Bennett Books

I think this book was read to me in school many many years ago. I remembered it as an adult and purchased it for sentimental reasons. I think it reminded me of The Secret Garden in a way. The seashell cottage was the perfect hideaway that every little girl could dream of making her own. I loved the story of Mandy and found myself wistfully wishing that I had a place like that as a child. What a wonderful story that Julie Andrews has created. I will cherish it always and keep it to pass down to the young girls in my family.

I read and reread this book about 5 or so times as a child. I simply loved the adventure of it all about the protagonist discovering a home away from home that she could call her very own. This is a fascinating tale for children who love to live in their adventurous daydreams and who love secret hiding places of their own where they can just "be". Although this is a book I would reccomend to children, I wouldn't reccomend it to adults as the plot and drama is very minimal. Adults would be bored of this whereas most children, especially little girls, would be fascinated by the simplicity and beauty described within its pages.

Although this book is aimed to appeal to girls approximately between the ages of 7-13, I was in college when it was first released. Being a hugh fan of Julie Andrews, I of course bought the book and was amazed that I could not put it down! To me, a great book has the ability to transport the reader from their day-to-day life into another time and place. I was mesmerized by this charming story from beginning to end as I am sure every child who reads it will be. Mandy is not only a sweet, likeable orphan, but she is very positive role model for children, showing that if you try hard enough, you can make your dreams come true. I admire her spirit and courage to go after her dream of someday having a real family.
I had read that Julie Andrews lost a bet to her teenage step-daughter Jenny and her promise was to write her a story, which turned into this wonderful book! Lucky for us readers, the result of that bet gave us our first glimpse at yet another one of Julie Andrews' many talents. It's been 30 years now since I first read Mandy and I still have my original version of this book in a prominant place on my bookshelf, along with a hardback copy of Mandy and each updated version that has been printed. All the young girls in my family have read this classic book and loved it as much as I do. I only hope someday a movie version of this beautiful story is produced.

I purchased this book with my own money when it first came out thirty-six years ago. I was eight years old. I still have it on my bookshelf and shared it with my own children. This is truly a classic and I hope that someday it will be adapted for the screen!

This book reminds me a lot of "The Secret Garden" without being quite as preachy and overly descriptive. My two daughters absolutely love this book and consider it one of their favorites.

This is a fantastic book for encouragement that will spur you on in amping up your prayer life. This little collection is a powerful incentive to reexamine the content and character of your prayer life. We are, as frail humans, inclined to offer up self-absorbed prayers that reflect very little concern, or awareness, of God's glory and purposes as we treat Him like a genie in a bottle pressing Him to grant our wishes.

The prayers contained in this powerful little book are organized by theme. They are Christ-centered (which is to say God centered), humble and sometimes poetic "little offerings" to a Giant God, who does all things well. While modern culture seems content to paint cartoon-like portrayals of the Puritans, these prayers grant us insight into the deeply spiritual and personable people who suffered from the same trials and temptations as we.

The candor and child like transparency with which they approach the one true God is touching, revealing, and encouraging---and entirely biblical. If you want to bless your soul, gain insight into a mature and maturing prayer life and perhaps find good examples of how to pray, then buy this book. Obviously, our prayers must be from the heart (as these are). You may wish to begin your prayer time by reading one of these prayers and using them to jump start your prayer time. Of course these prayers are not Scripture but they are a reminder that a deeper, richer, and more God-honoring prayer life is ours for the taking, if we but try. Buy this book.

I highly recommend this book to those who want to expand their prayer life. This book really encouraged me and helped me to see how weak my prayer life really was! But at the same time, gave me a great vision for what my prayer life could be and IS BECOMING, thanks to this little book!

