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Needles: A Memoir of Growing Up with Diabetes
"I know about needles," writes Andie Dominick in this beautifully rendered memoir about growing up with juvenile diabetes. As a little girl, these needles belong to Andie's older sister, Denise, a diabetic since the age of two. Andie worships her older sister -- wants to look like her, act like her, be her. Unfortunately, when she is nine years old, part of her wish comes true. Denise helps diagnose Andie with juvenile diabetes, and from then on the needles belong to her.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1998
9 people are currently reading
340 people want to read
About the author
Andie Dominick
2 books6 followersAndie Dominick grew up in Des Moines, Iowa and earned a bachelor of arts degree in English and a master of arts degree in creative writing from Iowa State University. She published a book based on her and her older sister's experiences with Type 1 Diabetes, entitled Needles. She says "I have always loved writing and I've always loved to observe and comment on the world around me." Dominick lives in Des Moines with her husband, Doug, and their three children.
- with information from The Desmoines Register
- with information from The Desmoines Register
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
May 6, 2015
This book is exactly what it says it is which is a memoir of growing up with diabetes and is not a memoir in general of Andie Dominick's sister's life, but only where diabetes has touched it. This could have made for a very depressing and disjointed book but the writing is so spot-on - detail where you want it, brevity where an episode is necessarily included but is not interesting in itself.
It's educational too. I had thought that type 1 diabetes was a matter of insulin injections and balancing the diet. I hadn't really thought it was a tremendously serious systemic disease that needs attention throughout the day, everyday, and will impact just about every aspect of life. I hadn't thought that without constant care it could lead to major disabilities and premature death. It is to the credit of people with diabetes that they don't foist all that on us and let people happily think they are just like normal but have carry sugar cubes and stick a needle into themselves a couple of times a day.
I have a niece who was diagnosed with diabetes when she was 9. Rather than let her eat special meals, the whole family went on a diabetes-approved diet, essentially whole foods and they all took plenty of exercise and kept regular getting-up and going-to-sleep hours. You might think that this would result in them all being healthier, but no. The mother became a paranoid schizophrenic and the elder sister died of cancer, leaving a little boy who turned four the week after his mother's desk. I don't know what happened to the father... he left. But Jessamine, who is a most responsible social worker now, is in excellent health apart from the diabetes, although she never dared risk having a child.
My niece's happy story isn't everyone's experience of this dread disease and the book is a memoir not fiction so it doesn't end 'happy ever after' and it left me feeling quite bereft, lonely and hopeless.
I would recommend this book to people who like reading memoirs generally and especially if they like medical stories. No need to have any connection to diabetes to enjoy this beautifully-written book.
Read in 2009, skimmed through and reviewed in 2012.
It's educational too. I had thought that type 1 diabetes was a matter of insulin injections and balancing the diet. I hadn't really thought it was a tremendously serious systemic disease that needs attention throughout the day, everyday, and will impact just about every aspect of life. I hadn't thought that without constant care it could lead to major disabilities and premature death. It is to the credit of people with diabetes that they don't foist all that on us and let people happily think they are just like normal but have carry sugar cubes and stick a needle into themselves a couple of times a day.
I have a niece who was diagnosed with diabetes when she was 9. Rather than let her eat special meals, the whole family went on a diabetes-approved diet, essentially whole foods and they all took plenty of exercise and kept regular getting-up and going-to-sleep hours. You might think that this would result in them all being healthier, but no. The mother became a paranoid schizophrenic and the elder sister died of cancer, leaving a little boy who turned four the week after his mother's desk. I don't know what happened to the father... he left. But Jessamine, who is a most responsible social worker now, is in excellent health apart from the diabetes, although she never dared risk having a child.
My niece's happy story isn't everyone's experience of this dread disease and the book is a memoir not fiction so it doesn't end 'happy ever after' and it left me feeling quite bereft, lonely and hopeless.
I would recommend this book to people who like reading memoirs generally and especially if they like medical stories. No need to have any connection to diabetes to enjoy this beautifully-written book.
Read in 2009, skimmed through and reviewed in 2012.
February 21, 2024
My review from 2023 still stands, as nerdy as it sounds.
