A Life Shaken: My Encounter with Parkinson's Disease

by Joel Havemann, Stephen G. Reich MD (Foreword)

"I'm flat on my back on a couch that's too short in a windowless room in the bureau. I can't even sit at a computer, much less make a keyboard work. My arms and legs are shaking uncontrollably. Although I am only 53 years old, I have already been struggling with Parkinson's disease for seven years. And right now the disease is winning." So begins Joel Havemann's account of the insidious disease that is Parkinson's. Into his own story, Havemann weaves accessible explanations of how Parkinson's disrupts the brain's circuitry, how symptoms are managed through drugs and surgery, and how people cope with the disease's psychological challenges. The updated paperback edition brings the discussion of treatment options and research thoroughly up to date.

Genres: Health

200 pages, Paperback

First published March 18, 2002

Reviews

[Laren · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title and description for this book led me to believe this was primarily a memoir about a man with Parkinson's Disease. Instead, it is really more of an informational book about the disease which contains anecdotal information from not only the author's life, but also some other people he knows with Parkinson's. Despite the fact that it isn't marketed as a reference book, the author has included lots of information and diagrams which actually provided the most clear explanation I have read yet about this very complicated illness. All this information is packed into just 160 pages and is framed around his personal experiences. This actually nicely helps break up the barrage of facts so that they can be more easily digested by the reader. As such, I wish I had read this book first when trying to learn more about PD. Sadly, although this was published years ago, it is still mostly up-to-date about treatments and research for PD and therefore still extremely relevant to anyone wanting to know more about this disease.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably one of the most intelligent books I've read on any chronic illness, the author combines science with anecdote to lay out the landscape of Parkinson's for the novice. The science is clear enough for the lay reader, but definitely not oversimplified, and if you suffer from Parkinson's, or someone close to you does, it will help you understand what the various medication choices mean. The section on new directions in research is lucid.

Best of all, this is not a relentlessly "Oh, yes, battle bravely with the enemy disease and keep a positive outlook and never give up like a good American" sort of book. It's willing to face up to the fact that things get worse, not better, for folks with Parkinson's, and that if you're going to have the disease, it's important to have a worldview that can contemplate suffering as real and meaningful.

[Pirada (Nina) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book revealed the shocking truths behind Parkinson's disease patients: how they try to live their life to the fullest and suffer at the same time.