Bishop JC Ryle once wrote, "Tell me what a man's prayers are, and I will soon tell you the state of his soul. Prayer is the spiritual pulse. By this the spiritual health may always be tested." What he is getting at is that one's piety is proportional to the fervency, faithfulness, and diligence of his or her prayer habit. Though we have no access to how frequently the Puritans prayed, but in "The Valley of Vision"; which is a selected collection of their devotions and prayers, we have the evidence and vision of their souls in their relationship to God, that I believe explains their zeal for the Lord, holding on to the worldly concerns loosely, earnestness and discipline to live a life pleasing to him as pilgrims travelling to the heavenly Canaan. If I were to describe the characteristics of them, I would use the words reverence, awe, self-abasement, Triune God-centeredness, child-like love to God, and heavenly-mindedness. While they are examples to follow in piety and there is plenty to learn from their prayers, I would be careful not to be so infatuated by them, and use this book as some sort of a prayer book. It is still important to pray from the heart though it may not be as eloquent as their prayers, and in some cases they seem to resonate to the particular situation you are going through.

These are gut wrenching prayers. Personally, I use them for a "devotional thought" prior to going to bed at night. Also available in a paperback.

This is a wonderful book to take us deeped into a life of prayer, considering the aspects of God and His nature which are not preached from the pulpit very much anymore. Every seeker should read.

This book literally changed my life. As someone with a deep interest in Anne Frank and the Holocaust, I began reading it with some concern. I have read several books involving time travel and there is nothing that irks me more than a romanticized version of Anne Frank's life. However, this is a book that brings her and other victims of the Final Solution to life for me, and it is one of the best books I have ever read. I can clearly see how easily it could have been me and my family in the Holocaust, instead of someone else. The story also does a brilliant job of linking everyday events with those of the Holocaust. I can only imagine how survivors view modern life after what they went through. It makes you think about what is really important in life. I literally began thinking about how materialistic and selfish I can be, and how little that I really worry about is of any importance.
The title is misleading however; Anne Frank does spark the story and end it, but she is really not the driving force behind the book. She appears in the Holocaust flashback for only a few pages, though those pages are tearjerking.
Nevertheless, there is a great deal of information about the Holocaust in this book. It is extremely well-written, an incredible page-turner. I almost find it difficult to believe that it is a work of fiction, it seems so real. It is a slightly more mature book, recommend at least for teenagers. Aside from the age issue, this is a story that comes highly recommended. It will alter your life forever.

I loved this book! As i was readig it i thought what does it have to do with Anne Frank but as i kept reading the book got more interesting and i found out what it had to do with her.

This was the best book I ever read and i plan on reading it again. i recomend it to everyone.

Anne Frank and Me was an emotional story about a girl in present day and in the time of the Holocaust. If you do not like books that will make you cry, then do not read this one. The author uses very realistic details about the Holocaust so that you feel like you are really there in the story. Anne Frank and Me is exciting from the very beginning. You do not have to read for hours just to get to an exciting point in the book. I highly recommend Anne Frank and Me because it is an emotional book, and it is based on a horrible but real event that happened not too long ago.

Anne Frank and Me was an exceptional book and I enjoyed it very much. I can't imagine how anyone wouldn't love following Nicole through her journey starting in the 90's and ending up in year of 1942. I've read it twice and I know I'll set it down for a few months, then read it again! I recommend this to anyone with a heart! Enjoy Anne Frank and Me.
Stephanie A.
Tustin, CA

I would have to say that Anne Frank and Me is a very well written book about a modern girl trapped in a world shattered by the Nazis. Very realistic, I must say. Cherie Bennett makes it feel as if you are actually THERE. The characters are very original. The ending is very shocking and also well written.

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Searching For Davids Heart is the best book I've ever read.This book is about a girl named Darcy and her brother Derek.Life is rough at Darcy's house,money is tight and her parents fight alot.The day of Darcy's birthday Derek brings his girlfriend which makes Darcy very upset.After the party Derek and his girlfreind go to the park at the bench.Whenever Darcy overhears them talking something tragic that Darcy never even pictured happened and she ......well she blaims herself.

This is a great book if you like sad books then this is your kind of book.A young girl her brother dies wile they were fighting.She fills horrible.So she takes her friend on ana adventure of a life time.If you want to find out what happens then read this adventuires book.

