Unabridged CDs • 5 CDs, 5 1?2 hours A brain scientist’s personal experience with a stroke and her journey to a full recovery.

#My Stroke of Insight - adds insight into stroke patients minds. (2008-11-22) Reading My Stroke of Insight gave me incredible insight into what it must be like to be in the mind of a stroke patient. I wish I would have known about this book while my dad was still alive. He suffered through several strokes and died in July. It gave one a new perspective on what a stroke patient is going through, which would help a love one and caregiver provide empathy for the patient. The end of the book makes you realize that we humans spend way too much time on things that do not matter and w...

#My Stoke of Insight (2008-11-20) It is a very good book related to the stoke caregivers. It has a lot of information related to recovery and get help.

#Sometimes repetative, but worthwhile.... (2008-11-19) My husband is at risk for a stroke sometime within his life time (already had a very minor one), and so I read this book seeking the detailed information promised by a scientist. The best information was to be patient, look the patient in the eyes, speak quietly and slowly over and over if necessary, stay positive and detail oriented, and develop daily plans. Good information, but sometimes too much repeat information. I also wished that the author had used less contrast description when talking about her first day and week af...

#A Must Read (2008-11-16) A very valuable book, not only for those who have suffered a stroke, but for those whose loved ones have. My husband suffered a massive stroke in 2002, several TAI s, and 2006 diagnosed with Alzheimer s. The book shows how small steps are the so important and not overwhelming for the person. Above all treating the patient and loved one with DIGNITY! Take charge of and be involved every step of the way.

#Personal Account and Great Advice (2008-11-11) This book does provide a fascinating personal account of Ms. Bolte Taylor s stroke, but it also gives inspiring advice. She had the great opportuniuty of being forced to re-program how she sees and interacts with the world and challenges the reader to do just that.

Cory Friedman woke up one morning when he was five years old with the uncontrollable urge to twitch his neck. From that day forward his life became a hell of irrepressible tics and involuntary utterances, and Cory embarked on an excruciating journey from specialist to specialist to discover the cause of his disease. Soon it became unclear what tics were symptoms of his disease and what were side effects of the countless combinations of drugs. The only certainty is that it kept getting worse. Simply put: Cory Friedman s life was a living hell.AGAINST MEDICAL ADVICE is the true story of Cory and his family s decades-long battle for survival in the face of extraordinary difficulties and a maddening medical establishment. It is a heart-rending story of struggle and triumph with a climax as dramatic as any James Patterson thriller. (2008)

#Fantastic book (2008-11-19) This book was very well written in typical Patterson style, but it wasn t a typical Patterson story. The story was heart warming & wrenching all at the same time, with a happy ending!

#Against Medical Advice (2008-11-17) I have read all the books that James Patterson has written. I am used to his style of writting. The way this book was written was not a James Patterson style. So much about Cory, his family and the horrible diease Tourette s syndrome was not even brought up. If the story had been written more like novel it would have not only told the story of Cory Friedman but read more like the James Patterson style. Though I do feel for the Friedman family. I would have liked to have read how Jesse his sister or Cory s mom really dealt with the pressure...

#A fascinating story... (2008-11-14) I m a huge fan of James Patterson. I think I ve read every book he s ever written, including the ones for teens (the Maximum Ride series and The Dangerous Days of Daniel X). I especially like his Women s Murder Club series. He s a great writer when it comes to fiction. And, now it seems he can add writing non-fiction to his list of accomplishments. Against Medical Advice grabbed my attention from the first page and had me turning page after page with eager anticipation. It s a heart-wrenching (as well as a heart-warming) story of a young boy af...

#quick read, easy to read (2008-11-14) I read this book in about 4 hours,it is interesting and once you get started you do want to see how it turns out. But it is not a keeper, just get it from the library. You won t learn much about Tourettes, but you will learn a lot about the medical establishment s compulsion to prescribe medications and keep on prescribing regardless of the consequences.

#True story that will move you (2008-11-13) I had no idea what having Tourette s syndrome was like, i. e. , untilI read AGAINST MEDICAL ADVICE by James Patterson and HalFriedman . . . it is a true story about how one family dealt withthe reality of having to deal with this debilitating illness. As Cory, the son with Tourette s indicates:* I once told my parents that they couldn t live through a single day with what I go through every day of my life, and that was when I was a lot better than I am now. The book is written in his voice. I m glad the authors went in that direction beca...

