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The Girl in the Iron Lung
To a five-year-old child, the world is all defined in absolutes. There are no degrees of any feelings, no combination of some of this and some of that, to make life less scary.
Now, imagine yourself, as a child of five, suddenly unable to move your arms or legs, unable to breathe on your own, taken by your parents to a large, scary building and left there in the clutches of this big, loud machine that swallows you up. What could be worse?
Perhaps, the fear you have become defective and your parents have traded you in for a daughter that works right, can walk, can reach out and show how worthy she is of their love.
You barely have an idea of what life is all about, much less the loneliness, the despair, the fear, the knowledge you have this awful thing called “polio.”
Suddenly, you are thrust into a world where your parents seem to be afraid and mad at you at the same time, where other adults display their quirks in doses so large, sometimes you really can’t take it.
The final two paragraphs are going to go on the back cover of the book like this:
Thornton tells this true story so well, you become that child. It is you undergoing all the pain and hurts and sadness. And it is you who moved from the scariest moment any child could experience through to the triumphant young lady who had learned the skill of looking back and realizing how far she has come!
The Girl in the Iron Lung is a coming of age story, not of a young adult, of a child of five who learns really quickly, and usually the hard way, what it means to grow up and take charge of her own life. And that is what makes this book such a compelling read. Get it now at http://redmundpro.com/book-store/the-...
Now, imagine yourself, as a child of five, suddenly unable to move your arms or legs, unable to breathe on your own, taken by your parents to a large, scary building and left there in the clutches of this big, loud machine that swallows you up. What could be worse?
Perhaps, the fear you have become defective and your parents have traded you in for a daughter that works right, can walk, can reach out and show how worthy she is of their love.
You barely have an idea of what life is all about, much less the loneliness, the despair, the fear, the knowledge you have this awful thing called “polio.”
Suddenly, you are thrust into a world where your parents seem to be afraid and mad at you at the same time, where other adults display their quirks in doses so large, sometimes you really can’t take it.
The final two paragraphs are going to go on the back cover of the book like this:
Thornton tells this true story so well, you become that child. It is you undergoing all the pain and hurts and sadness. And it is you who moved from the scariest moment any child could experience through to the triumphant young lady who had learned the skill of looking back and realizing how far she has come!
The Girl in the Iron Lung is a coming of age story, not of a young adult, of a child of five who learns really quickly, and usually the hard way, what it means to grow up and take charge of her own life. And that is what makes this book such a compelling read. Get it now at http://redmundpro.com/book-store/the-...
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First published February 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 3, 2013
I received a copy from the publisher as part of Goodreads First Reads program.
Gail Thornton contracted polio when she was a 5 year old child and the story is told in her child's voice. As I read through the book, I admired this small girl's courage, tenacity, and determination to get better from a disease that was certainly life-threatening and could have at the very least caused permanent paralysis. The book takes us through Gail's life to the age of 14. While it was inspiring to read of her valiant efforts and those of her parents, I was saddened. I realize that this happened in the early 1960's, but it hurt my heart for a small child not to be taken into the loop, so to speak. Gail didn't ask questions and no one offered her answers. She felt that she must be "bad" if she didn't get better and that only by going by the "no crying" rules would she be worthy of love. She says she felt love and in the next paragraph or page would say that she *wasn't* loved because she wasn't a "normal" girl and that she would go to her "special dark place" when she was in pain so that her parents wouldn't become disappointed or angry with her. Of course, this might have been merely the perception of a child too young to understand, but she mentioned that she rarely received hugs or kisses from her mother unless she continued to smile and please her parents. She stated that at their house, there were "no talking" rules at the table, "no playing" rules except for outdoors, no "playing with Dadddy" rules except at Christmas and Easter because it made the dog bark; she called her house a "sad house" because there wasn't much laughter, yet she also mentions being happy and receiving presents.I'm sure that her small mind just had conflicting, confusing views because of the uncertainty of her recovery. I don't mean to be critical of her parents, they probably never knew Gail felt this way since she kept it all inside, and they were raising 3 other children too, so I'm sure life wasn't easy. I would only hope that in 2013, should a child have any kind of serious illness, that they could feel that it wasn't their fault, that they still deserved love and affection, that they didn't have to be "normal", and that they could be free to express their fears and feelings and have them addressed and validated.
