Epileptic

Average customer rating:

unknown Confessions

Poignant Reflections On A Damaged Childhood

Great, but too long

Thought-provoking and artistic, but not typical for most families dealing with epilepsy

If you want to understand epilepsy in a personal way

Epileptic
David B.
Manufacturer: Pantheon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0375423184
Release Date: 2005-01-04

Book Description

Hailed by The Comics Journal as one of Europe’s most important and innovative comics artists, David B. has created a masterpiece in Epileptic, his stunning and emotionally resonant autobiography about growing up with an epileptic brother. Epileptic gathers together and makes available in English for the first time all six volumes of the internationally acclaimed graphic work.

David B. was born Pierre-François Beauchard in a small town near Orléans, France. He spent an idyllic early childhood playing with the neighborhood kids and, along with his older brother, Jean-Christophe, ganging up on his little sister, Florence. But their lives changed abruptly when Jean-Christophe was struck with epilepsy at age eleven. In search of a cure, their parents dragged the family to acupuncturists and magnetic therapists, to mediums and macrobiotic communes. But every new cure ended in disappointment as Jean-Christophe, after brief periods of remission, would only get worse.

Angry at his brother for abandoning him and at all the quacks who offered them false hope, Pierre-François learned to cope by drawing fantastically elaborate battle scenes, creating images that provide a fascinating window into his interior life. An honest and horrifying portrait of the disease and of the pain and fear it sowed in the family, Epileptic is also a moving depiction of one family’s intricate history. Through flashbacks, we are introduced to the stories of Pierre-François’s grandparents and we relive his grandfathers’ experiences in both World Wars. We follow Pierre-François through his childhood, adolescence, and adulthood, all the while charting his complicated relationship with his brother and Jean-Christophe”s losing battle with epilepsy. Illustrated with beautiful and striking black-and-white images, Epileptic is as astonishing, intimate, and heartbreaking as the best literary memoir.

Customer Reviews:

unknown Confessions.......2007-08-30

the only prior experience i brought to this reading of a graphic novel was 'jimmy corrigan: the smartest boy in the world,' which is why amazon recommended it to me. ultimately, i think that the genre is all that connects them. this book is much more intimate, personal, passionate, and chilling. all things 'smartest' wanted to be but only got 4/5's of the way there.

i myself am an epileptic and there are fewer diseases that this book relates to than just ones that are 'out of control.' the effects of epilepsy are far more psychological than physical. where a cancer victim is at the mercy of the disease and body, the epileptic, like many schizophrenics is affronted by dark and sinister shadows, lurking demons. however, it's one thing for an epileptic to be able to voice this. i find it amazing that David B., the brother and author, found so many ways of accurately depicting the demons' influence and sympathetically already fighting in his own way to overcome them with the tools of a child. both graphically and through the course of the story you learn of the ways the family and David B. adapt to confront the shadow, though the epilepsy ultimately remains intractable.

another thing about this book that opened my eyes, is that for the epileptic, the story is told in first, second, and third person. for the family member, where it may always seems superficially to be a disease to which the family remains a third party, one may realize the struggles endured that were ignored. if i were to ask my mother how it felt for her to go through many of the struggles faced in this book, she might not think much of them. but upon reading and seeing the struggles afresh, she might realize that she had much more at stake than anyone, even herself, gave her credit.

this book is so moving and deep because of David B.s ability to so comprehensively annotate each of five family members struggle. the autobiographical aspect takes a backseat to the chronicling of a dark disease that is never cured, much like alcoholism, but only ever treated and hoped against. the ending is particularly potent on this point: it is a tenuous grasp that is held to consciousness, and a varying relationship any of us have to reality, but when we hold together we arent scattered below. .mfg

Poignant Reflections On A Damaged Childhood.......2007-04-01

Deep inside, every creator wants to complete a single, definitive piece of work which encompasses all of his or her greatest skills - something by which he or she will be remembered. If they're lucky, they will manage this task and have the completed effort lauded and shown much support and respect. For L'Association's David B., Epileptic is doubtless the artist's coup de grace. The concept of the book stuck in Monsieur B.'s head for twenty years prior to its publication, and this incubatory period is quite evident in the reading.