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I'm convinced the HSS 3103 class was written around this book. Reading it was basically real-life applications to quite literally all the concepts we've seen thus far in this class. But it was not written in a preachy-non-fiction way. It was directly to the point on Andie's experience with diabetes and did not sugarcoat anything. Throughout the book I fully found myself reviewing the concepts in my class: hospital culture, stages of grief, patient-centred care, relationships and sexuality, Suchman's stages of illness, LeMaistre's emotional process stages, health belief model, doctor-patient relationships... and virtually everything else we covered. It was nice though; I love when I learn something and I can see the applications of it and have that moment where I think "I KNOW THIS!!!". Also combined with the fact that I work in a optometrist office and have taken a zillion retinal pictures, some of which do have diabetic retinopathy- so once again I had my little knowledge-flex moment. :)
As for the memoir itself, like I said, simple and to the point. Concise, and included chapters regarding specific themes/timeframes of her life and experiences with diabetes. This book was written in 1998, so obviously there have been advancements in caring for diabetes that would have made her life so much easier, and makes us appreciate the technological development of biomedicine. This was more of a juvenile-style memoir, where there was not much depth in terms of the writing style, but it does make it a breeze to read. As someone without diabetes, it was interesting to see how she experienced it as a child, and how the various factors shaped her view on her illness. It felt very real and you can really see how a chronic illness is difficult to navigate and affects every part of your life.
I'm happy that in the end, she was able to accept her diabetes and want to live life, and I hope that all children diagnosed with a chronic disease have a much better childhood experience than she did. Breaks my heart to know that some people let their conditions get so bad, for a myriad of reasons (social-ecological model!!), that it sometimes results in irreversible damage. My heart also breaks for those who cannot even get care/support and have no choice but to let their disease get so bad- but, alas, that is a topic I can rant on for another day.
----
I'm convinced the HSS 3103 class was written around this book. Reading it was basically real-life applications to quite literally all the concepts we've seen thus far in this class. But it was not written in a preachy-non-fiction way. It was directly to the point on Andie's experience with diabetes and did not sugarcoat anything. Throughout the book I fully found myself reviewing the concepts in my class: hospital culture, stages of grief, patient-centred care, relationships and sexuality, Suchman's stages of illness, LeMaistre's emotional process stages, health belief model, doctor-patient relationships... and virtually everything else we covered. It was nice though; I love when I learn something and I can see the applications of it and have that moment where I think "I KNOW THIS!!!". Also combined with the fact that I work in a optometrist office and have taken a zillion retinal pictures, some of which do have diabetic retinopathy- so once again I had my little knowledge-flex moment. :)
As for the memoir itself, like I said, simple and to the point. Concise, and included chapters regarding specific themes/timeframes of her life and experiences with diabetes. This book was written in 1998, so obviously there have been advancements in caring for diabetes that would have made her life so much easier, and makes us appreciate the technological development of biomedicine. This was more of a juvenile-style memoir, where there was not much depth in terms of the writing style, but it does make it a breeze to read. As someone without diabetes, it was interesting to see how she experienced it as a child, and how the various factors shaped her view on her illness. It felt very real and you can really see how a chronic illness is difficult to navigate and affects every part of your life.
I'm happy that in the end, she was able to accept her diabetes and want to live life, and I hope that all children diagnosed with a chronic disease have a much better childhood experience than she did. Breaks my heart to know that some people let their conditions get so bad, for a myriad of reasons (social-ecological model!!), that it sometimes results in irreversible damage. My heart also breaks for those who cannot even get care/support and have no choice but to let their disease get so bad- but, alas, that is a topic I can rant on for another day.
May 2, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Sometimes we choose books for the weirdest reasons. In this case I was looking to satisfy a book challenge prompt (a personal phobia.) There’s not much I’m afraid of, but I do have to admit to a touch of trypanophobia. For you readers not up to date with all the phobias out there, this one is a fear of needles.
So I found the perfect book to read: Needles, a Memoir. The author wrote this book in 1998 not too long after graduating from college. She was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes at age 9. It was not an unknown in her family. Her older sister was diagnosed at age 2 and died from diabetic complications at age 33.
I really hope great strides have been made in the treatment of diabetes since this book was written but must admit I really don’t know. The book was an eye opening look at the seriousness of this disease and how many ways it affects the diabetic’s life and life choices.
Andie Dominick is now working as a journalist (still in Iowa) and won the Pulitzer Prize in 2018 for "examining the damaging consequences for poor Iowa residents of privatizing the state’s administration of Medicaid."(Wikipedia)
The 52 Book Club Challenge - 2024
Prompt #31 - Includes a personal phobia
.
Sometimes we choose books for the weirdest reasons. In this case I was looking to satisfy a book challenge prompt (a personal phobia.) There’s not much I’m afraid of, but I do have to admit to a touch of trypanophobia. For you readers not up to date with all the phobias out there, this one is a fear of needles.
So I found the perfect book to read: Needles, a Memoir. The author wrote this book in 1998 not too long after graduating from college. She was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes at age 9. It was not an unknown in her family. Her older sister was diagnosed at age 2 and died from diabetic complications at age 33.
