Specific Disabilities Books

The next time you think that life has dealt you a bad hand, you should pick up this story about Kyle Maynard, the congential amputee athlete. I found the story very inspirational and motivating. While I was hopeing that Kyle would talk more about other aspects of his life, like career, it was impressive reading about how he trained for football and wrestling. There is also the amazing amount of faith and caring from Kyle's friends and family.

Next time that you get self-conscious over a blemish or do not feel like exercising, take a few minutes to flip through this book about an amazing human being.

Doug Setter, author of Stomach Flattening

Kyle's story is one that helps you to believe in love of family and power of the human spirit.

This book is truly inspiring!
Read it, with a box of Kleenex tissue handy. This book will put iron in your spine!
Then buy copies for everyone in your family . . . and friends . . . and.
Do not! Repeat- Do not miss out on the rich blessing this book delivers.

It is a great book. It proves that the mind can overcome any physical disablilities.

Very great story. It's one thing to tell a kid that they can do anything they put their mind to when they're born with a body that's not "normal".

But it's another thing for a man like Kyle to SHOW people that it's possible. He's served as an inspiration to at least 2 of my patients and their families, because they can see the possibilities of life as an adult, defining and projecting who you are as a man, rather than letting society tell you who you are supposed to be.

Excellent read. Highly recommended.

I bought this book for a class and absolutely enjoyed reading it. Usually books assigned for classes are boring to read but I completely recommend this book. Very interesting and wonderful first hand account of Autism.

I enjoyed this book so much. As the mother of a daughter with aspergers and not knowing quite what to expect I hung on every word. Temple brought me into her world so beautifully. Even though no two people with autism are the same there are so many similarities. I took what I could use and still found interest in the things that didn't apply to my daughter. The world of autism has interested me since I was a child, Temple in her fun yet blunt way (so typical of aspergers!!) took me into her world. I devoured the book in a few hours. My entire family is now fighting over who gets to read the book next. Great book!!!

Anyone who has any contact with an autistic child should read this book. For everyone else, it is an education about this dreadful condition that has become a household word. Temple is one of those very rare people who was clearly certified as autistic, but has broken out of her cage well enough to communicate to the rest of us the inner feelings of an autistic person. Essentially, it is an autobiography detailing her hypersensitivity, temper outbursts, anxiety attacks and inability to function as a social being. Through the efforts of her mother, loving teachers, structured environments and her own doggedness, she has emerged well enough to become an acclaimed professional animal scientist.

Good book if you are looking for a view on autism from someone who has had it.

With the recent success of the novel "The Curious Incedent of the Dog and the Night Time" - a novel written from an autistic's point of view - we should remember that this book, "Emergence," was the first autobiography written by an autistic. Quite literally, it was Temple Grandin, more than any other person, who brought autism into the spotlight and gave us the "insider's perspective."

Before I go on, it should be noted that anyone reading this will be reading the story of a quite high-functioning autistic. Sadly, the majority of those diagnosed with full-blown autism will be worse off than she (even if they can use language), and that, after having seen her live a few times, I question whether she would have fit the diagnosis of Asperger's syndrome (very mild autism) better than "autism."

That being said, this woman's life was obviously no walk in the park. Even if her autism is mild, this story is one of humungous triumph over towering obstacles. She recalls, for instance, how it was not until her elementary years that she was really able to use speech. Her middle school years are rushed over because, she says, they are simply too painful to recount. (She tells us that other students used to taunt her by calling her "tape recorder" because she would endlessly repeat phrases because she liked their sound. She tells us of her obsession, starting in high school, with walking through doors and her creation of a "squeeze chute" which would allow her to experience physical pressure against her skin in a way that would not overwhelm her senses.

Sound unconventional? Welcome to the world of autism. Autism, for those who don't know, is a developmental disorder that affects one's sensory intake (often, sounds, smells, and tactile sensation can be overwhelming), expressive abillty (having trouble verbalizing thoughts and feelings), and impairing social "instincs" (those unwritten rules "neurotypicals" take for granted. Grandin's story is one of learning to deal with, and adjust to, all three of these impairments enough to function in the world as a "normal" person, which is something that, sadly, many autistics can never quite do.

But Grandin is a firm believer that autism can be "cured" (the quotation marks are because I think she means "dealt with" or "adjusted to fit the world," rather than "cured." Towards that end, the introduction and epilogue of the book are deveoted to lessons on how to deal with autism which can be extrapolated from the book.

Another reviewer mentioned that this is a book that can be read by teenager and adult alike. This is one of its greatest assets. Autistics, when they use language, tend to use very literal and direct language (autistics have trouble with things like metaphor). This book is concise, to the point, written in very simple language, and would be easily aceesible to a teenage. As I teach teenagers, some with autism, I am just waiting for the chance to have some of my autistic and Asperger's kids read this book, because I know they will be able to draw much inspiration from it.

If you are at all concerned about autism, Asperger's syndrome, and how the autistic thinks, this is a must read. Grandin is candid about her failures and her sucesses. This is a book that will entertain, educate, and inspire you.

This book is phenomenal! It's written by a Chicago teacher, with real-life experiences. Gives perspectives from teacher and students--very real and very helpful, especially for new teachers, or teachers who need a "lift". Highly recommended reading. Hope you enjoy!

