BEYOND ENDURANCE

by ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 17, 1954

We first meet Jim Marugg as he fights against the polio virus for his life to the ka-thump-a of an iron lung; we leave him in his home with his wife and two children, training his muscles- as far as he can- to work again. The story between is that of the onslaught of polio as it attacked one man, of the battle against polio and its after- effects that continue through years. We come to know the other patients and the staff at Los Angeles General Hospital and later at Los Ranchos, the postpolio hospital where hydrotherapy, rolling beds, Monaghan chest respirators are part of the life. There is courage, thought, and warmth in Jim Marugg's story, as he tells of the kindness of friends and therapists, the support of Star News that wanted him back as sports editor, the love of his wife and the goal of a return home, the unselfishness of chronic iron lungers who rejoiced in his degree of recovery. To Jim, as he lived through his illness, polio was the key to a broader philosophy that carried him ""beyond endurance"" to fuller life. An absorbing story of inner victory which contains seeds of compassion and inspiration but which is characterized by a personal, news approach.

Pub Date: March 17, 1954

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Harper

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1954

Categories: NONFICTION