I really hope great strides have been made in the treatment of diabetes since this book was written but must admit I really don’t know. The book was an eye opening look at the seriousness of this disease and how many ways it affects the diabetic’s life and life choices.
Andie Dominick is now working as a journalist (still in Iowa) and won the Pulitzer Prize in 2018 for "examining the damaging consequences for poor Iowa residents of privatizing the state’s administration of Medicaid."(Wikipedia)
The 52 Book Club Challenge - 2024
Prompt #31 - Includes a personal phobia
.
February 1, 2018
This book was published in 1998, when Dominick had had type 1 diabetes for 18 years, including through her teenage years. Unlike Lisa Roney (author of type 1 memoir "Sweet Invisible Body"), Dominick's prose is spare and straightforward, making this a quick read.
Major themes include various aspects of the theme of family and Dominick's struggles with retinopathy. Her older sister Denise, also a type 1, died of a drug overdose. As her roommate, Dominick found her body and understood that "[Denise] had a subconscious desire to take her own life before diabetes did" (p. 117). Dominick also discusses her marriage and how, even though her spouse participates in her diabetes care and sees what it's like for her to live with it, at the end of the day it's still her issue to deal with: "'Even though he's with me, sometimes I'm so alone. But maybe it's better that way. I can't take anyone with me through the bad times anyway. Not really. I know Doug will be there, but it's still my life that I must play out. He's there, but I'm still trapped inside myself'" (p. 217).
Dominick also describes the specter of complications that all people with diabetes live with: "'It's like I'm waiting for something that other people aren't waiting for. Waiting for something to go wrong. To go blind or die or for my kidneys to fail'" (p. 215). Something does go wrong for Dominick--she develops severe retinopathy, requiring multiple surgeries and impairing her vision. She tries to take a friend's observation that "We never think we can endure as much as we can" (p. 159) to heart as she struggles with the possibility of going blind.
Finally, Dominick echoes Pat Covelli (author of the type 1 memoir "Borrowing Time") when she expresses frustration about medical care for people with type 1 diabetes: "Diabetes is a defined illness. That's the problem. Medical personnel are trained to deal with the textbook cases, the most common problems associated with diabetes....I trust that most of them understand the disease itself. It's the individual diabetics who aren't understood. They treat us all the same" (p. 198). I do think this has gotten better over the past 20 years, especially with the advent of insulin suspensions that allow flexibility in when and what we eat. I wonder how Dominick is doing today--if her complications have stabilized given our improved treatments, and what sort of happiness she's found in life since the book was published. She certainly deserves both better health and greater happiness than she described having in "Needles."
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Read as part of the Diabetes Memoir Project, in which I am reading my way through 8 commercially published (i.e., not self-published) biographies/memoirs of people with type 1 diabetes (i.e., not parents of children with type 1 diabetes) treated with injections/insulin pump (i.e., not a transplant), in chronological order by the person’s date of diagnosis. The titles are:
- Breakthrough: Elizabeth Hughes, the Discovery of Insulin, and the Making of a Medical Miracle by Thea Cooper and Arthur Ainsberg (Elizabeth was diagnosed in 1918 at age 11)
- Borrowing Time: Growing Up with Juvenile Diabetes by Pat Covelli (diagnosed in 1964 at age 10)
- Growing Up Again: Life, Loves, and Oh Yeah, Diabetes by Mary Tyler Moore (diagnosed in 1969 at age 33)
- Sweet Invisible Body: Reflections on a Life with Diabetes by Lisa Roney (diagnosed in 1972 at age 11)
- Needles: A Memoir of Growing Up with Diabetes by Andie Dominick (diagnosed in 1980 at age 9)
- Not Dead Yet: My Race Against Disease: From Diagnosis to Dominance by Phil Southerland (diagnosed in 1982 at age 7 months)
- The Sugarless Plum: A Ballerina’s Triumph Over Diabetes by Zippora Karz (diagnosed in 1987 at age 21)
- The Insulin Express: One Backpack, Five Continents, and the Diabetes Diagnosis that Changed Everything by Oren Liebermann (diagnosed in 2014 at age 31)
Major themes include various aspects of the theme of family and Dominick's struggles with retinopathy. Her older sister Denise, also a type 1, died of a drug overdose. As her roommate, Dominick found her body and understood that "[Denise] had a subconscious desire to take her own life before diabetes did" (p. 117). Dominick also discusses her marriage and how, even though her spouse participates in her diabetes care and sees what it's like for her to live with it, at the end of the day it's still her issue to deal with: "'Even though he's with me, sometimes I'm so alone. But maybe it's better that way. I can't take anyone with me through the bad times anyway. Not really. I know Doug will be there, but it's still my life that I must play out. He's there, but I'm still trapped inside myself'" (p. 217).