Michies book was an eye-opener for me because of my padded, well-sheltered middle school experience. Many kids not only have learning differences that Michie has to cope with in this book, but heavy outside influences that bear greatly on their lives. Imagine making it through middle school having to deal with gangs pressuring you to join, hateful parents, and police brutality. Middle school doesn't sound all that easy anymore does it? Michie is in no means a superman and he can't save them all, but that doesn't keep him from trying.

The book we ordered was in great shape and save us mega bucks. Thanks

This book is written with passion. Its story is told not through the author, but through the anecdotes, vignettes, and interviews provided by his students. A reader can tell what an inspired and inspiring teacher Mr. Michie really is. I would recommend this book to any new teachers or anyone interested in the problems of social justice and education in the US.

Gregory Michie's series of vignettes weaves an interesting story of his life as a young, inexperienced teacher in a poor and violent public school system. Although the book's time line is scattered, the reader can easily get a feel for the struggles of both Michie and his students. Set in the 1990's in the "Back of the Yard" Mexican-American neighborhood in inner city Chicago, we are introduced briefly, yet intensely, to many of Michie's students who struggle to stay in school. The pages fly by because they are rich with dialogue and stories from Michie's colorful students. If you was looking for an insightful book with a passionate look into the mind of some diversely opinionated adolescents, this is a great book for you.
As a teacher, I found Michie's book inspiring. Although the time line, at points, is difficult to follow, I sincerely enjoyed the honest approach of the book. As a result of reading this text, I decided to spend more one on one time with some of my students. Michie, with the help if a reverend-like teacher, starts to look past the "gangster" in order to find the student inside. I thought that maybe I had been judging some of my most challenging students too quickly. Have I been subconsciously treating the students who I know to be involved in more trouble differently? Have I been ignoring kids because I think that "they don't care anyway"? I tried to put my feeling aside and at least talk to some of the students whom I found troublesome. Every day last week, I invited a new kid to eat lunch with me. Even if I could not be the extra-curricular, field trip-loving Michie, I could at least try something! With a few, I found immediate results. It seemed to me, that their classroom antics were a cry for my attention, and an individual conference was the perfect medicine. One child in particular, asked to have lunch with me again, and I complied. When he began misbehaving in class later on that afternoon, all it took was a sideways glance of disappointment, and he was back on track. This small simple strategy may seem obvious to many (and it was to me, I just never did it!), but it really worked. I do not think that I would have made an effort to spend quality time with my "problem" children if I had not read this book.

I have a 7 year old on the autism spectrum. There was much I could relate to, especially the logistic nightmares of having a kid that needs a lot more as well as having two younger siblings. The parents in the book are extremely devoted to the floortime program and also are very fortunate to receive a lot of help from various sources. I thought the book was a good intro to the principles of floortime.
There is one complaint I have and it is the same that would go for a book like 'let me hear your voice' (ABA): It is the 'I went through hell and cured my kid and so could you if you were just working harder at it' mentality. For one - not every kid will respond to every or any treatment. Also - a kid or person does not have to be neurotypical to be loved and loving. I hate this genre of books where the writer never matures emotionally into being able to love their kid unconditionally. All love is put into changing or 'curring' the kid. In both books are segments where the writer looks at someone elses kid with autism and feels compelled to tell the parent that they need to work harder to change that kid and that it is not okay for your kid to sit there stimming or whatever. If you can only look at a person with a disability thinking that they are not okay and your love can only come in the form of wanting to change them, then you need to do some work on yourself ! I am not saying that you should not try treatments that will help but your love and life should not depend on them becoming neurotypical. If Walker would not have been one of the kids who were able to improve dramatically the writer would have lost her marriage and probably her sanity. She gambeled her life on curing her son and she won. But most people doing the same gamble will loose because it is a gamble and at the end of the day you better have some core strength and love for your kid and family to be okay if there is no cure.
I don't consider her a role model. For a role model read a book like 'Elijah's cup'.

My son is on the autism spectrum. He sees an occupational therapist and speech therapist who have been trained in the Floortime approach used in this book. He also is in a therapeutic preschool program based on Floortime principles. These therapies have helped our son tremendously and, by extension, ehanced our family life.

Based on my experience, it seems that the child in this book has a sensory processing disorder, rather than autism.

The author is lucky that she caught it as early as she did. Most of us don't have the luxury of therapy starting when our children are 6 months old. In my son's case, we had Early Intervention services, but the therapists were inadequate. This author had a therapist who would stay three hours at a time, twice a week -- again, most of us don't have this luxury. The author also was able to ignore her other child to focus her energies on her affected child. For most of us, this is not possible.

When reading autism memoirs, I've been annoyed because Applied Behavior Analysis is presented as "the only way". I'm glad that in this memoir, Floortime is getting some attention.

This book gave us hope and helped us to deal with our emotional dificulties. When we first received the diagnosis we did not know anything about autism. When we had strict ABA my son only cried after reading this book we started seeking the floortime approach and also used VBA and my child started to learn having fun. Recovery is possible. It is a hard work and we are still working as hard as we can but we have seen the light coming. The book is like if Pat were my friend giving me support and hope whenever I need it.
Thanks, Mrs. Stacey.

