A remarkably upbeat memoir, ideal for readers seeking to understand and support loved ones with serious illnesses.
An inspiring debut memoir about one woman’s years of illness, during which she forged a rich life full of achievements.
Cramer-Miller was diagnosed with kidney disease soon after her college graduation, and she saw her promising career in marketing and public relations painfully grind to a halt. Forced to leave her beloved Seattle and her vibrant circle of friends, she reluctantly returned to her native Minnesota for years of treatments, transplants, procedures and medications. Instead of submitting passively to the relentless disease, however, Cramer-Miller developed a personal philosophy centered on gratitude and positivity that helped her build a “normal” life. Her joyful persistence came about, in large part, due to the unflagging support of her family—especially her mother, who acted as Cramer-Miller’s health advocate (or “Avocado,” as they cheerfully nicknamed the role). Decades later, the author looks back at her journey with great clarity, remembering not only the medical experiences themselves, but also her emotional and psychological responses to them. When she describes her dangerous levels of fluid retention, for instance, she poignantly notes the numbers’ intangible impact: “For every upward notch on the scale, I lost my desire to be in the world. Each additional pound of water retention felt like a visible measurement of disease.” The author engagingly articulates these complex emotions in simple language, without self-pity, which may give some readers hope. Incredibly, the narrative never gets bogged down in obscure or unpleasant medical detail, and the occasional somber tone is balanced by the author’s sense of humor and attention to happier subjects, such as dating, career ambition, friendship and building a family. The short, readable, well-paced chapters allow the book to cover decades of memories evenly and naturally.
A remarkably upbeat memoir, ideal for readers seeking to understand and support loved ones with serious illnesses.Pub Date: June 24, 2013
ISBN: 978-0615813110
Page Count: 236
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...
Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").Pub Date: May 15, 1972
ISBN: 0205632645
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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