Dominick also describes the specter of complications that all people with diabetes live with: "'It's like I'm waiting for something that other people aren't waiting for. Waiting for something to go wrong. To go blind or die or for my kidneys to fail'" (p. 215). Something does go wrong for Dominick--she develops severe retinopathy, requiring multiple surgeries and impairing her vision. She tries to take a friend's observation that "We never think we can endure as much as we can" (p. 159) to heart as she struggles with the possibility of going blind.
Finally, Dominick echoes Pat Covelli (author of the type 1 memoir "Borrowing Time") when she expresses frustration about medical care for people with type 1 diabetes: "Diabetes is a defined illness. That's the problem. Medical personnel are trained to deal with the textbook cases, the most common problems associated with diabetes....I trust that most of them understand the disease itself. It's the individual diabetics who aren't understood. They treat us all the same" (p. 198). I do think this has gotten better over the past 20 years, especially with the advent of insulin suspensions that allow flexibility in when and what we eat. I wonder how Dominick is doing today--if her complications have stabilized given our improved treatments, and what sort of happiness she's found in life since the book was published. She certainly deserves both better health and greater happiness than she described having in "Needles."
-----------------------------------------------------
Read as part of the Diabetes Memoir Project, in which I am reading my way through 8 commercially published (i.e., not self-published) biographies/memoirs of people with type 1 diabetes (i.e., not parents of children with type 1 diabetes) treated with injections/insulin pump (i.e., not a transplant), in chronological order by the person’s date of diagnosis. The titles are:
- Breakthrough: Elizabeth Hughes, the Discovery of Insulin, and the Making of a Medical Miracle by Thea Cooper and Arthur Ainsberg (Elizabeth was diagnosed in 1918 at age 11)
- Borrowing Time: Growing Up with Juvenile Diabetes by Pat Covelli (diagnosed in 1964 at age 10)
- Growing Up Again: Life, Loves, and Oh Yeah, Diabetes by Mary Tyler Moore (diagnosed in 1969 at age 33)
- Sweet Invisible Body: Reflections on a Life with Diabetes by Lisa Roney (diagnosed in 1972 at age 11)
- Needles: A Memoir of Growing Up with Diabetes by Andie Dominick (diagnosed in 1980 at age 9)
- Not Dead Yet: My Race Against Disease: From Diagnosis to Dominance by Phil Southerland (diagnosed in 1982 at age 7 months)
- The Sugarless Plum: A Ballerina’s Triumph Over Diabetes by Zippora Karz (diagnosed in 1987 at age 21)
- The Insulin Express: One Backpack, Five Continents, and the Diabetes Diagnosis that Changed Everything by Oren Liebermann (diagnosed in 2014 at age 31)
April 29, 2018
I read this so often as a kid, that the front cover curled. I was desperate for media representing disabled people. I have left spastic hemiplegia and mild hypoglycemia, neither of which are type one diabetes. I have had left spastic hemiplegia since I was born. I was diagnosed at two, as a result of being born three months premature. I'm the only one in my family.
Andie Dominick was diagnosed at nine. She had an older sister with it. This is quite possibly the only memoir I've ever read, and definitely the only one I've read about a disabled person.
Oh wait.
It's about her sister, literally from the second sentence of the book until the last. The title is misleading. If it were "Needles: A Memoir About My Sister and the Disease We Shared", I wouldn't complain. I didn't knock stars off for that, though. I knocked off stars because this was written from the point of view of one of the whiniest, arrogant, sanctimonious narrators I've had the displeasure of reading. The back of the book, the edition I read, made being disabled at a young age seem so tragic. IT'S NOT. Throughout the book, she and her sister seem to hate diabetes, and themselves for having it. They repeatedly state they would kill themselves rather than be blind, and Dominick cannot stop whining when it actually does set in, -knowing- it would happen eventually. Her words, not mine. Dominick points out a wheelchair user in the book for a sentence, but it's in a negative light. She makes another student's epilepsy all about herself. I was stunned and wondered why I'd liked this book so much as a kid.
The way this was written was odd--entire chunks of her life were cut out or glanced over, that I would have found very interesting. She wrote about -her sister's- experiences with those events, though, which I thought was frankly creepy. Goes beyond idolizing her and right into a weird zone.