I bought this book because it had so many favorable reviews on this website. I've read approximately 25 books written by parents who have a child with ASD. This book is, by far, the worst I've read. I frequently found myself rolling my eyes while reading it.

First of all, I firmly believe the mother is out of touch with reality. I wasn't surprised when, in the middle of her story, she writes that people were trying to get her to check into the local psychiatric ward. Her inability to spend time with her son and the rest of her family was unbelievable. She "weeped" when the REACH program wouldn't provide someone to take care of her son for most of his waking hours. The program supervisors told her time and again that her son did not need services - that he wasn't autistic!

Second of all, her son was sensitive, not autistic! She didn't cure him of anything! Many babies like to look at windows because they like the color contrast. Many babies dislike a lot of noise. Her son, Walker, was pointing by his first birthday. He was talking like a pro by his second birthday. He was playing with other children, laughing, pretend playing, gesturing. Anyone who knows anything about ASD knows that these traits are commonly deficient in ASD children.

As a parent of a child with ASD, I was irritated by her whole story. There are so many parents out there who really DO have children with ASD and we're doing everything we can to help them, including getting services through our local and state programs. To think that this author demanded so many resources from REACH, when they could have been given to a child who really DID have ASD is very sad. I really believe the author should change the subtitle of her book and remove the word "autism". Maybe she should have written - A child threatened by SENSITIVITY.

When we were frustrated with the lack of fun during the ABA sessions, and my child had a very hard time with them, I read this book where Mrs. Stacey share her experience with a much more flexible model of therapy for her son, this model worked for my child and he started to learn.
I am from Brazil and I was no able to find a floortime therapist. I contacted Mrs.Stacey and she OFFERED to help me guiding me WITHOUT charging a dollar!
Then we found a therapsi but I must say not only the book is wonderful but Mrs Stacey is a wonderful woman with a big heart, taking her time to answer emails from someone she does not know and offering free help!
I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Simone.

This book is full of compassion and insight for those that Jonathan visits with and writes about. His honesty will challenge you to deal with your own preconceived ideas and stereotypes. You can not read it and not get real with yourself.

Jonathan's humor and honesty are what makes this book possible. There are not that many people that would be invited into the homes and lives of all the people that you will meet in his journey. The various personalities all mesh together to create a thought provoking story that will draw you in and not only entertain you immensely but educate in you ways that we all need to be educated.

Thank you Mr. Mooney for writing this book!

I picked up this book almost as an afterthought. The topic looked interesting and I thought it would make a good quick read...instead I was enthralled with each story and found that after every chapter I needed to take a little time to digest what I had read.

The Short Bus is an excellent read...a story of a journey for one man to understand himself through traveling in the very symbol of his own "imprisonment" He gains insights which come from looking at and examining the idiosyncrasies in the lives of others. Mooney is honest about himself..his own prejudices and judgements..each story enlightened me about various learning disabilities..and demonstrated how categorizing can easily limit people or cause them to be ostracized. While I felt saddened by the treatment of many of the people Mooney visits, none of them caused me to feel anything but hope and amazement at the power of the human spirit to survive. Mooney is insightful and humorous while honoring each of his stories with truth and compassion.

So thrilled to have randomly come across such an entertaining, inspiring, and truly engrossing story that is both refreshingly honest and open heartedly spiritual, (in the best sense of the word.) The message of unconditional love and acceptance for those different then ourselves, while acknowledging his own and society's past shortcomings in this regard, needs to be heard! A hoot besides: despite my own unique wiring, I zipped through the book- allowing no distractions and laughing heartily all the way. from Suzi in Rye, NH

The Short Bus is allegedly a record of Jonathan Mooney's four month, 35,000 mile journey around the United States to document the lives of people who have been labeled "not normal" by our society. As a homeschooling parent who is intimately familiar with the plight of young people who do not thrive in a "one-size-fits-all" school system, I was looking forward to reading about how these unique individuals define themselves and succeed on their own terms.

That's not what this book is about. Instead, The Short Bus records the self-absorbed ruminations of a sad, insecure man whose past colors and shapes every experience he has.

According to the author's notes, "all profiles of individuals are subjective renderings of their experience." No kidding. Some of the portraits are so brief that their inclusion adds little to the narrative. Many more of the "biographies" track the author's purported growth and self-discovery through the acceptance of others whose differences from "normal" are greater than his own. Mooney could have allowed these exceptional individuals to describe themselves, their lives, their goals and their beliefs. Instead, his self-referencing interpretations of his subjects and their experiences hang cloud-like over every encounter. Worse yet, Mooney admits (at least twice) that while others are talking, he's not listening!

Mooney's single-minded indictment of the educational system is also questionable. By his own admission, he grew up in a family where the carpets "always reeked of [dog] urine." His father is an alcoholic. His (now deceased) grandmother was prone to alcoholic rages. His sister, mother, and maternal uncle all struggle with clinical depression. His mother raised his half-siblings on welfare, with the help of her brother, who cared for her children when she was "(depending on the source) either fighting for the workers' liberation or drinking with hippies." His family's history is one of "amnesia, lies and denials" and his relationship with his father is strained at best. Yet Mooney skirts the possibility that his dysfunctional family life may be at least partially responsible for his existential unhappiness---instead, our narrow-minded society and flawed educational system are primarily at fault.

