Book Reviews: Mother Warriors and Cancer; 50 Essential Things to Do
Mother Warriors by Jenny McCarthy, © 2008 Plume Books/Penguin Group Paperback: 217 pp plus 27 pp of resources
If you know anyone with a child who has received a diagnosis of autism, information about this little book, along with the author’s earlier book Louder Than Words, is well worth passing along. It is a recounting of McCarthy’s struggle to help her own son, Evan, recover from autism, both while she was a single parent, and now with the help of Jim Carrey, her life partner.
The book combines the tale of McCarthy’s personal journey and the shared stories of other 'Mother Warriors.'Their experiences reveal the women’s anguish, pain, and remarkable courage, as well as their frustrations in dealing with a medical community that often doesn’t give credence to what a mother observes.
There is a very helpful list of DAN! (Defeat Autism Now!) doctors, organized by state and city, at the end of the book.
McCarthy, described on the back cover as an actress, model, and author, is an eloquent and persuasive voice. Never have autistic children needed one more.
CANCER; 50 Essential Things to Do (third edition) by Greg Anderson © 1999, 2009 Plume Books/Penguin Group Paperback: 179 pp
This well-known book has just been revised and updated by the author, and reflects some of the advances in the treatment of cancer since the first (1999) edition.
The book is divided into six sections with titles like “Essential Understanding,” “The 50 Essential Things to Do,” etc. The author offers clear, practical strategies for dealing with a diagnosis of cancer, and taking charge of the management of one’s health. Each section has numerous short chapters that are easy to understand. They provide things like lists of questions to ask your doctor, or Internet addresses to support online searches, or the need to look for “two ‘second’ opinions.” There is an excellent chapter on nutritional supplements.
At the end, there’s a 15 page appendix discussing things like alternative therapies, as well as a good section titled “If Chemotherapy is Recommended.”
As an old mountain friend of mine used to say, “The Good Lord willing and the creek don’t rise” you may never need this book...but it might be well worth it to pick up a copy for your bookshelf, just in case.
- Books reviewed by Julia Sneden