I don't deny that events in her life were tragic. She finds her sister dead from a cocaine overdose, and talks about it and her grief for the whole second half of the book, which is part of why I think the title should be changed. I can't imagine that kind of horror, though. She whined everywhere else and was self-centered and self-absorbed. She spent a good twenty pages describing her wedding, and -eyeroll.- She wasn't selfish, though, even when she whined she was. This book made me determined to find a -good- memoir of growing up with juvenile diabetes, and more memoirs about disability in general.
Andie Dominick was diagnosed at nine. She had an older sister with it. This is quite possibly the only memoir I've ever read, and definitely the only one I've read about a disabled person.
Oh wait.
It's about her sister, literally from the second sentence of the book until the last. The title is misleading. If it were "Needles: A Memoir About My Sister and the Disease We Shared", I wouldn't complain. I didn't knock stars off for that, though. I knocked off stars because this was written from the point of view of one of the whiniest, arrogant, sanctimonious narrators I've had the displeasure of reading. The back of the book, the edition I read, made being disabled at a young age seem so tragic. IT'S NOT. Throughout the book, she and her sister seem to hate diabetes, and themselves for having it. They repeatedly state they would kill themselves rather than be blind, and Dominick cannot stop whining when it actually does set in, -knowing- it would happen eventually. Her words, not mine. Dominick points out a wheelchair user in the book for a sentence, but it's in a negative light. She makes another student's epilepsy all about herself. I was stunned and wondered why I'd liked this book so much as a kid.
The way this was written was odd--entire chunks of her life were cut out or glanced over, that I would have found very interesting. She wrote about -her sister's- experiences with those events, though, which I thought was frankly creepy. Goes beyond idolizing her and right into a weird zone.
I don't deny that events in her life were tragic. She finds her sister dead from a cocaine overdose, and talks about it and her grief for the whole second half of the book, which is part of why I think the title should be changed. I can't imagine that kind of horror, though. She whined everywhere else and was self-centered and self-absorbed. She spent a good twenty pages describing her wedding, and -eyeroll.- She wasn't selfish, though, even when she whined she was. This book made me determined to find a -good- memoir of growing up with juvenile diabetes, and more memoirs about disability in general.
February 1, 2014
Dominick is honest and brave for telling this story. She validated many experiences of growing up with type I Diabetes (among other youthful issues!). Bravo!!
July 25, 2018
This one was really hard to read at some points but I appreciated her admitting she was not a perfect diabetic all the time since that seems to be what is expected of us.
April 22, 2011
This biography was awesome. Having a daughter with juvenile diabetes, we can relate to the day to day struggles of control and the fear of the unknown future. Many people don't know the difference between type 1 (usually juvenile diabetes) and type 2 diabetes. Type 1 diabetics didn't get diabetes because of their diet, or the causes of type 2 diabetics. This is a recommend read not only for all teens but adults as well.
Read
February 6, 2015The book needles really makes me think about how good my life is. Andie, the main character and her sister, Denise, grow up with diabetes and have life changing problems all the time. This book is filled with romance, action, and it's historical, plus it all fits into one book! Needles is definitely a good to read if you like hook hangers at the end. I recommend this book to everybody who loves a touching novel every once in a while.
March 26, 2008
I didn't rate this one as high, although it's on my favorite books of all time list - i think the magic in this book for me might not be something everyone else could share - unless you too are a type 1. but for those of us who are, it really is magical to have years of misery and pain spelled out so perfectly and simply. it's not a depressing read, just hits close to home.
November 12, 2019
This is not a review.
Among other things, I will never take for granted that every time I see the eye doctor, I am told "No sign of diabetes in the eyes." I will also never take for granted, that I have never fainted from a low and have never needed to be hospitalized because of my diabetes (not counting when I was diagnosed and the times when I was trained on using an insulin pump and when I did medical studies on new technologies).
I will give thanks for my many past Animas pumps, my current Tandem pump, my past syringes, my current cartridges, my many meters, my Skin-Prep and Uni-Solve, my triple antibiotic ointments, my Dexcom Continuous Glucose Monitor, and so many technological and medical advances.
Among other things, I will never take for granted that every time I see the eye doctor, I am told "No sign of diabetes in the eyes." I will also never take for granted, that I have never fainted from a low and have never needed to be hospitalized because of my diabetes (not counting when I was diagnosed and the times when I was trained on using an insulin pump and when I did medical studies on new technologies).
I will give thanks for my many past Animas pumps, my current Tandem pump, my past syringes, my current cartridges, my many meters, my Skin-Prep and Uni-Solve, my triple antibiotic ointments, my Dexcom Continuous Glucose Monitor, and so many technological and medical advances.