While I'm not denying that schools and society can cause great misery for some kids, strong and functional family members can help children navigate or exit educational bureaucracies and can also be powerful allies who support children through extremely difficult times. A "different" child whose family life adds to his troubles is in dire straits indeed.

Mooney is also unable or unwilling to examine some of his mortifying experiences from anyone else's perspective. For example, he describes confusing "a right from a left turn" during a road test with the Department of Motor Vehicles, and is insulted when the examiner asks if he's "retarded" and writes "disparaging comments" such as "distracted" and "shows poor decision-making in traffic" on his temporary license. While the examiner's name-calling is inexcusable, Mooney is so invested in his victimhood that he does not consider how the examiner felt when the driver he was evaluating made a glaring error. Did he feel angry, helpless, afraid for his life and for the safety of others on the road? Did Mooney apologize or was he sullen and defensive? Could his mistake have caused an accident? Additional information would have been helpful, but any detail that doesn't reinforce Mooney's self-righteous indignation is omitted.

Finally, I believe that this young man, who parents of labeled children look to for hope and guidance, needs to take a close look at his own poor choices. Mooney has a family history of alcoholism, was arrested in his youth for underage drinking and spent a night in detox, lost his driver's license for five years for driving under the influence, yet deliberately and repeatedly chooses to get drunk during the course of this book. It is unbearably sad when a person with so much potential can't seem to recognize or acknowledge that he needs to reexamine his relationship with alcohol.

I wish Mr. Mooney all the best, but I did not like his book.

I thought this book was going to offer some hope and practical wisdom.
Rather, its a chronicle of the author's search for validation that offers no real insight into how one can deal with ADD (unless railing against norms helps.) Though the heart of his "success" story is to have graduated from Brown, he does not actually seem to have overcome anything to do so - its just another adventure on his way to who knows where. He's a likeable character and the stories of his trip across country are amusing enough. But I was pretty sick of his obsessive musings about his girlfriend and seriously worried about the families that reached out to him for advice and encouragement for their own "beyond normal" children. He was admittedly not equipped for either, other than to say: I was once a "tard" on the short bus but now I'm here!! I wish him all the best anyway.

"Strong at the Broken Places" is an excellent resource for anyone with a chronic or terminal illness, as well as for their family, caretakers, and friends. It really emphasizes the strength and perserverity of these five strong individuals. I highly recommend this book. Richard Cohen does a great job of emphasizing how important it is to treat the person, not just the illness or condition.

I was drawn to this book because I admire how the author Richard continues his life as a brilliant journalist despite a chronic illness. And because last year for the first time I was in the hospital myself for several days unexpectedly.Later that same hospital stay would inspire me to write my newest book since writing has always been a first love: The Vision Board: The Secret to an Extraordinary LifeYes, for the first time in my life it was me in the hospital bed. AND I realized how challenging it is just to be INSIDE the hospital, let alone think about dealing with a chronic illness and living a life of hope. You know sometimes it's tough to keep up hope every day. This book is like six different volumes in a way -- it tells the story of five different 'citizens of sickness' and then a collective meeting with them all. You will find it a) inspirational -- b) informational and it will live on in YOU. I keep thinking of Denise who as the author says traded an impossible challenge (of conquering ALS) with a rigorous task (going to Antartica to see the penguins) she could complete. How come we all don't make plans to see the penguins or whatever it is that symbolizes our own vision in life? Each story of each person is more poignant than the other. This is not sniveling stuff-- it's real and not all nicey nice either. But it is fascinating to see how these people including the author turn their anger into fuel to keep going. Richard talks straight to you with his writing. I often feel like I'm sitting in a coffee shop or yes, a bar having a beer with this guy...he's honest. IT'S NOT EASY...heck it's really TOUGH and other words that won't get pass the Amazon cyber censors. BUT it is inspiring to thing that we may all be strong at our own broken places. Too often those of us from challenging families or who face chronic illness, pain or other obstacles feel 'defective' because of our difference. The author shows how to channel that into strength. This is a great book for anyone going through a life transition -- divorce or a major move or graduation or starting a new venture. For it is in the challenges that we discover opportunities. ENJOY -- every parent, every therapist, every doctor, every counselor and everyone into self-improvement will want to read these real words.

Some people may "understand" chronic illness like they are watching news video of a destructive Midwest twister - it's always happening to some other family. The statistics show otherwise. Richard Cohen does not take the reader on a pristine glass-bottom boat tour of devastating illnesses. "Strong at the Broken Places" tips the boat over and tosses the reader into the waters to swim - for a moment. Honesty begins with a trusted conversation. Cohen invites us to the table with five people, who each bluntly detail their brutal struggles with different chronic diseases. The respectful dialogue reveals that we may all have more in common with them than we care to admit. In the face of catastrophic events, we will all wish to have the strength that they have shown. Their lives set landmarks to guide others through their own realizations, acceptance and constructive determination.
Thank you, Denise, Buzz, Ben, Sarah, Larry and especially Richard, for sharing your strengths and fostering the humanity in all of us.

Book: Strong at the Broken Places: Voices of Illness, a Chorus of Hope by Richard M. Cohen

About: Cohen gets the stories of five people with chronic illnesses: Denise with ALS, Buzz with cancer, Ben with muscular dystrophy, Sarah with Crohn's disease and Larry with bipolar disorder.

