furies's review
Sick Girl by Amy Silverstein
furies's review
rating:
bookshelves: 2008, crazypeoplememoirs, memoirs, non-fiction, psychology
recommended for: any one working in the health profession, anyone who is/knows someone chronically "sick"
status: Read in January, 2008
rating:
bookshelves: 2008, crazypeoplememoirs, memoirs, non-fiction, psychology
recommended for: any one working in the health profession, anyone who is/knows someone chronically "sick"
status: Read in January, 2008
very smart, very real book.
apparently people have criticized the author for being "ungrateful" for her heart transplant - i would argue that they did not read the same book i did, because she grapples with the fact that she herself thinks she is ungrateful, and what that means.
this addresses all the real questions of life and death and hope and despair, and what to do when you've hit the end of your rope and you've already added all you can to it. it's a little bleak, it's not exactly uplifting, but it is REAL. i would recommend this to anyone who wants to know what it's like being defined by an illness - whether by heart transplant, a mental illness, or something like chronic fatigue. while amy's life is certainly in the extreme end of the "bad luck" scale, most of what she says holds true to so many people i know.
especially the duality between how you feel and how you present yourself - amy's story of her wedding day will resonate with me for a long...more
apparently people have criticized the author for being "ungrateful" for her heart transplant - i would argue that they did not read the same book i did, because she grapples with the fact that she herself thinks she is ungrateful, and what that means.
this addresses all the real questions of life and death and hope and despair, and what to do when you've hit the end of your rope and you've already added all you can to it. it's a little bleak, it's not exactly uplifting, but it is REAL. i would recommend this to anyone who wants to know what it's like being defined by an illness - whether by heart transplant, a mental illness, or something like chronic fatigue. while amy's life is certainly in the extreme end of the "bad luck" scale, most of what she says holds true to so many people i know.
especially the duality between how you feel and how you present yourself - amy's story of her wedding day will resonate with me for a long...more
You said this so perfectly ..... I agree with your observations, and I relate to so much of what Amy said. A lot of people misunderstand, as you pointed out. You have to truly "listen" to her to see how amazing this book really is!