This book is about a girl named Darcy, who loves her big brother......until he gets a girlfriend. Darcy doesn't like that David is not spending time with her anymore, so she runs away. David is hit by a car and dies. Darcy knows it's her fault, so she finds a way to apologize....she must find his heart, even though it's beating in someone else's body. The rest of the book is a quest that Darcy and her best guy-friend, Sam, take in order to find David. The rest of the book, I will not tell, you must read it! I will say, though, I cried during most of it!

Book Review on "Searching for David's Heart"

Emily Simons
6th Grade
Oshkosh WI


"I don't see why Mrs.Pritcher is making us give stupid speeches in front of the entire class," I groaned to my big brother, David, & my best friend Sam Weiss." Is how the book Searching for David's Heart by Cherie Bennett begins. In the book Darcy adores her big brother David. But when David gets a girlfriend & David starts treating Darcy like a pest things go haywire. On Darcy's Birthday David brings his girlfriend Jayne. Darcy doesn't like Jayne because she's getting all of David's attention. David & Darcy get in a huge fight and Darcy runs away. David decides to follow her and something that Darcy never pictured happens and she blames herself.



In this book the theme is tied in between three different things. Courage- Darcy is leaving home to find the 12 year old who has her brother's heart. Braveness- She's leaving home & not telling anyone & will bring Winston to her parents. Love- "He smiled thorough his tears Merry Christmas Dee-Dee." Merry Christmas. I think all these different themes tie up the book.

The characters in this book are Darcy the main character, a sister who loves her brother more than the world. David as you probably guessed is the second main character, David is know for how great he is at collage football. I think that Jayne would be the third main character, because she in some way is part of David's death. Dad would come before mom, because of his work problem. Now, of course we have mom. Meemaw also know as grandma would be sixth because she is just lying in bed all day & is only mentioned a couple times. Last but not least we have Andy the little brother.

My next topic is the setting of the book. The main setting is Darcy's house. There always at her house. Sometimes in the book there at school. Or they could be visiting grandma, or on the bus to mami, Appleton park, or and Sam's house.

So in conclusion, Searching for David's Heart is a good book. I recommend this book to all ages, & all who enjoy a little sadness and adventures in a book. There is a lot of interesting stuff in this book. So it all comes down to one question Darcy's lost her brother but can she find the only one part of him that still remains? Find out when you read Searching for David's Heart!!

Darcy is in sixth grade and she feels very awkward. She stutters when she gets nervous, and she finds it hard to talk to people. Her younger brother is a brat, her father always seems to be angry at her, and her grandmother is in a coma at a nursing home, where the children have to go visit her. But Darcy's big brother David is perfect. He is strong and sweet to everyone. Everyone likes him and he can get along with anyone, but he is especially good to Darcy. There is no one in the world she loves more.

Then David gets a girlfriend. She may be perfectly nice, but Darcy hates her and the fact that she seems to be taking David away. One night in a fit of fury after a ruined birthday celebration, Darcy yells at David and his girlfriend that she hates them and wishes her brother were dead. Then she runs off. As David is chasing after her, he is hit by a car and he dies.

Darcy is riddled with guilt. She feels that she is a murderer, that David's death is her fault. She doesn't know what to do, and her family is falling apart now more than ever. Then Darcy makes a decision. She knows that her parents donated some of David's organs, including his heart. Darcy decides to find the recipient of that heart, to maybe see if that person now has a little bit of David in him or her. Darcy and her best friend Sam set off on their journey to track down David's heart.

I liked the character of Sam, and the way he related to Darcy. I liked how the story was resolved at the end, and I liked how the father's prejudice was explained and dealt with. I thought that Darcy's parents were pretty horrible throughout most of the story, though. They should have been able to do something to help Darcy.

This is one of my favorite horse stories of all time. It is about a young boy who makes a bond with an increadible horse. A must read for any horse lover!!!!