Pros: The 5 people's stories are varied and moving.

Cons: Cohen does not let his subjects just tell their stories, which would have lead to a much better book as the five people profiled are very interesting, instead Cohen just seems to get in their way. A choice quote: "I'd rather hear this kid chew than listen to him talk about dying." While interviewing, He seems to try to get his subjects to say what he wants to hear and inserts far too much of his own struggle with MS and cancer as many statements that with "When I..." instead of focusing on the person he's supposed to be profiling. His analysis of the five adds very little and includes such groundbreaking lines as "Cancer is no fun. Neither are diseases of the bowel."

I believe this book is a must read for everyone. It touches you, it pulls you, it makes you want to scream and yell, it breaks you apart and puts you back together...but most importantly, it makes you appreciate all that is good about your life.

I have Crohns disease and I have a mental illness, two of the topics touched upon in this book. But I am a better person today for having read Strong At The Broken Places because I know that, in spite of my infirmities, I am strong and I will survive.

Thank you Richard Cohen!!!

This book is such an incredibly honoust account of her life, that you immediately fall in love with her. I can hardly imagine myself being so intimate with my own life let alone experience this intimacy while reading someone elses. By baring the suffering of existence itself, without 'explaining' it, a deeper inexplicable layer of existence emerges without giving words to it. Beautiful, bold and daring, I am left awed.

This book is a very intimate look at the author's process. Here she is, suffering like the rest of us, living on an emotional roller coaster, compelled by habitual behaviours, confused, and at the same time engaged in her practice.

She struggles. She learns not to struggle. Then she struggles again. Layers of confusion, resistance, and suffering drop away.

At times reading this book was painful. I can see so many aspects of the author in myself.

Almost everyone who is engaged in meditation practice should read this book. It is a very personal account, but at the same time it really is about all of us.

As the author is presented as an enlightened person, I wanted to know what is written in the book. I found nothing remarkable about its contents. I read it because I could not give up the hope to find atleast one unique perspective from an enlightened person's writing, and also because I spent money to buy the book.

Should I give 5 stars just because the author was honest in telling all the gory details of her life story?

The book only shows that the author was unable to make a decision about her course of life, particularly in the spiritual search, and love life. At the end of 239 pages, I did not find the situation change much. If one wants to be reassured that one is not alone with respect to one's body, mind situations, reading this autobiography might present an example. Do not expect this book to reveal any spiritual secrets or provide direction in any easy way. It simply shows the author's struggle to adjust with life, and not able to see life in proper perspective for some 40+ years. At the end she learnt something which any intelligent human being would learn at a very early age, given some psychological support in the early stages of development.

Based on my own understanding, and evaluating the contents of this book, the author does not have a direct experience of enlightenment i.e being Here and Now, for ever; atleast it is not reflected in the book. Probably the descriptions match occassional lapse of "me" or receding of "me" from the forefront. Yes, life teaches many things and one gets tamed, and the mind gets tired and learns to live with what is at hand. But it is not enlightenment. Enlightenment is a direct, immediate and impersonal knowledge.

The author portrays that there is no 'event' that indicates enlightenment. The author is very much wrong in this aspect. It does not matter if one calls it 'event' or not. But, there is a definite recognizable discontinuity of 'me', a permanent shift in cognition. This is what the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita state very clearly. This is what teachers like Ramesh Balsekar say. If someone tries to explain any thing in contradiction to what Upanishads say, they are dead wrong.

It would be wise to choose to read one book of Ramesh Balsekar, or Leo Hartong (for example) instead of reading this book.

If one can go through the systematic study of Vedanta one can easily avoid the trauma and dilema that the author went through.

There seems to be a nexus among the authors of the spiritual books recommending each others' books. American marketing machinery is at full work even in the spiritual books field. I wish there was a way to sample the books before buying them.

Here are a few useful sentences I found in this book:

page vi

When conceptualization is seen for the imaginary abstraction that it is, something changes.

Meditation is listening. Listening to every thing. To the world, to nature, to the body, the mind, the heart, the rain, the traffic, the wind, the thoughts, the silence before sound. It is about questioning our frantic efforts to do something and become somebody, and allowing ourselves to simply be. It is a process of opening and quieting down, of coming upon an immediacy of being that cannot be known or captured by thought, and in which there is no sense of separation or limitation. Meditation is moment-to-moment presence and excludes nothing and sticks to nothing.

...

