Pulmonary-Hypertension Books

Another hit for Kunati publishing! Cheryl Kaye Tardiff's story of a young girl's struggle to leave her home in Wyoming to move to Canada with her parents touches the very soul of the reader. Change is hard for any age. Cheryl weaves the uncertain path of life, death and recovery with a golden needle. Many times I found myself fighting back the tears because of the grip of real-life emotion. It's a great read for any age and the valuable 'lessons' portrayed are bone jarring. There has been talk of making the book into a movie and I'd love to be the first in line! Great Work Cheryl Kay Tardif!

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book other than there would be whales in it. The summary above comes from the back of the book and doesn't say much. I'll tell you a little more about the book so you can properly decide if it's your kind of book but don't worry, I'd never reveal too much or spoil and ending.

The main character is an 11 year old girl whose family moves to a small town where most of the inhabitants are Native Canadians. The book is Children's Fiction but for older children, say 12 and up. A large portion of the book has stories, myths and history of Native Canadians, specifically Huuayaht. I found this very interesting.

Also, since the summary says a tragedy will happen but doesn't specify anything, you don't know where or when it will happen. I don't know if it was on purpose or not but quite a few times the words made me think the tragedy would happen next and I was wrong. As an adult, later on in the book I figured out what the tragedy would be although I wasn't sure who did it. I had an idea and it did turn out to be right but I could just have easily been wrong. I don't think a child reader would be guess what the tragedy would be.

Another common occurrence in this book is bullying and the book teaches good lessons about it. It may be a good book to give to a child who is being bullied just as a fun read but with underlying lessons.

Overall I enjoyed the book although I did find my mind wandering a bit. The writing style didn't pull me into it's hold until the second half of the book.

This is going to be an unusual review for me. I too am an author and I have also read other works by this immensely talented woman and also interviewed her. I also have a suggestion but I will mention that again at the end of this review. I'm also a two time war veteran and retired Marine.

There is a common misconception about Marines. I.e. "Dumb Jar Heads!" The truth of the matter is, and this applies to all ranks. Many "Marines" are some of the most well read individuals you will ever meet in your life! And the reason for that is "Down Time" and I am sure this also applies to the sister services as well. I do suffer from PTSD so my memory isn't what it use to be, but I do remember being on a field op in Big Island Hawaii.

I walked up on a Cpl and he was engrossed in a book. I watched him for a while and I could see the emotions on his face and how he was holding back tears. Big burly guy with muscles in his eye brows I might add.

Watcha reading? I startled him, and he tried to hide his emotions and then he gave up trying.

"You have GOT TO READ THIS BOOK!!!"

Me and about five others did. I also knew after reading that book, what everyone I cared about was getting from me for Christmas.

"Whale Song" is just such a book as well!

The only other book I've done that with is "The Bridges Of Madison County" by Robert James Waller.

Something else that has touched me in a way that "Whale Song" has touched me is the movie by Sean Penn called "Into The Wild." If I had Sean Penn's personal mailing address I would be sending him a copy of "Whale Song" so he could turn it into a movie and I know he would do so superbly!

Buy this book as a Christmas present for those you love and believe me when I say this, it is a gift that will last a life time!

Oh and as far as my suggestion I said I would address in the end?

Have tissues handy because this book will not only tug on your heart strings, I can say for myself, it basically tore quite a few out!!!

And one last thing...

The book me and others read in the field and knew it was a sure fire, can't miss gift for those we loved for Christmas?

It is called.

"The Note Book" by Nicholas Sparks.

"Whale Song"

Is not only that good...

It just might be considered by some, better.

I know if I had to chose, I wouldn't be able to.

Respectfully

Chase Von

Your Chance to Hear The Last Panther Speak
The Last Panther

In the summer of 1977, eleven-year-old Sarah Richardson is filled with trepidation and resentment when her father's new job forces her to leave her home and best friend in Wyoming to relocate in the remote town of Bamfield on Vancouver Island. But these feelings fade when she sees her gorgeous new home overlooking the ocean and befriends and Indian (a term commonly used for First Nations people in 1977) girl named Goldie. Of course, her idyllic summer with her parents and Goldie doesn't last. Once school begins, Sarah endures long, painful lessons about bullying, racial hatred, and family tragedy.