Gail Thornton contracted polio when she was a 5 year old child and the story is told in her child's voice. As I read through the book, I admired this small girl's courage, tenacity, and determination to get better from a disease that was certainly life-threatening and could have at the very least caused permanent paralysis. The book takes us through Gail's life to the age of 14. While it was inspiring to read of her valiant efforts and those of her parents, I was saddened. I realize that this happened in the early 1960's, but it hurt my heart for a small child not to be taken into the loop, so to speak. Gail didn't ask questions and no one offered her answers. She felt that she must be "bad" if she didn't get better and that only by going by the "no crying" rules would she be worthy of love. She says she felt love and in the next paragraph or page would say that she *wasn't* loved because she wasn't a "normal" girl and that she would go to her "special dark place" when she was in pain so that her parents wouldn't become disappointed or angry with her. Of course, this might have been merely the perception of a child too young to understand, but she mentioned that she rarely received hugs or kisses from her mother unless she continued to smile and please her parents. She stated that at their house, there were "no talking" rules at the table, "no playing" rules except for outdoors, no "playing with Dadddy" rules except at Christmas and Easter because it made the dog bark; she called her house a "sad house" because there wasn't much laughter, yet she also mentions being happy and receiving presents.I'm sure that her small mind just had conflicting, confusing views because of the uncertainty of her recovery. I don't mean to be critical of her parents, they probably never knew Gail felt this way since she kept it all inside, and they were raising 3 other children too, so I'm sure life wasn't easy. I would only hope that in 2013, should a child have any kind of serious illness, that they could feel that it wasn't their fault, that they still deserved love and affection, that they didn't have to be "normal", and that they could be free to express their fears and feelings and have them addressed and validated.
March 20, 2013
GIRL THE THE IRON LUNG
By Gail Thornton
Reviewed by Janet Russell
To a five year old child, the world is all defined in absolutes. There are no degrees of any feelings, no combination of some of this and some of that, to make life less scary.
Now imagine you have become that child. You see the world through her eyes and all of this awful stuff is happening to you. That’s what happened to me, as soon as I started reading The Girl in the Iron Lung.
I became the young child whose limbs would not now do what they are supposed to do. I panicked, trying to get to my parents’ room, because I knew that they would know what to do.
But my parents are afraid too. I can hear it in their voices as they hurry to get coated up for a night drive to the hospital. My parents take me to a large scary building where people dressed in white are looking down at me. Suddenly I’m being rushed down the hall on this rolling bed and taken into a room with many of these big clunky machines. I see little
kids heads poking out of these machines, but that is all I see of the kids.
And I was left there in the clutches of this big loud machine that swallows me up. What could be worse?
Well, perhaps the fear that you have become defective and your parents have traded you in for a daughter that works right. That can walk and reach out and show how worthy you are of their love.
You barely have an idea of what life is all about, much less the loneliness, the despair, the fear, the knowledge that you have this awful thing called polio.
Suddenly you are thrust into a world where your parents seem to be afraid and mad at you at the same time. Where other adults display their quirks in doses so large, sometimes you really can’t take it.
Gail relays this true story so well, the story becomes not just about Gail, but about you, as well.
There were nightly exercises that hurt so much, but she knew would make her walk. There were the special clothes she had to wear that helped keep her back straight. Every day she needed the help of Mommy and Daddy to get dressed.
Finally came the excitement of preparing for school. After all her hard work, Gail was certain she would be riding the bus to school just like the other kids real soon.
And then more disappointment, as she realized she would not be taking the bus with the other kids. And still more when she would fall at school and even sometimes had to ask for help.
Soon, though, Gail became the triumphant young lady who not only had accomplished so much, but also had learned the skill of looking back and realizing how far she had come!