Meditation is not knowing what meditation is.

page 39

"In a certain sense," Mel continued, "limitation is freedom. Then you can let go of all the fantasies, all the possibilities, and just settle into what's actually in front of you. You find that really, the thing itself isn't so important, whether it's this activity or that one. But the settling in and penetrating to the root is very important. That's what sesshin is all about. Right now you're here. Exactly here. Energy needs to focus or else it turns to restlessness and daydreaming. Our suffering is our inability to settle. Suffering is believing there's a way out."

page 41

Listening to those talks, it was as if the lights had been turned on, and something became clear to me. I realized that the whole story of "me" is imaginary, that "I" exist as a separate, discrete individual only when I think of myself. Without this thought of me and my story, everything is permeable, spacious, without division. The thought of "me" is so powerfully conditioned, so seemingly real, so socially accepted, that we take it as an unquestioned fact. We exist, in our thoughts, as separate selves by telling stories to ourselves and each other.

page 54

Toni seems almost to be suggesting pure wonderment, without concentration, but she seems enormously concentrated. Perhaps the key lies in the realm of intention. Babies focus or concentrate on what interests or pleases them. As soon as a new interest emerges or appears, their focus will shift. Concentration thus arises naturally. It is spontaneous, alive, always moving. It is free. There is no resistance or effort. It is not a direction imposed by thought, some agenda of prescribed or forced behavior. Most meditatin practices, on the other hand, are created and sustained by thought, and seem to reinforce the image of a self - a meditator - who is "doing" meditation, and getting somewhere spiritually through such discipline and effort.

page 87

If you need time to achieve something, it must be false. The real is always with you; you need not wait to be what you are. Only you must not allow your mind to go out of yourself in search. - Nisargadatta.

page 151

Krishnamurti says, "If thought doesn't give continuity to feeling, feeling dies very quickly."

page 154

Any approach that sustains and strengthens the fiction (and the drama) of a self who improves (or declines) over time is ultimately an obstace to fully realizing the truth.

page 155

When there is not awareness, we are inevitably practicing something, whether it's meditation or old habits. In awakening, practice is no longer practice. It is effortless, free. There is no more duality, no "me" doing "it." How that realization can be encouraged is an open question.

page 171

Joko Beck says, "As long as our buttons are pushed, we have a great chance to learn and grow. So a relationship is a great gift, not because it makes us happy - it often doesn't - but because any intimate relationship, if we view it as practice, is the clearest mirror we can find."

page 196

Real healing is freedom from all habit patterns and fixed beliefs, not creating new and better ones to get stuck in.

page 225

"You have to let go of the paths not taken," Mel continues, "and really allow yourself to penetrate the one you've chosen."

page 231

Fully experiencing that terror in the body, nonverbally, is the gate to awakening. It's basically the same thing Gangaji and Toni also talk about, the willingness to directly experience what's there as sensation, without naming it or telling ourselves a story about it (what it is and how it got there and how long it will probably last and how hopeless it is), but just being still and feeling it out all the way to the bottom, where it is revealed to be nothing at all.

page 233

How much possibility there is. The limits are only imagined. Freedom is seeing, effortlessly, that thought does not have to be followed. Everything is happening. We are not in control. And we're not out of control either, because there is no "me" separate from the totality to manage it or be overrun by it.

Yes, I know that line is taken, but its how I felt several times while reading this book.

Joan Tollifson's birth defect seems to have spun her off a downward path from which she turned away only after a great deal of suffering and no small amount of effort. Part of what she did to herself was to become a habitual in-your-face type of person and a compulsive joiner. These are qualities that by one-third of the way through the book I found made Joan a bit hard to take.

Once she manages to shake loose of her drinking problem and to move out of the orbit of groups which focused on her identity as that of one sort of victim or another I had a brief feeling that this was turning into a soft, warm, fuzzies type of book. No such luck, Joan continues to be a compulsive joiner - only this time she's a guru-chaser, one after the other, after the other and back again. There were times if she'd been in the room with me I would have given her a good shaking and probably screamed, "Stick with something, you ninny! Just stick with something for once."

It was at those moments that I most realized exactly how much this woman and I were alike. And her frenetic flitting from one "enlightenment" thing to another was embarrassingly familar.

So, I end up with a one-handed, lesbian, guru-chaser as a mirror. Could be worse.

I think, for me, this was lesson enough. By the end of the book I didn't have the idea that Joan Tollifson was ready to hand down any secret doctrine. In fact, that may just put this book leagues ahead of those that attempt to do so.

This book is written by a remarkable woman who is handicap, a recovered addict and a lesbian. Already you are into this or turned off. The interesting thing is that the author's "handicaps" are not the important aspect of this book at all. As a reader, one forgets all about joan as a person because it is so easy to identify one's self with her. Through her journal like writing, the reader gets to experience her awakenings with her and it is a great experience. I would reccomend it to anyone.

I just received this book which I have been meaning to buy for a while. I thoroughly enjoyed it and couldn't put it down. Mr. Shore did a great job not only taking us through his life's journey through autism, but also sidelining it with various observations. I am always amazed at those who ventured on the autism spectrum before the word autism was even recognized by many people. Reading books written by those with autism offer such wonderful insight and perspective. I highly recommend this book for parents who are trying to better understand their child with AS as well as those with AS who are navigating high school and/or college futures. There are some great suggestions and ideas.

I especially like how Mr. Shore talked about many of the jobs he held and why he succeeded or what he learned from his not so successful job situations. I think having a supplemental book on this subject alone would be very worthwhile...especially if it came from a variety of viewpoints. Hmmm.

Great Job!
Joanna Keating-Velasco
In His Shoes, A Short Journey Through Autism
A Is for Autism F Is for Friend: A Kid's Book for Making Friends with a Child Who Has Autism

This articulate man gives us an autobiographical view at the difficulties faced as a person with high-functioning autism or Asperger's Syndrome grows up and tries to join the working world. It is tough, and he is often misunderstood, yet he very intelligent and has a great deal to offer the world. Although he will always have his "social skills" disability, it is heartening that he is now happily married and has found a career path.