This is my favorite horse story ever! This book stands above all others for me and I will always remember it. My mom read this to me when I was 9 years old and still to this day, I have never read it's equal. Henry's writing is so beautiful, the story so touching and the characters so real. A plot unfolds about a young stable boy in Morocco and his golden-bay stallion who would one day be known as the Godolphin Arabian, who's bloodline still runs in race horses of today. It's quite possible a lot of this book is based on fact. A simply amazing story in all respects! I must warn sensitive readers however, there are some very intense parts of this book, some sad parts which are sure to make most people cry and a few parts where there is fairly harsh abuse and neglect of animals. Maybe not the best choice to read to very young kids, especially if they are the type to get scared easily. Overall, I would say the book has an excellent balance of tragedy and triumph. The ending is a beautiful one, both happy and a little sad but satisfying and well worth reading the story.

King of the Wind is a great book by Marguerite Henry. It is about a mute boy named Agba and his horse Sham. Agba goes with Sham on many adventures together. Agba goes with Sham from the royal stables in Morocco to Gog Magog. Sham also sires many winning foals and when he is gone, Agba goes back to Morocco.
I enjoyed this book very much. I liked it because it is about horses. I also liked it because it was full of adventure. It was sad and exciting and there were many parts where Sham and Agba were seperated. Agba was very brave for a young, mute boy and Sham kept him company with his firy spirit that only Agba could control.
My favorite part was when the cook tried to drive Sham. He wanted to show that he did not need Agba to drive Sham. He left Agba at the royal kitchens then set out. Sham bidded his time till the cart was groaning with goods and a young pig. Then "BAM!" He went wild and ran like the wind, sending the goods, the pig, and the cook into the air. The cook runs after first the pig, then Sham, then the pig, until he is so confused that he catched nither. In the end the apple woman cathes Sham and the cook is so fustrated that he sells Sham to a cruel man. I like this part best because it is so funny and shows Shams firy nature.

All of Marguerite Henry's books are classics, but I think this one, recounting the life of the Godolphin Arabian, a founding father of the American thoroughbred, is my favorite. I bought it for my own children and as I read it to them, I was taken back to the day I first read the story. Even after thirty two years, Sham and Agba still make me cry.

It's writing is simple, the words easy for a child to understand, but the story is so full of awe and respect for the great horse that you can't help but be moved. The illustrations are also some of the finest in children's literature. Wesley Dennis painted watercolor masterpieces for many (all?) of Marguerite Henry's books, but I think the works in this book are particularly inspired. Both the writing and the artwork are true treasures I am honored and delighted to be able to share with my children.

The Christmas I was nine, I got a boxed set of Marguerite Henry novels and while I loved all of them and read them day and night during the break from school, I think this one goes down as my favorite. A few years after I first read this novel, my family moved and I discovered it was also, by a nice coincidence, one of the favorite books of a girl I met in our new neighborhood, who went on to be my best friend to this very day. That connection, too, makes this a special read. However you might come to possess this wonderful book, I think you'll agree, it's one to be cherished.

King of the Wind is the story of a mute boy named Agba, who lives works in the royal stables in Morocco during the eighteenth century, where the Sultan has perhaps the finest collection of horses on earth: maybe the greatest ever in history. Among the animals Agba cares for is a colt who has long been Agba's favorite. This horse was born with a mark called the wheat ear, that is regarded among Moroccans as so unlucky, custom mandates that any foal possessing it be destroyed at once. However, this colt also is marked by a sign of extraordinary good fortune, which reprieves the death sentence and is there to battle the wheat ear in the animal's life: the good in constant yin/yang conflict with the bad.

As a gesture of goodwill, the all-powerful Sultan elects to send a shipment of his finest horses to his friend and ally, King George of England. As the horses chosen for the journey are prepared, Agba is given the chance to accompany these prized animals by ship to the far-off Christian kingdom. One of the colts hand-picked by his Excellency is none other than the omen-marked horse Agba has grown to love. The journey northward upon the ocean is undertaken, but an unscrupulous sea captain has shortchanged the Sultan's agents and not provided food for the equine passengers. Therefore, the cargo of fine desert steeds who are unloaded in England appear little better than half-starved nags, and never find their way to the royal court.

Cast out among beggars and in a strange, cold nation where he knows no one and does not understand the language, Agba refuses to leave his beloved horse's side and the happenings that come to pass in the life of the desert stable boy and the fine, though seemingly run-down stallion, form the basis of a delightful novel that is simultaneously a tale of a boy and his extraordinary horse, and a history lesson in eighteenth-century equine lore. In Miss Henry's story, fact and fiction meet as Agba's horse becomes the celebrated Godolphin Arabian, from whom roughly one-third of all modern thoroughbreds can trace descent.

I guess you can tell I really like this book, and I think almost anyone would as well!

Primarily Lori Schiller and Amanda Bennett, but also Lori's family, Dr. Doller et al did an excellent work to open the window to the rest of us, socially acepted as "sane", to have a view into the mechanics of an actually "crazy" mind. I hadn't read a book like that for a long time, not a single sentence in this book is fluff! There is also an excellent movie in this book
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Lori, sweetheart, you are brave!!! Not only for fighting your sickness to a manageable state yourself, but also for being bravely honest to narrate your inner world despite "the voices"
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My son, also in his teens, started acting very weird and I thought he was just a spoiled brat, till my wife pointed out to me the obvious; "he wasn't OK" and he started to talk about "voices" and very similar things.
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I didn't really know what to do (he came from overseas to live with me, so I basically didn't know him). I fell like I had gone to a foreign country and would see signs I could not really comprehend. Lori helped me understand things better. I found clear answers to some very concrete questions I had myself about clinical craze
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Thank you Lori Schiller
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I loved this book's depiction of mental illness and have re-read it several times. I am going to push a question that has been alluded to in past reviews. This book was published 11 years ago. Does anyone have any updates as to how Lori has been doing since then? Thank you very much.

This is a unique and beautiful book. Any person with interests in Psychiatry or Mental Health issues must read it. It's the first time I experienced what a schizophrenic felt first hand. A must-read!

Schiller writes grippingly and insightfully of her experience of schizophrenia including the "cold wet packs" of ice water soaked sheets used to restrain and calm her psychotic outbursts and her times in hospital "quiet rooms". The writing style is journalistic and factual when dealing with intense emotions and experiences. She is wonderfully descriptive in explaining the reality of her delusions and hallucinations, the experiences of pychotherapy, suicide attempts, cocaine use, psychiatric hospitals and half way houses. Eventually clozaril helped (with psychotherapy) to bring her back from the abyss of severely disabling schizophrenia. Her full diagnosis is "schizoaffective" disorder as her illness includes a bipolar disorder component. The accounts by Schiller, her family members, doctors and friends lend insight to the course of her disease especially as experienced by her family. I was particularly struck by her parents' progress from denial and resentment of both her diagnosis and her doctors to growing insight into schizophrenia and eventual recognition of the illness in their family history. While the multiple accounts make the narrative more difficult to follow they also add greatly to the story. Highly recommended!

The Quiet Room is a powerful account of a woman lost in her illness of schizophrenia. I was amazed at how the author, Lori, hid her hallucinations from people for so long before getting treatment. I found myself angry at her parents for denying her illness for so long and delaying treatment which she very much needed years before it was received.

It's also amazing that Lori made it through her experience of schizophrenia and was able to tell her story. During the worst of her illness, she was extremely suicidal at times and thought nothing of it (for example, playing a game of crossing the street again and again with her eyes closed and walkman blaring so she couldn't hear the cars). She could have easily died at those times and not come through to tell her story.

This book was very well written and made me feel for Lori. I couldn't put this down once I started. Although, I did give it a five star review and found it to be one of the most interesting books I've read, I don't necessarily recommend it to everyone.

At times this book was too well written, too many details and caused parts of the book to be triggering for me. I'm not schizophrenic (never have been), but I've been in hospitals for depression and other things. Lori's details of the "quiet room" (seclusion in the hospitals) and what happened to her when she was out of control in the hospitals was disturbing to me, as I've been in different "quiet rooms" in hospitals and I found myself remembering my own experiences and getting upset. Just because this was triggering for me, doesn't mean it will be for others. I'm just saying, you've been warned.

As triggering as this book was, it remains a five star for me. It was gripping, intense, real --just the way a book should be-- and I loved it. I liked the way the story was told through family members as well. It helps the reader see the perspectives of those who loved Lori. It shows how her illness affected others.

Overall, The Quiet Room is a sad book. But it's inspiring and uplifting at the end. If Lori can make it through the horrors of schizophrenia, we can make it through our day-to-day lives of work, school, and dilemmas. This book gave me hope.

The gals at "Hair It Is" love Jennie's Reprisal. Jennie Gravatt's journey from Atlantis to Eternity has a compelling realness. And facts regarding our town of Ashtabula, presented during Jennie's lifetime in the early 1920s, made the story even more real to us. This is truly a great book.

Reading this fascinating and diverse story, I found myself amazed at the depth of life's lessons.  I was entertained and educated.  If I have to come back to this world again, I hope to find my Raimone.

Just finished reading Jennie's Reprisal and I love it!  Carol Bennett's words touch my heart, stimulate my mind and other body parts, and help me to remember.  The Epilogue is one of the most incredible passages that I have ever read.  Anyone who reads this book will be lucky and blessed.

The fascinating premise of Jennie's Reprisal held my interest from start to finish.  I really became involved with Jennie in all of her manifestations.  Movement back and forth, from the present time to the distant past, evoked feelings of timelessness.  Scenes are creative and extremely sensual.  A beautifully inspiring book that gives hope for the future!

JENNIE'S REPRISAL is one of the rare books that makes a compelling case for reincarnation. This book not only resonates with the truth that awaits us all, but gives us insight into our very existence.

Zink by:Cherie Bennet was the best book ever.I love the author. She is the best.I'm realy looking forward to reading another one of her books.

I am not a very emotional person, and I found myself crying at least once every chapter. This is a very sad book. I don't recommend it if you are under the age of 10, because the words are small, and the emotions just make you want to reach out. I am very touched by this book. It is DEFINITLY A MUST READ. This is my favorite book I have ever read - and I have read ALOT OF BOOKS

I thought this book was very good. It talked about a girl who ends up getting a form of cancer called leukemia. She meets people in the hospital who like her and don't like her. During her difficulties in the hospital some zebras come to her and she thinks their not real but what she comes to find out is that she is the zebras assigned human. She goes back and forth to her assigned zebra herd. This is a great story for people who like to act like their in the book.

I have had the book since it first came out. My book is so worn from reading it over and over again. I read probley every six monthes. Now I need by another because it is so used it is falling apart.

This book goen into depth just how bad cancer can be. You may car at the end. When I frist read it I did the way she dies is so sad. Anyway you get to see how things work for getting rid of cancer. You also will see how couagre is thouht and how Becky stands up for herself. This such a good book! I think there should be a second one to it. It would tell what happens after Zink and how her faimly is doing.

I've read Zink countless times since I got in the 4th grade. Every night, I sit down and go to my favorite parts of the book, and then shead a tear or two as I lay down to sleep.

Ever since I first read Zink, I started looked at my own life closer. I noticed how lucky I was to have my hair, not be sick all the time, and not always have Lukemia on my mind. This book is so inspiring for everyone. And in more ways than one. Ever since I read the book, I have been planning my own book to write about Lukemia, called Bald and Beautiful. Although no book could top zink, I think I will give my planned book a shot.

True courage is admitting that you are scared but continuing to fight. I have applied this to every day life, from math tests to track meets, riding rollar coasters to standing up in front of a bully. Every day, when I'm about to face something scary, I try to have true courage. And before I read Zink, I never knew what true courage was.

Zink is a great book that I reccmond to all my friends. I actually like how Becky dies at the end, though it is very, very, sad. Before you protest and stop reading this review, please listen to my reason. Two years ago, my best friend was diagnosed with Lukemia. And today, sadly to say, she isn't hear anymore. Not all people will live, and Zink teaches you that.