And that is what makes this book such a compelling read. It’s a coming of age story, not of a young adult. Of a child of 5 who learns real quick, and usually the hard way, what it means to grow up and take charge of her own life.
The author and I are contemporaries, yet I never had to experience any of this terrible sickness of the first half of the twentieth century, polio. Now I realize how lucky I was!
I HIGHLY recommend this book!! Especially to those who might feel the vaccine unnecessary, or are wondering if they should give the polio vaccine to their children.
I’m sure glad I got my vaccination before polio got me!! The vaccine only came available in the 50′s, thanks to Jonas Salk and Albert Sabin.
Gail also addresses the international project to eradicate this virus and provides excellent statistics that show the progress of this endeavor.
At the same time, Gail released another book, THE REGRET OF A FLOWER, a book of lovely poetry.
I haven’t read this book yet, but having found her to be skilled as a writer, I am very much looking forward to it!! Below is a link to Red’s interview of Gail relating to THE REGRET OF A FLOWER!
:)
By Gail Thornton
Reviewed by Janet Russell
To a five year old child, the world is all defined in absolutes. There are no degrees of any feelings, no combination of some of this and some of that, to make life less scary.
Now imagine you have become that child. You see the world through her eyes and all of this awful stuff is happening to you. That’s what happened to me, as soon as I started reading The Girl in the Iron Lung.
I became the young child whose limbs would not now do what they are supposed to do. I panicked, trying to get to my parents’ room, because I knew that they would know what to do.
But my parents are afraid too. I can hear it in their voices as they hurry to get coated up for a night drive to the hospital. My parents take me to a large scary building where people dressed in white are looking down at me. Suddenly I’m being rushed down the hall on this rolling bed and taken into a room with many of these big clunky machines. I see little
kids heads poking out of these machines, but that is all I see of the kids.
And I was left there in the clutches of this big loud machine that swallows me up. What could be worse?
Well, perhaps the fear that you have become defective and your parents have traded you in for a daughter that works right. That can walk and reach out and show how worthy you are of their love.
You barely have an idea of what life is all about, much less the loneliness, the despair, the fear, the knowledge that you have this awful thing called polio.
Suddenly you are thrust into a world where your parents seem to be afraid and mad at you at the same time. Where other adults display their quirks in doses so large, sometimes you really can’t take it.
Gail relays this true story so well, the story becomes not just about Gail, but about you, as well.
There were nightly exercises that hurt so much, but she knew would make her walk. There were the special clothes she had to wear that helped keep her back straight. Every day she needed the help of Mommy and Daddy to get dressed.
Finally came the excitement of preparing for school. After all her hard work, Gail was certain she would be riding the bus to school just like the other kids real soon.
And then more disappointment, as she realized she would not be taking the bus with the other kids. And still more when she would fall at school and even sometimes had to ask for help.
Soon, though, Gail became the triumphant young lady who not only had accomplished so much, but also had learned the skill of looking back and realizing how far she had come!
And that is what makes this book such a compelling read. It’s a coming of age story, not of a young adult. Of a child of 5 who learns real quick, and usually the hard way, what it means to grow up and take charge of her own life.
The author and I are contemporaries, yet I never had to experience any of this terrible sickness of the first half of the twentieth century, polio. Now I realize how lucky I was!
I HIGHLY recommend this book!! Especially to those who might feel the vaccine unnecessary, or are wondering if they should give the polio vaccine to their children.
I’m sure glad I got my vaccination before polio got me!! The vaccine only came available in the 50′s, thanks to Jonas Salk and Albert Sabin.
Gail also addresses the international project to eradicate this virus and provides excellent statistics that show the progress of this endeavor.
At the same time, Gail released another book, THE REGRET OF A FLOWER, a book of lovely poetry.
I haven’t read this book yet, but having found her to be skilled as a writer, I am very much looking forward to it!! Below is a link to Red’s interview of Gail relating to THE REGRET OF A FLOWER!