Very interesting to read first hand what it is like to live with autism.The author's accomplishments are amazing, but also his awareness of his limitations. A good book to learn more about this condition, also easy and enjoyable reading.

I recently had a young family member diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome and wanted to know more about experiences and views from persons with Asperger Syndrome. I believe Stephen was able to inform the reader of what it is like to exist in a world without having the social skills we non Aspies take for granted. The book lets one know the challenges that might exist in the future for someone diagnosed with Aspergers during an early age.

I purchased this book to gain a better insight about Aspergers. Instead, it left me with many unanswered questions. The book is the equivalent to a boring, monotonous `Dear Diary' that gets stuck in one era: His college years and his interest in music. (This is understandable as the author is terrified of life outside of college, & music is all he knows.) Yet I craved more details, I wanted to know more about Mr. Shores' childhood, his parents, the stims, and the chaos...DETAILS!

It felt as if the author was trying to prove how intelligent he is, boasting of his accomplishments and how he's almost neurotypical. His failures were blamed on other people out to get him for unknown reasons. Lets say it for what it is: A man who looks kind of disheveled and a bit `odd' (Unabomber) gets a job in a financial institution, he rides his bike in, hangs out in the shadows getting dressed, doesn't socialize - and no one wants him around. It's BECAUSE HE'S WEIRD! Yet the author blames his co-workers.

I'm sorry but the reality is, the author probably can't see and understand that he IS different because he has Aspergers! I mean, most typical people can spot someone that is odd/weird/different a mile away. They avoid them not because they're being hurtful, they just can't relate to that person.

I wished he had focused in much greater detail about his feelings, emotions and behaviors when he was younger-to gain a better understanding of what shaped him into the person he is now. The book was written as if he fast-forwarded through his entire youth and got stuck on `pause' when he got to college. While this is obsessively interesting to him, it was tiring reading page after page of redundant accounts of his college days.

There is no depth to the book, it was shallowly written and there is not enough elaboration to make me understand, (or want to for that part) what makes Stephen Shore the person he is. While this may be due in part to his disorder, it left so much to be desired.

I'm sorry to anyone who takes offense to this review, as this is not my intention. I applaud Mr. Shores accomplishments and the hurtles he's overcome. He must be MUCH more dimensional than the book conveys. I wanted to know more about HIM and not what he's done in his life.

I'd suggest a better read would be one of Temple Grandin's books. I got a true feeling of who she is and an understanding of how she got there and how autism fits in. She goes into details about what she was thinking as a girl, teenager and adult. Her pranks, her temper, the metaphors and their importance..everything.

I bought this book based on reviews, and I felt it necessary to give mine.

This book is an excellent resource for those with ADD and not. First of all it is extremely easy to read, well organized, with lots of pictures- perfect for someone with ADD or someone who wants to learn practical solutions quickly. The book gives advice room by room and solutions that are designed with a person with ADD in mind, but that can be applied to others as well. The advice in this book has revolutionized my home, and has helped me realize why I had so much trouble keeping everything clean and in order. This is a must read, it is my favorite and I refer to it often!

If you have AD/HD and have tried to get organized without success, this is a good book for you. After reading this book I now am actually getting organized. You will realize why all the organizing systems you have tried before never worked. They were for brains that didn't have AD/HD. Two more great books are: "4 Weeks to an Organized Life with AD/HD", and "ADD-Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life"

I've had this book for three days, have read almost all of it, and have used it to organize my pantry, bedroom, and walk-in closet! And I haven't spent a penny! I'm so excited to get the linen closet, dish cupboards, and everything else done, as well! And I am working on scheduling a couple of days with my husband and helpers to finally tackle that beast of a garage!
With ADHD, I'll never be able to make Martha Stewart proud,(note to self, cancel that subscription,) nor will I ever get the proper use out of my boxes and boxes of organizational tupperware. I get it now, thanks to this book. But I can and have created efficient spaces that are manageable!
Being frugal never got me organized, but "the brutal purge," has done wonders for our home! I can finally justify getting rid of all of that stuff that I have kept, "just in case!"
The book itself is easy to read, has step-by-step instructions for organizing and has lots of easy, inexpensive tips for organizing things without spending lots of money. Basically, you have to make the stuff fit the space, or invest in more space! What a simple concept, but this woman illustrates it and motivates so that it is finally achieveable!
I was just diagnosed less than three weeks ago, and life is brighter than ever, now! And cleaner!

