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DIRTY DETAILS

Name: DIRTY DETAILS
Author: Marion Deutsche Cohen
ISBN: 1-56639-425-2

THE DAYS AND NIGHTS OF A WELL SPOUSE

by Marion Deutsche Cohen ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1996

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A resentful, angry woman shares her feelings about the sheer awfulness of taking care of a severely disabled husband. Cohen, a profesor of mathematics at Temple University, describes the years from 1977, when her husband, a physicist, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, to mid-1988, when he could no longer transfer himself to and from a wheelchair, as a period of stress; ``dire straits'' is the term she uses for the next six years, during which she cared for him at home. Her ordeal, but not his, ended with his placement in a nursing home. A believer in speaking one's mind, she let those around her know loudly, clearly, and frequently how she felt about being in a situation she could not abide. Most of her anger is directed at what she calls the conspiracy of silence among doctors, social workers, and therapists who know but do not acknowledge the burdens of the care-providing spouse, but there's plenty left for the friends and relatives who she felt did not help enough. For Cohen, being the care-giving spouse can be summed up in three words—nights, lifting, and toilet—and she elaborates fully on what these involve. By writing all the dirty details, she hopes to keep herself from ever forgetting what it was like, as well as to convince society that changes in home health care must be made. The latter may be too much to hope for. Although one might want to feel sympathy for someone in Cohen's situation, her temper and sarcasm, combined with her total commitment to self-expression (``It's not my job to hide what I'm feeling'') make it difficult to feel much compassion for this particular woman. Twenty-four black-and-white photographs provide stark documentation of the Cohen family's ordeal. A bitter and ugly little book.

Pub Date: April 1, 1996

ISBN: 1-56639-425-2

Page Count: 167

Publisher: Temple Univ. Press

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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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

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.