:)
August 3, 2016
Book Description:
“To a five-year-old child, the world is all defined in absolutes. There are no degrees of any feelings, no combination of some of this and some of that, to make life less scary.
Now, imagine yourself, as a child of five, suddenly unable to move your arms or legs, unable to breathe on your own, taken by your parents to a large, scary building and left there in the clutches of this big, loud machine that swallows you up. What could be worse?
Perhaps, the fear you have become defective and your parents have traded you in for a daughter that works right, can walk, can reach out and show how worthy she is of their love.
You barely have an idea of what life is all about, much less the loneliness, the despair, the fear, the knowledge you have this awful thing called “polio.”
Suddenly, you are thrust into a world where your parents seem to be afraid and mad at you at the same time, where other adults display their quirks in doses so large, sometimes you really can’t take it.”
Told from the voice of five year old Gail Thornton. From the very first page, as you read, you become Gail. You feel all the emotions she feels. You feel her fears, her anxiety, her frustrations. You simply become that scared child.
What an excruciating, frightening and yet extremely emotional experience. You simply cannot help but cry with her pain and feel nothing but empathy for her. She is desperate, even at such a young age, to please her parents while being terrified of loosing their love if she isn’t able to do what is asked . Simple things that most people take for granted--- running, jumping, playing, putting on clothes, etc. She is determined and headstrong to be NORMAL and do all the things she was used to doing before she got sick.
I loved this memoir for so many reasons. First of all, my own mother had polio back in the 1950’s. Although statistics show that polio mainly affects children under five years of age, my mother was 13 years old. Months in the hospital was what she experienced instead of an iron lung. More than 50 years later, the affects of polio still show.
As a mother, I wept while reading the fears and thoughts Gail experienced. What’s happening? Why can’t I move? Why are they trying to stop me from breathing and kill me? (nurse putting on Gail’s face mask). Why are they doing this to me? As adults, we can begin to understand but from the eyes of a 5 year old it’s all extremely terrifying and traumatic. The pain being so unbearable that this 5 year old has to go to her “dark place” to block out the agonizing pain.
Polio is highly infectious and is caused by a virus. A frightening fact from the book that still shocks me is “as long as a single child remains infected, children in all countries are at risk of contracting polio. In 2009-20010, 23 previously polio-free countries were re-infected due to imports of the virus. “ Effects of this disease can be devastating. There are still global efforts to eradicate the disease.
“To a five-year-old child, the world is all defined in absolutes. There are no degrees of any feelings, no combination of some of this and some of that, to make life less scary.
Now, imagine yourself, as a child of five, suddenly unable to move your arms or legs, unable to breathe on your own, taken by your parents to a large, scary building and left there in the clutches of this big, loud machine that swallows you up. What could be worse?
Perhaps, the fear you have become defective and your parents have traded you in for a daughter that works right, can walk, can reach out and show how worthy she is of their love.
You barely have an idea of what life is all about, much less the loneliness, the despair, the fear, the knowledge you have this awful thing called “polio.”
Suddenly, you are thrust into a world where your parents seem to be afraid and mad at you at the same time, where other adults display their quirks in doses so large, sometimes you really can’t take it.”
Told from the voice of five year old Gail Thornton. From the very first page, as you read, you become Gail. You feel all the emotions she feels. You feel her fears, her anxiety, her frustrations. You simply become that scared child.
What an excruciating, frightening and yet extremely emotional experience. You simply cannot help but cry with her pain and feel nothing but empathy for her. She is desperate, even at such a young age, to please her parents while being terrified of loosing their love if she isn’t able to do what is asked . Simple things that most people take for granted--- running, jumping, playing, putting on clothes, etc. She is determined and headstrong to be NORMAL and do all the things she was used to doing before she got sick.
I loved this memoir for so many reasons. First of all, my own mother had polio back in the 1950’s. Although statistics show that polio mainly affects children under five years of age, my mother was 13 years old. Months in the hospital was what she experienced instead of an iron lung. More than 50 years later, the affects of polio still show.