Read
February 19, 2025it feels strange rating this book (given i was forced to read it), so it’s my goodreads account and i won’t.
this was for hss3103, and even though i love memoirs this was different. at times, it felt impossible to get through (maybe bc i was forced to read it?? who knows) and at times i genuinely did enjoy it. the last 50ish pages made me tear up, for whatever that’s worth.
this was for hss3103, and even though i love memoirs this was different. at times, it felt impossible to get through (maybe bc i was forced to read it?? who knows) and at times i genuinely did enjoy it. the last 50ish pages made me tear up, for whatever that’s worth.
May 8, 2017
The book Needles By Andy Dominique was A very unique and exquisite book to me. I enjoyed this book because I was walking in the eyes of somebody that I have never met The type of person I would never be. Yet yet this story yet this story really touched me. It was not and encouraging uplifting story at all it was very depressing and dark but it showed me that the world other than people being shot people dying of cancer War it showed me that there was other kinds of darkness in the world other than those things. The novel brought me the realization that not everybody's life can be perfect. The book start out with a young 7 year old girl who plays with her stuffed animals but has an obsession of her middle school age sisters diabetic needles she likes taking the orange caped small needles and using them on her toys. But we later find out she goes to hate needles because of the age of 9 she is diagnosed with diabetes and through her whole life there's one thing that she struggles with and that is her diabetes she blames everything on her diabetes And struggles with her life because of them her childhood is stripped away from her because of diabetes she no longer has the compassion to be extraordinary and live the dream because her disease. Through many struggles though that she is given through deaths and tragedies that she does not cope with well at all. She finds her happiness she finds something to live for. The theme of the story could be interpreted in many different ways in my opinion you can never say that the theme of the story was never to give up or anything encouraging like that I believe it falls along the lines of if you struggle your whole entire life And constantly battle with yourself even though you have no faith in God no faith in anyone you don't feel like living but you live anyway you may just find that spark of happiness that saves you. I recommend this book to someone who lives a nearly perfect life who doesn't live with a life-threatening disease the person that lives with compassion for others and loves to go on adventures and loves to live I recommend this book to a person like that so that you could see the other side of life.
February 1, 2018
"A breakthrough in diabetes means a new way to give an injection or monitor blood sugars. I'm not holding my breath. A cure for diabetes. I don't even think about that. I just hope for advances in how to treat the complications of the disease. Ways to prevent blindness and restore circulation. A kidney transplant without a life of immunosuppressants. I don't think this is hoping for too much, but a cure is too much to ask for. The doctors say diabetes is manageable, so the focus is on the best ways to manage it. Controlling it, but not eliminating it. Possibly preventing its onset, but not fixing a pancreas that hasn't worked for fifteen years."
This is not a fun read, but I can't think of anything I've read recently that's more important.
I want everyone I know to read this book, and I want everyone I know to never even look at it. I want my friends and family to get a glimpse of what keeps me awake at night and to know a piece of what throws me into my depression and anxiety spirals, and at the same time, I want them in the dark.
I'm not even two years into my diagnosis; I didn't have an adolescence of rejecting the needle, because I'd never needed it. I haven't had high blood sugars for long enough to start any complications like Andie's anytime soon, but the fact is they're going to happen. My life is now made up of trying to be a pancreas, and I am not a pancreas. I'm doing the best that I can, but I make mistakes. I make mistakes on how many carbs I'm eating. I don't bolus at the exact right moment. And because I can't be perfect and because I make mistakes, I will have complications. I might contract diabetic retinopathy, like Andie. I might lose sensations in my feet. My kidneys could give out. I don't know what's going to happen, except that something can and will happen. And I'm terrified.
But this book is hopeful. The essays are hopeful. You make do, and you keep going. You learn to live with the fear, and then sometimes you forget the fear is even there. So I'm thankful for this book, and I do want everyone I know to read it at some point, even if it hurts.
This is not a fun read, but I can't think of anything I've read recently that's more important.
I want everyone I know to read this book, and I want everyone I know to never even look at it. I want my friends and family to get a glimpse of what keeps me awake at night and to know a piece of what throws me into my depression and anxiety spirals, and at the same time, I want them in the dark.
I'm not even two years into my diagnosis; I didn't have an adolescence of rejecting the needle, because I'd never needed it. I haven't had high blood sugars for long enough to start any complications like Andie's anytime soon, but the fact is they're going to happen. My life is now made up of trying to be a pancreas, and I am not a pancreas. I'm doing the best that I can, but I make mistakes. I make mistakes on how many carbs I'm eating. I don't bolus at the exact right moment. And because I can't be perfect and because I make mistakes, I will have complications. I might contract diabetic retinopathy, like Andie. I might lose sensations in my feet. My kidneys could give out. I don't know what's going to happen, except that something can and will happen. And I'm terrified.
But this book is hopeful. The essays are hopeful. You make do, and you keep going. You learn to live with the fear, and then sometimes you forget the fear is even there. So I'm thankful for this book, and I do want everyone I know to read it at some point, even if it hurts.
February 29, 2016
Needles, by Andie Dominick is a memoir. This book follows Andie through her childhood growing up with diabetes. The thing that sets this book apart from others is the story that she has to tell about her encounter with diabetes and drugs.
Andie has grown up adoring her older sister Denise. She adored her so much she wanted to be like her. The unfortunate part is that she got her wish at age nine when she got diagnosed with a disease Denise had since age two. She was diagnosed with diabetes. This book recounts Dominick’s transformation of a free and happy child who loved giving shots to her stuffed animals to a patient of giving herself the shots. She has to learn to give herself shots twice a day. Dominick in the end is hopeful and tells how she found her love and hope in the face of fear to live with diabetes.
Anybody that likes memoirs that have a story type feel will love this book. Andie Dominick’s story struck home to me because my cousin has diabetes. I would recommend this book to people because it helped me to respect my siblings more and realize that we're all really lucky to be here and be healthy. I think that people who know people or people that have diabetes would enjoy this book. What I really liked about this book is that I was able to make a connection with it and it wasn’t written like a normal memoir. It really stood out to me and caught my attention. There wasn’t really anything wrong with it except for some gaps that I feel could’ve been filled in more.
Andie has grown up adoring her older sister Denise. She adored her so much she wanted to be like her. The unfortunate part is that she got her wish at age nine when she got diagnosed with a disease Denise had since age two. She was diagnosed with diabetes. This book recounts Dominick’s transformation of a free and happy child who loved giving shots to her stuffed animals to a patient of giving herself the shots. She has to learn to give herself shots twice a day. Dominick in the end is hopeful and tells how she found her love and hope in the face of fear to live with diabetes.
Anybody that likes memoirs that have a story type feel will love this book. Andie Dominick’s story struck home to me because my cousin has diabetes. I would recommend this book to people because it helped me to respect my siblings more and realize that we're all really lucky to be here and be healthy. I think that people who know people or people that have diabetes would enjoy this book. What I really liked about this book is that I was able to make a connection with it and it wasn’t written like a normal memoir. It really stood out to me and caught my attention. There wasn’t really anything wrong with it except for some gaps that I feel could’ve been filled in more.
November 1, 2013
Needles by Andie Dominick is a memoir of the author's personal life and her struggle to live with diabetes. Andie had always looked up to her older sister and hoped to be like her. Well, her wish came true, but she got one trait she wasn't exactly hoping for: juvenile diabetes. At age nine, Andie must face the one factor that affects her friendships, school work and the way she lives. Throughout the whole book, Andie describes her relationships and how diabetes sometimes does affect what might otherwise be a normal life. She overcomes adversities like the death of her older sister, multiple surgeries involving her diabetes-caused blindness and a marriage that could be ruined because of her decision that lead to the prevention of having any children. Andie Dominick teaches us that although something may stand in the way that prevents you from having a normal life, you have to learn to dodge it and overcome your fears and adversities.
The theme of the book, is again, overcoming adversity. I believe that Dominick portrayed that message throughout the whole book by including it into certain situations that she was forced to face. She also did a good job of organizing the book by putting each event into chapters. Dominick could have made the book a little more interesting so the reader could keep pace with it and not have the urge to close it, but overall I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone searching for an inspirational read.
The theme of the book, is again, overcoming adversity. I believe that Dominick portrayed that message throughout the whole book by including it into certain situations that she was forced to face. She also did a good job of organizing the book by putting each event into chapters. Dominick could have made the book a little more interesting so the reader could keep pace with it and not have the urge to close it, but overall I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone searching for an inspirational read.
October 10, 2013
I really liked the book Needles by Andie Dominick. When Andie was growing up, her sister Denise had diabetes. She played doctor with her stuffed animals and dolls using the needles her sister used to her give herself a shot everyday. Andie never thought that the needles would belong to her one day, she never thought she would have to give herself shots everyday for the rest of her life. Growing up with diabetes wasn’t easy. Andie couldn’t eat a lot of sweets, sometimes she had insulin reactions where she would feel dizzy and she had to insert a needle in her leg everyday. When Andie got older she moved in with her sister, they were best friends. But one day when Andie came home she found her sister’s lifeless sprawled out on her bed. After her sister’s death and when she started to lose her eyesight, Andie was fully aware of the consequences of her disease. This book could be read by boy or girl and ages 12 and up. I rated this a book four stars because the author shows how difficult growing up with diabetes or even having diabetes is and that you shouldn’t take life for granted because some people in the world are wishing they had your life.
April 7, 2014
Dominick draws us into her life and complex relationship with her sister, explaining what it is like to live with type 1 diabetes, both as a sibling to someone with it, and then later as someone experiencing it herself.
I felt that she was eloquent enough to help the reader understand both the disease itself and more importantly her subjective experience of it. But she also made it clear that if you do not have it, there is no way to truly understand. Some authors might say this in a way that is off-putting to a reader, but Dominick skillfully manages to say this without alienating this reader at least.
I felt that she was eloquent enough to help the reader understand both the disease itself and more importantly her subjective experience of it. But she also made it clear that if you do not have it, there is no way to truly understand. Some authors might say this in a way that is off-putting to a reader, but Dominick skillfully manages to say this without alienating this reader at least.
November 13, 2016
Needles is a memoir by Andie Dominick. It was such an interesting book because you learn about diabetes just as Andie does. Andie starts as a child in the book so you grow up with her and see how differently others treat people as young children with the disease to adults with it. It goes through Andie's life with her sister and her relationship with her parents and husband, Doug. She ends up having serious eye problems so it is all about the struggle being a diabetic can be and some of the worst scenarios. It also shows how being educated and smart about the disease you or others have will help them be able to survive and strive.
August 11, 2009
As a T1 myself, I was eager to read this memoir because the ADA, JDRF and every medical provider I've ever dealt with has made it sound like control is such a simple thing that every responsible diabetic finds a way to achieve. So I appreciated the author's forthrightness and the validation it gave me. At the same time, her experiences were so harrowing that this book hasn't exactly helped me in regard to my own relationship with the disease. I'd call it a cautionary tale, but not one that inspires hope.
May 29, 2011
Spare, frank, memoir about the author's experiences growing up with diabetes. The stars are for a couple of excellent insights--there's a passage about how doctors assume diabetics must not be afraid of needles, even though they're fear-inducing even for folks who use them every day, that's stayed with me for a long time.
It's only three stars, though, because Dominick's life isn't that exceptional outside her diabetes. The few aforementioned flashes of insight could each be contained in a long essay. The rest of the book around them feels like padding sometimes, even though it's short.
It's only three stars, though, because Dominick's life isn't that exceptional outside her diabetes. The few aforementioned flashes of insight could each be contained in a long essay. The rest of the book around them feels like padding sometimes, even though it's short.
July 12, 2011
I enjoyed this book and the unflinching look it provided on growing up with this chronic illness.
However, I felt cheated to realize after the fact that the narrator's sister had died of drug overdose, when we are led to believe that the death is as a result of her diabetes control or lack thereof. All in all though, a very interesting and informative read.
However, I felt cheated to realize after the fact that the narrator's sister had died of drug overdose, when we are led to believe that the death is as a result of her diabetes control or lack thereof. All in all though, a very interesting and informative read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 31, 2016
An insightful story about diabetes from angels that are rarely talked about. How she overcome her sister's passing from the same disease she is suffering from was very brave. At time I didn't understand the point of talking about the little details Andi talked about. The books was an assigned reading for a course, but i'm so glad i got the chance to read it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 22, 2017
I did not personally like the book. Parts of it just made me uneasy. People died and the main character was talking about her suicidal thoughts, drug use, and other things. My least favorite part was when the main character's sister died on the couch. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes deep and weird books.
September 19, 2012
What at informative, educational book. It helps the reader see what it would be like to be a teenager when it was discovered you had diabetes. It's a realistic portrayal of her emotions, relationships, and her medical condition. Great read!
March 13, 2016
Well-written. I enjoyed most of it, but there were parts that were disturbing and scary, for which I wish there had been warning. Deals with disabilities including diabetes, visual impairment, depression, and addiction.
December 2, 2016
nice record for memories...but it was getting pretty constant and dull in the end....i know tht you dont have twists in real life all the time....but as a novel or story...i was expecting much more...
January 21, 2010
This book went so many places that I didn't expect it to go. Wow. It's a good read even for someone with no connection to insulin-dependent diabetes.
November 30, 2011
I liked the beginning and probably related more to it than the ending chapters but I hope that the author is able to go on with life as best she can can live happily
September 11, 2016
A little long, but it was a good and intersting book, read 160 pages in 2 days
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