In the spring of 2000, Robert Schimmel was riding high. He d won the Stand-Up of the Year Award, his HBO special was a huge hit, and his sitcom had been picked up. And then it all came crashing down. Diagnosed with Stage III non-Hodgkin s lymphoma, he was told he would have to undergo chemotherapy immediately. The sitcom was dumped and the fire of his white-hot career started to go out. But Schimmel never lost his sense of humor, his knife-like edge, and most of all, his passion to entertain. Indeed, it was his basic need to laugh-even if the only people around him were suffering from cancer and the room he was playing was the Mayo Clinic infusion center-that carried him through his ordeal. From his colorful banter with nurses and other patients during chemo, to his hilarious conversation with a wig salesman, going for the laugh was Robert Schimmel s survival mechanism. Alternately laugh-out-loud funny and profound, Cancer on Five Dollars a Day is an honest account of how one man s fac...

#Smiles...Tears....and more Smiles (2008-11-12) This is a very uplifting read on a gloomy topic. Hopefully you know Robert Schimmel from his Stand-up comedy act. I ve seen Robert s comedy show 5 or 6 times, and consider myself to be one who recruits new fans to his shows whenever he comes to St. Louis. I bought this book after one of Robert s appearances on the Howard Stern show. I thought this would be a good book to read on vacation on the beach. So, here I am sitting on the beach, nice breeze, cocktail ready. . . . I started to tear up after reading the first few paragraphs. Wha...

#Schimmel Finds Humor in a Possible Death Sentence. (2008-10-22) In many ways, Robert Schimmel is the Lenny Bruce of our times. After experiencing his performance at the Denver Comedy Works this past weekend, I read this memoir chronicling his deeply-personal, life-and-death battle with Stage III non-Hodgkin s lymphoma. Bob is a stand-up comedian best known for his controversial sexual material and self-deprecating sense of humor, his HBO performances, and his appearances on The Howard Stern Show. His edgy style has gotten him into plenty of trouble. The networks are afraid of hi...

#first book I read in years (2008-09-06) I am not your typical book reader ,but after finding a book about your favorite comedian I could not resist. This was litterally the first book I read in over 20 years. I loved the book and was well entertained. I now have a more insight on how Robert s last decade really was.

#Make the best of a bad situation. (2008-08-13) It s always encouraging when someone beats cancer. And non-Hodgkins lymphoma is especially tough to overcome. Robert Schimmel had the advantage of age, good health, and caring support in his battle. And no doubt his determined sense of humor helped a lot too, besides bringing a welcome uplift to his fellow chemo patients. His book demonstrates that humor grows out of even the direst situation and that horniness survives all assaults. There are no profound lessons in this volume beyond illustrating that mental attitude can make a...

#Thank You Mr. Schimmel! (2008-06-30) I started reading after lunch today, and couldn t put it down. The writing is compelling and real, and inspiring in so many ways. I am grateful that Mr. Schimmel lived through it all, and even more grateful that his book enriches our lives by reminding us about what really matters. As a survivor myself, and having lost many relatives to cancer, the book had my emotions all over the place. . . but through it all, the humor prevails. I can t remember ever reading a book that had me laughing and crying at the same time. This book is in my collecti...

2 cassettes / 2 hoursUnabridgedRead by Rene AuberjonoisIn 1995, Jean-Dominique Bauby was the editor-in-chief of French Elle, the father of two young childen, a 44-year-old man known and loved for his wit, his style, and his impassioned approach to life. By the end of the year he was also the victim of a rare kind of stroke to the brainstem.  After 20 days in a coma, Bauby awoke into a body which had all but stopped working: only his left eye functioned, allowing him to see and, by blinking it, to make clear that his mind was unimpaired. Almost miraculously, he was soon able to express himself in the richest detail: dictating a word at a time, blinking to select each letter as the alphabet was recited to him slowly, over and over again. In the same way, he was able eventually to compose this extraordinary book.By turns wistful, mischievous, angry, and witty, Bauby bears witness to his determination to live as fully in his mind as he had been able to do in his body. He explains the joy...

#Bauby s story will remain with you (2008-11-16) At this point, mostly everyone knows the story of what happened to Jean-Dominique Bauby as well as the story of his life, so it s pointless to rehash what s already common knowledge, but one thing that needs to be said (or reiterated) is that it s absolutely amazing that the late Bauby dictated this book to his therapist by blinking one letter at a time. The Diving Bell and The Butterfly is a pretty quick read, but what s contained within is, at the risk of sounding cliche, deeply moving and powerful. To think that someone was patient e...

#Interesting book, although not what I expected (2008-11-07) Interesting book. I m left a little stranded when deciding how I feel about it. Jean-Dominique, a 43 year old editor of the French Elle Magazine, has a massive stroke and is left trapped in his own body. His brain, his wit, his intelligence are still there, but his only communication with the outside word is the blinking of his left eye. The writing is lovely and touching and very sad as he describes things as varied as the day of his stroke, his dreams, a Father s Day at the beach with his kids, and the letters his fr...

#THE book, i read it in a coffee guzzling epiphany filled evening (2008-10-07) omgthis bookas i said, i read this in 1 eveningguzzling coffee, carrying the book to the kitchen along as i refilled my mug, reading, underlining, scribbling quotes down for later meditation, i immediately lent it to a friend, and left voicemails on phones for others to read it, like yesterday, this is a must have for anyone, but especially for you if you sometimes wonder why life is special, just as it is. please get itthat will make me happyand you know that s what its all about:)

#A True Inspiration For Us All (2008-10-01) Jean-Dominique Bauby s The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is a truly moving and inspirational memoir by a man rendered incapable of any communication except for the blinking of his left eye and very slight head movement. Bauby had suffered from a stroke, which led to what is so aptly known as `locked-in-syndrome . Bauby, a distinguished journalist who had been editor-in-chief at Elle, famously used his one book contract with a publisher (signed before the stroke) to write this memoir by recounting his story through blinking his left eye to spe...

#What I learned from The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2008-09-26) I learned for some men passion and lust is more important than love no matter how painful.

A brilliant and courageous doctor reveals, in gripping accounts of true cases, the power and limits of modern medicine.Sometimes in medicine the only way to know what is truly going on in a patient is to operate, to look inside with one s own eyes. This book is exploratory surgery on medicine itself, laying bare a science not in its idealized form but as it actually is -- complicated, perplexing, and profoundly human. Atul Gawande offers an unflinching view from the scalpel s edge, where science is ambiguous, information is limited, the stakes are high, yet decisions must be made. In dramatic and revealing stories of patients and doctors, he explores how deadly mistakes occur and why good surgeons go bad. He also shows us what happens when medicine comes up against the inexplicable: an architect with incapacitating back pain for which there is no physical cause, a young woman with nausea that won t go away, a television newscaster whose blushing is so severe that she cannot do her job....

#Why your Doc says, I don t know. (2008-09-11) It s not that doctors skip most of their classes or that they re getting a second-rate education. It s that we walk in as enigmas--we don t fit the textbook case. Just extracting this idea from Complications is worth your time and money. Instead of becoming frustrated and/or scared from an I don t know response, we can attempt to appreciate the complexity of our bodies and the influential contexts in which we live. Gawande writes with an excellent style. There s humor, irony and mystery throughout. The topics are fascinating and the in...

#A fine, examined look into such a controversial field (2008-09-03) The author wrote many of these for The New Yorker and other publications, what is even more remarkable, however, is that he wrote these essays when he was beginning his career as a surgeon. Surgery is among the most controversial, and difficult fields in medicine. The risks are so high, the complications so abounding. I began reading this book with a jaded and jaundiced eye, hoping to find validation for my subjective impression of a field gone awry. Intead, I had greater respect for the field of surgery, in the autho...

#Medicine - Mysterious and Uncertain Science (2008-08-12) Similar to his other book titled Better, Dr. Gawande divided his book into three sections: Fallibility, Mystery and Uncertainties. As much as I enjoyed reading the five fascinating stories about medical mysteries (Mysteries about Friday the Thirteenth, pain, blushing nausea and food obsession), I found the two other sections more stimulating and inspiring. Speaking from his own experience (many of them gruesome and daunting), he successfully convinced his audience that medicine is full of uncertainties and doctors, just like a...

#great book for medical and non-medical professionals! (2008-08-10) Excellent book on the imperfections of medicine. Keeps the reader interrested through the entire book - it s almost sad when finished. . .

#Great book on surgery (2008-06-30) Atul Gawande gratefully takes the reader to the back of the OR, a place open for a few, yet intriguing for many. Dr. Gawande is extremely frank and poignant, as he describes actual cases from his own surgical practice. He admits that cutting someone open for the first time is hell, praises surgery which gives chance to obese people, wonders about doctor s intuition, and remains human in every case. As always, Atul Gawande is not just writing about medicine, this book reaches far beyond the realm of the operating room. He touches on the most comp...