As a mother, I wept while reading the fears and thoughts Gail experienced. What’s happening? Why can’t I move? Why are they trying to stop me from breathing and kill me? (nurse putting on Gail’s face mask). Why are they doing this to me? As adults, we can begin to understand but from the eyes of a 5 year old it’s all extremely terrifying and traumatic. The pain being so unbearable that this 5 year old has to go to her “dark place” to block out the agonizing pain.
Polio is highly infectious and is caused by a virus. A frightening fact from the book that still shocks me is “as long as a single child remains infected, children in all countries are at risk of contracting polio. In 2009-20010, 23 previously polio-free countries were re-infected due to imports of the virus. “ Effects of this disease can be devastating. There are still global efforts to eradicate the disease.
September 1, 2013
We all know tragedy can strike at anytime and in author Gail Thornton’s life it would take her on a lonely trail of doubt, fear, despair and nightmares from ages 4-12. Her diagnosis of polio that could and should have taken her life, looked her in the face and lost and today her memoir will depict the details of this battle and the roller coaster of emotions she and her parents endured. This must read book will change your life! Guaranteed. Yes, you will want to cry for her, but spiked through is a victory that will make you cheer from the housetop.
It made me understand the human spirit and will to survive more fully. Perhaps that is what separates the “can do” mentality from the “have nots”. Her life of private pain and entering the “dark places” would be an act she had to learn in order to endure. ”If I felt really bad, I laid back my head and closed my eyes and went to my private place where I was safe and nothing could hurt me.”.
This is more than a memoir of an illness that left her wanting; rather, it is a depiction of the human spirit that would prevail above all else. Character is indeed forged through pain. Though it may appear mother was in denial a lot throughout her recovery my suspect was that it was not denial but a deep imbedded understanding of her child’s will to not only survive but thrive. Mother, wherever you are I salute you! ”They said you wouldn’t live. They said you wouldn’t move. Then they said you wouldn’t walk. They should see you now, going to fifth grade all on your own!”.
With a full blast of emotions you will be taken at the end of her writing on a few adventurous outings that will make you wish you were literally there in person.
Gail Thornton is talented and, along with other books has a blog page well worth looking into. She has won my admiration as a writer, survivor, and life giver to others.
It made me understand the human spirit and will to survive more fully. Perhaps that is what separates the “can do” mentality from the “have nots”. Her life of private pain and entering the “dark places” would be an act she had to learn in order to endure. ”If I felt really bad, I laid back my head and closed my eyes and went to my private place where I was safe and nothing could hurt me.”.
This is more than a memoir of an illness that left her wanting; rather, it is a depiction of the human spirit that would prevail above all else. Character is indeed forged through pain. Though it may appear mother was in denial a lot throughout her recovery my suspect was that it was not denial but a deep imbedded understanding of her child’s will to not only survive but thrive. Mother, wherever you are I salute you! ”They said you wouldn’t live. They said you wouldn’t move. Then they said you wouldn’t walk. They should see you now, going to fifth grade all on your own!”.
With a full blast of emotions you will be taken at the end of her writing on a few adventurous outings that will make you wish you were literally there in person.
Gail Thornton is talented and, along with other books has a blog page well worth looking into. She has won my admiration as a writer, survivor, and life giver to others.
October 29, 2014
This is a very moving story of a five-year-old girl's battle with polio. It is told from Gail's point of view from the age of five to middle school age. Not only is it a story about how a child's life is affected on a day-to-day basis by this disease, it is also a story about how that child feels every step of the way. I have a young child, and this book made me realize that my child thinks in complex terms and observes every little thing around her. So not only did I learn about polio, it made me have a new appreciation for how my own child thinks. Reading this story has made me a better parent. The story is also a reminder that just because a child has a disease or some other affliction that makes them different from others, they don't want to be treated differently. And they need just as much affection from their parents as children who are not ill. Many times I wanted to reach into the book and give Gail a hug! I highly recommend this book, especially for parents of young children.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews