than the terrifying uncertainty. We gave this book to a friend's son for his birthday. It worked! His first visit to the dentist went so well!

This is a great book for young children who have never gone to a dentist before. There is not as much fear when you know what to expect. It gives great detail, talking about the noises and the smells in a dentist's office.

This is a delightful book that teaches children about a typical first visit to the dentist. For a child, a new experience can create anxiety, but Joey's experience shows going to the dentist can be an interesting learning adventure. The pictures are also a great way to tell Joey's story.

My daughter loves the book. She is 3 years old and it has really helped her feel more comfortable with going to the dentist. I like how you can read the full text or focus on the bold/colored text for quicker reading.

This book is more like an novel than a biography, and it is too long! However, you will find a very brave Jill Kinmont. Her spirit has never end. She kept on fighting and never gave up.

This book is the story of a very wonderful lady with courage and determination that keeps her striving unselfishly to give to others in any way possible. Although the accident left her a quadraplegic in a wheelchair, she went on to teach school in Bishop CA. My son was her pupil and he adores her to this day. She also gave him an afterschool job at her home...thats where he learned about roses and that the bushes simply 'love' milk every once in awhile! Jill is a remarkable lady that has overcome the trajedy which ended her budding career as a skier but it didn't take away her wonderful character as a caring and decent human being. I suggest that every one should read or see both books and movies...they tell the real story as it happened....no "Hollywood" additions or deveations and they used local people to be actors. I give them all a 'thumbs up'.

This memorable book is the definitve profile of courage. It tells the story of Jill Kinmont, a talented downhill skier whose Olympic success was imminent until a terrible fall in Utah rendered her a quadriplegic. But the true success of this book lies not with the representation of Jill Kinmont as a tragic heroine, but with the portrayal of her as someone whose commitment, dedication, drive, and determination have enabled her to succeed at life, despite the tremendous obstacles she has faced. Her skiing ability is legendary, but it is as a person she stands tall. Her story proves beyond all doubt than when our bodies are at their weakest our spirits are at their strongest.

This is an amazing and memorable piece of work and will be cherished by those who believe in the immortality and infallibility of the human spirit.

An inspiring story of Jill Kinmont, aspiring skiier who became a quadriplegic in a pre-Olympic ski race. Ms. Kinmont fought to live a normal life in a time when the disabled were considered just that - disabled and incapable of living normal lives. Her college refused to allow her to enroll in teacher training simply because of her limited mobility, which today would be recognized for the discrimination that it is.

Ms. Kinmont chose to live life to the best of her ability and work around her disability rather than let it define her capabilities, and in the process opened doors and gained recognition of the the needs of other handicapped people.

Recommend this biography as well as the Life magazine article, still available through libraries. Much better than the movie, which was unfortunately given the Hollywood treatment and fictionalized.

The Other Side of the Mountain is about a woman named Jill Kinmont. Jill was an Olympic skiing star. In one of the last skiing races before she and others could try out for the Olympics, Jill had a very, very serious disaster. When she was skiing down the hill at approximetly 40 miles per hour she lost her balance and control and crashed down hill. After this incident/disaster happend, Jill could never stand up again, is what the doctors had told her. The crash left her paralyzed from the shoulders down. After finding this out, Jill had some sort of another mountain to climb. It was from being able to do absolutly nothing to going back to a meaningful way of life again. The story is mostly about the struggle and the victory of Jill's life.