this book is amazing, it's like the author took many years to study my living habits. i never knew how much AD/HD affected my home life, i though it only effected school and driving. i bet it probaly effects the workplace too, i wonder if there is any books about that. the 2 most important things it said that struck me to the bone is how ppl with AD/HD require more engery imput into any task, so they get tired and overwhelmed much eaiser, and that what you don't see you forget about, end up buying duplicates of, and that is it hard for someone with AD/HD to get rid of stuff, getting rid of too much too fast is overwhelming. And as i had started to discover on my own that taking closet doors off helps me a lot to keep the closet organized and helps me to keep track of clean clothes and put them away eaiser, the book also said sometime you need to remove cubard doors, keep things out in the open, it may not me more attractive but it is more fuctional, fuctional is the key to keeping the AD/HD home organized. fuctional is easily accesable and easy to put back. The book goes into details of how to display things and where to put things so that it makes the most sence... it also gives us permision to not make our beds!!!! personaly with my bed when it's not in use (wich it is a lot, also explained in the book) i leave it with just the pillow and fitted sheet on it, all the sheets and blankets are on a shelf between the side of my bed and the wall. sometimes they are folded sometimes they are not, but it's easy access and easy to put back and i dn't have to get out of bed att night if i wake up cold and need another blanket. some stuff in the book is logic, like next to every phone there should be a notebook and a pen/pencil, personaly when i did this i velcroed the notepad and pen to the shelf next to the phone. that is just a little of what the book is about, you have to read it for the details of how to do it. if you want to contact me for help beyond what the book can give you i am at fight_the_good_fight@hotmail.com Also i learned that having less stuff really does decrease stress, i had to spend a weekend away from home and only had 2 hours to pack, taking only the nessisties and living with only them really helped me focus on my life and what i needed to do about the things that werre stressing me out.

The layout of Organizing Solutions resembles a magazine, having glossy pages with lots of images and little text. the layout simplifies finding ideas and makes it particularly easy for those withADHD or other learning disabilities to find tips quickly without getting lost in a jumble of text. it has sections covering each room of the house plus ideas of how to handle specific items or tasks that occur in those rooms (paying bills, folding laundry, etc.). as a basic intro for those who have not figured out how to organize many parts of their homes, or certain areas in particular, this could be a helpful book. but, for me, the flaws outnumber it's usefulness.

Pinsky spends too much time arguing for efficiency at the cost of beauty and frugality, which essentially means you need to have some money to implement her ideas. yardwork a hassle? hire someone. can't get your room organized? buy more furniture. there are a lot of helpful tips, but the wastefulness ("it is quicker and more efficient to use paper plates as your "china" of choice at everything but your most formal meals.") was too much for me to handle. in talking about efficiency, she frequently suggests using open shelves and open storage bins so it's easier to just toss (or, to use her term, "wing") things into the containers instead of wasting time with doors and lids. the problem with that system that she never addresses is how to handle the amount of dust that will get on everything and inside those containers, creating a new problem altogether (but i guess you just hire a housekeeper to handle that, as she suggests hiring one to clean other parts of the house).

if you're having trouble getting a particular part of the house organized, skim through that section of the book in a bookstore or library (they're nicely labeled and color coded) to get some ideas, but leave the book behind.

One of the best memoirs I have read in recent years, and I've read a few. As a person with CF who also had a lung transplant (more than 2 years ago), I found many personal similarities between myself and Laura, and found myself underlining the passages I related to. There were times where I laughed aloud and other times when I very much related to her feelings of loneliness and isolation. A wonderful book.

I have a lot of respect for Laura Rothenberg, for having lived her whole (entirely too short) life struggling with health issues that most of us can't imagine, and for trying to give others a glimpse into the world of the chronically ill. That said, I would be lying if I claimed to find her memoir as compelling as so many others have. I think my biggest problem was that I didn't feel I got to know much about Laura as a person. Most of the book seemed to consist of detailed descriptions of the procedures performed on her, using medical jargon that I am not familiar with, so while I definitely got a sense of the hell she went through on a daily basis, and the frustration it caused her, I didn't garner any real knowledge of her disease. That would have been okay if the book was balanced out with more about her life away from the hospital - her family, friends, and school, and how she balanced these with her illness. So many friends and relatives were mentioned in passing, but we never got to know them. The emails she wrote to the people she cared about are presented anonomously, so we don't know who she's writing to. I didn't even know that she had a boyfriend until the epilogue, when she mentioned moving in with him. I just didn't feel that I got to know much about this young woman at all, and I really would have liked to.

I agree with others that this is a compelling and touching book. But I don't think it correctly portrays the true Laura Rothenberg. Towards the end of the book, friends and family write what Laura meant to them. In these short bits we learn about Laura's true personality, and her passion for writing. I feel like I am missing something - this book needs Laura's true essence infused in it. I would have liked this book to have included more of her poetry, more of her personal writings, and more about her personal life and self. The moments where we glimpse into her soul shine forth with passion and are the things that make the book shine, but are needed in greater amounts. While it was terribly sad to read about the medical hell she went through, I felt I couldn't connect with who Laura really was. Perhaps one day her family will release some more of her writings, and I feel that these will be even more powerful than this current volume.

this book is well enough written, and its author goes through hell. her struggles were difficult; her death was tragic. however, this book doesn't capture the deepest level of her experience. it's somehow not very personal, although it's a memoir about the author. it reads a lot more like a diary, with events noted and visitors named but not much reflection on the meanings of things or explanation of the relationships the author had. not a bad book, but somewhat flat.

I am a 26 year old woman with cystic fibrosis. In reading Laura's memoirs I found a very real and honest view of what we (cf patients) go thru everyday. Laura had an amazing strength and courage to endure all her trials and I found reading her personal story helped me understand some of my own feelings.

I think this book is a wonderful read for all persons...if you face an illness, know someone who does or just want to be touched by a lovely young womans story.