Knowing what Chemo is like, the book does a great job of telling people all the horrible, horrible details. I was with my friend almost every day when she was having Chemo, and I was right outside her room when she was having her TBR. And I remember when she got her BMT so clearly, that just reading this book brought back so many memories.

All in all, if you want a really good read, with totally real facts and plots, than Zink is for you.

What does it say of a reader who, as an adult, reads 'Winnie the Pooh' for the first time - and - and - feels it one of the best novels he ever read.
So pristine, so perfect - would I have appreciated it as a child? Who knows (I was too busy feeding my literary hunger with comics). Anyway I have my copy of 'Winnie the Pooh' on the top shelf of my book case, next to the others I consider great (Ulysses, 1984, Great Expectations ...) for all to see.
And who can contest that for "I am a bear of very little brain, and big things bother me".

My 2 1/2 year old loves this! It is soooo much better than letting her watch tv as this uses her imagination. I'm very happy I bought this.

This book was such a sweet little something to come home to at night. This book isn't just for kids, but for adults too! relax and enjoy!

This book is such a classic. I love reading it to my kids, no matter how many times they ask. (And as a homeschool mom of 4, I get asked a lot! I require it for kindergarten though.) And it gets even better the older you get. It is so funny and clever and wise and endearing. We see almost every personality type in the characters. Definitely a must-read, and if you can at all, own a copy of this book! (A good audio version is nice to have too--British accent a must!) It's on every children's book list I've seen, and with good reason--it's stood the test of time. The children in your life will thank you for introducing them to the original and still the best version of Winnie the Pooh.

My kids really like listening to this book. My husband and I can't stand the voice of Pooh Bear though. I think they want him to sound dumb but it can get a little painful. But since the kids love it so much I suffer through.

As a psychologist for 30 years I have read many professional texts and self-help books. This is a valuable book for people entering the healing professions as well as for patients and their caretakers because, throughout, it touches on a man's path to recovering from brain damage. It touches on his creating a personal philosophy to see him through, skills he learned along the way, including self-assertion, and finally the love he's learned along the way.
Dick Schmelzkopf's book, Brain Damage: Overcoming adversity with wit and humor, challenges us to observe what is, to most of us, the mundane choices of life, what to wear, doing chores, and handling finances through his brain-damaged mind. This book is a practical, no-nonsense, road map outlining the rehabilitation process of a brain-damaged man ... and more. In addition, the author describes what one can expect to experience along the way and shares his views that will help people understand what tools one needs on such a journey. It will make the trip easier for all who make this journey and those who accompany them. Reading this book illuminates our lives and can only make us more tolerant, compassionate, and caring. I'm a better psychologist for having read it.
Philosophy
From his first thoughts after surgery, Dick Schmelzkopf psychologically reframes how he sees life. Dick's advice to "Add Quality of Life to your personal credo" will shake the whininess out of anyone's "pity party." Many who have died on the operating table and are brought back to life also make this shift in their thinking through the transformational experience.
Dick avoids sliding into non-productive funks when he admonishes us, "Don't beat yourself up ... Remember it and learn by it." Combine Dick's advice to us all that we "... need challenges and interests. If you don't have one, get one," with his personal stance, "I will never, never give up," which explains much of his success. Dick's dogged determination to master whatever functions his brain surgery left him is a model to everyone, with or without brain damage. Dick's prior work as a salesman has, I believe, contributed to his use of affirmations like, "I have a positive attitude that guarantees success." Dick adapted the adage, "If life gives you lemons, make lemonade," into his personal mantra, "If you're given brain damage, write about it." In addition to being great rehabilitation therapy for him, it gives his life meaning and purpose that this book "... will give somebody an idea of how to help themselves or someone they love."
Skills
This book has many techniques for the brain-damaged person to use to enhance the quality of their life and the lives of their caregivers. His recitation of his abilities, pre and post- surgery, can be an instruction manual, both for the patient and for caregivers. Whether discussing the impact on his decision-making or judgment, Dick lays out the roadmap of how a brain-damaged person can regain control of whatever is left by the surgeon's scalpel. Dick constantly reminds us of the need for the acceptance of the "slow and arduous task" of rehabilitation by patients, caregivers and health care professionals.
Dick teaches us by example. His strategy of linking his interests in darts to solving a math problem clearly shows how a brain-damaged person can learn how to cope. He serves up the problems he's had, like pattern recognition, then follows up with helpful hints for dealing with his "broken recognizer." Dick's rituals, for rebuilding his vocabulary, are his menu for finding and using what works for him. Dick's "Rule number one" for the cognitively challenged (and their caregivers) is proof that his "... pen is mightier that the surgeon's sword." Dick's comment about his re-learned poker skills are a warning to us all, should we ever find ourselves across a poker table from him.
His determination to define himself in his new life is a triumphant assertion of the human spirit and will. Dick's response to people who treat him as less than equal is a prime example of a psychologically healthy outlook, succinctly put, that others see him as a person of worth and dignity, handicap be damned. Dick's admonition that "Brain-damaged means we may be a little slower in some areas, but don't count us out," works as well for those with an aging brain as it is instructive to caregivers and health care professionals alike.
Love
This book is as much a love story of two people committed to each other in ways only a few lucky people will ever experience. It emphatically says, "Take heart, caregivers," when Dick tells caregivers, "You are important," and you feel it when he says throughout the book, "Ain't love grand?" You will find this book is full of heart, love, compassion, humor and common sense that prove that to overcome a handicap, the wisdom of the heart trumps intelligence. Every time. The two pages discussing Grief is worth the price of the book alone. Its lesson is the power of compassion, love and illuminates the author's humanity, or, as his wife says, "ECCE HOMO," which translates as "Behold, A Man."
Dick's rehabilitation journey is not complete, nor will it ever be. After a year of rehab work he has found, however, the best path for himself. He's currently busy on many writing projects. We wish him God-speed and Dragon's Luck.