Cheryl Kaye Tardif's WHALE SONG is an unusual mystery. Although the story opens with an adult Sarah reflecting back on the summer that changed her life, she eases into eleven-year-old Sarah's point of view as the story unfolds, turning the book into a young adult novel. But then grownup Sarah slides briefly back into the story with ominous foreshadowing about events she wished she'd seen coming.

The other unique aspect is that the mystery doesn't occur until two thirds into the book. Certainly, the reader feels tension building among main characters and a grim situation inevitably spiraling out of control. But death, a police investigation, and murder charge don't occur until the reader knows the Richardson family so well that we feel their anguish. Some mystery fans might loathe the pacing of events, yet it's important to understand that mystery is only one facet of this multi-layered story. Crime might not be center stage in WHALE SONG, however, it's essential to the story.

Cross-genre novels are hard to pigeonhole, and this one will be a challenge for librarians and booksellers. WHALE SONG is an elegantly written, heartbreaking blend of friendships lost and gained, family tragedy, spirituality, death, guilt, punishment, and forgiveness. This is a lot to incorporate into one novel, but Tardif does it beautifully in a mere 199 pages. If you want something different in a mystery, WHALE SONG is a compelling story you won't forget any time soon.

11-year-old Sarah and her parents, Daniella (an artist), and Jack (a marine biologist), move to Canada from the States. Sarah is not happy about the move but she starts warming up to the idea when she sees their beautiful new house located right along the beach that has an amazing view. She's even more happy when she meets Goldie. The two quickly become best friends. Sarah loves Goldie's family, especially her grandmother who they call Nana most of the time. Goldie is of Indian descent (along with most of the other people in the town where Sarah is living), so Sarah learns new traditions and tales from the past.

Sarah develops a crush on a boy in her class, Adam. She also gets bullied by a girl named Annie. But for the most part she likes her new home. She especially loves going out on the schooner with her parents and listening to the whales, which are Sarah and her mother's new love.

Not long after being in their new home, Sarah's mom starts having fainting spells. It is discovered that she has a rare condition that is slowly wasting her away. When Sarah finds this out she's devastated. Unfortunately, there's nothing anyone can do for her mother. Her doctors only give her about two to three more years to live, max.

When Daniella eventually ends up in a coma, something happens and she dies. Jack (Sarah's father) is arrested for pulling the plug on the machines that were keeping his wife alive. Sadly, after his long-awaited court date, the jury finds him guilty and he's sentenced to ten years in prison.

Sarah has to go back to the U.S. with her grandparents and leave everything behind once again. She tries to block out all that has happened to her back in Canada, even the good things. But when she's older (in her 20's), someone comes along and opens her floodgates (so to speak), and she once again remembers everything, including how her mother died.

This was an incredibly hard book to write a summary of. So much happens in WHALE SONG that it's hard to cover the basic things in a short summary. Just go read the book and you'll find out how wonderful it is! It's completely heart wrenching because you know all along that Daniella is dying. But the whole book is just amazing.

I seriously never wanted to put it down. Ms. Tardif's use of words is incredible, like when she's talking about the killer whales or describing scenery. They just flow so easily across every page. My heartstrings were being pulled the entire time and I absolutely loved it. If you like these type of books, I seriously recommend getting yourself a copy. You seriously won't be disappointed. And yes, I know I just overused the word seriously -- sorry!

Reviewed by: Breanna F.

This is an awesome book and i highly recommend it to anyone wanting to know what it's like to be chronicaly ill.

Lots of helpful information -- good book to have if you or someone you know has PPH or PAH

I am a nurse, not a physician, however the book was informative for me also. Since there are FEW texts specific to Primary and/or Secondary PAH, it is a resource that is badly needed. It is not for the lay person. Lucia