What can I say....I laughed, I cried (rest in peace, Shardak), and then I laughed again (out loud, alone in the room, 1 AM). I saw myself and wondered why anyone who has ever lost their car keys is not in the same program right along with the "Rehabbers". Dick shares some very personal moments with his readers (some of these things it would never occur to me to share with some of my closest friends). He really grabs you and makes you think.....and laugh....and cry.... I felt like I was sitting and sharing secrets with my best friend. Truly inspirational, in many ways!! Thanks for sharing yourself with the world!!

Brain Damage is an amazing journey. Both the story and its author are testaments to the indomitableness of the human spirit in its quest for wholeness. However, the author's pilgrimage, compelling in its own right, is but a subplot to a recurring theme throughtout the book. This is a love story, marriage the way God intended it. "For better or worse, in sickness and in health"--vows often spoken but not always honored, expecially when tested the way these were. You will love this book, and you will love the way these two people love each other. Enjoy their journey, then I challenge you. See if you can ever again be angry with your spouse for ignoring the budget or failing to lower the toilet seat.

Dick Schmeltzof's very personal book, Brain Damage, is both heartwarming and informative. He treats a very serious subject with humor, wit and compassion. It is difficult to imagine the drastic changes that have occurred in Dick's life since the emergency surgery to remove a tumor on his pituitary gland. But through his carefully constructed narrative, we can "feel" his frustrations and also revel in the incremental -- yet moving forward -- progress that he makes. His is a story of great courage, hope and love; a lesson for Humanity. Thanks to Dick for sharing this moving and insightful story of life after brain surgery. Readers will laugh. They will weep. And finally, they will applaud this incredible human being. Dick demonstrates a real gift for storytelling through this book. Let's hope he delights us with "Brain Damage II".

This is one story that will inspire many people and give them hope for recovery from brain injuries. The author uses humor and wit and weaves his story of how he over came and coped with his "brain damge". It is a positive message about a serious concern. The book is a great read even if you do not have anyone in your lfie with brain damage - it really is about attitude and how you can cope with whatever happens to you in your life.

I totally recomend this book to all readers. It will add something to your life in a positive way. It is uplifting!