Epileptic is unapologetically autobiographical. Young David B. (née Pierre-Francois) grew up in France with a younger sister and an elder brother, the latter of whom was diagnosed with epilepsy from about the age of seven. During this time, very little was known about the disease outside of medical circles, so David's brother Jean-Christophe was doubly-cursed; He would fall down in the streets of Orleans (or Bourges, or Paris), and would face harassment from passers-by to police officers, who thought the child was simply "fou" (crazy) or on drugs. Eventually, he was abandoned by his friends and certain non-immediate family members.

His immediate family, of course, held on to whatever hope was offered. Going beyond the traditional medical field of the time, Jean-Christophe's parents involved the children in a multitude of holistic healing approaches: Macrobiotics, acupuncture, massage... practically anything being offered in 1960s France held a glimmer of hope for the suffering child and his family. "It was the only thing we had left," says Mrs. B. "We soon realized that we had far fewer means than many to care for Jean-Christophe... I was blindly groping for an answer."

However, Epileptic isn't merely 350+ pages of self-indulgent pity. It is the story of one child's management of the illness of a close friend - his brother. The book details the life of an entire family, inextricably infected by the illness of the eldest child. On display are the bouts of depression induced by helplessness, humiliation, and disappointment. Also shown are the small glories of life, the insights provided through introversion, and the rebirth of one boy's self-image time and time again. Though the book covers the artist's life from the year 1964 through 1994 (with the primary focus on his earliest years), the narrative flows in such a seamless manner that the passage of time does not become obvious until Jean-Christophe moves away from the family, his frequent seizures and psychotic impulses becoming too much for the family to handle, toward the book's conclusion.

That said, it should be noted that - from time to time - the natural flow of the book is impeded by verbose descriptions of the various holistic treatments and theories surrounding the attempted cures of Jean-Christophe. Sometimes, such a descriptive passage will extend for several pages, only to have the actual "treatment" itself abandoned shortly thereafter. Was this a deliberate attempt by the author to frustrate the reader in order to trigger some inate ability to empathize with his own despondency? Perhaps, though the author is too subtle to admit it.

As a whole, though, Monsieur B. allows symbolism to speak those things for which there are no words. The lingering sense of loss after the passing of his grandfather, for instance, is symbolized by the spectral appearance of a "goony bird" in the mind's eye of the author's childhood. The struggle of his family facing the ostracization of "polite" society is represented in the child's multitude of battle drawings, from the Algerian War back through the days of the Samurai. Jean-Christophe's epilepsy is seen on some pages as a mountain to be scaled, and as a wicked demon on others. The symbols can be as fluid as the impressionable mind from which they stemmed.

Though not without its flaws, Epileptic is a shining point within the autobiographical graphic novel genre. This is one to be read over a period of several sittings because, just as the concept lay within the author's head for quite some time before it was made manifest, the material requires time to ferment within the readers' minds as well.

Great, but too long.......2007-02-26

This is a great book, interesting, personal and I loved the artwork. My only problem is the book dragged on a little long without adding a lot and that's why it gets 4 stars instead of 5.

Thought-provoking and artistic, but not typical for most families dealing with epilepsy.......2007-01-25

I have a daughter that has a seizure disorder, so I was interested in reading this memoir. Upon receiving it and reading it, however, I am somewhat disappointed.
The book's strong points include the artwork and the raw honesty of the narrative. The art is designed to provoke your emotions, and it succeeds. I was saddened by some of the pictures, offended by others. The chaotic nature of the pictures help to portray the chaos that ensues with any chronic illness, epilepsy included.
My disappointment was in the narrative itself. I was not so much interested in knowing all the details of the author's family tree. These I feel detract from the main point: how this family deals with epilepsy.
I don't think this is a good glimpse of how a family generally deals with epilepsy, but one unique to this family. Thought-provoking, yes. This book is tragic, and left me feeling very sorry for this family and all they've been through. It makes me angry at all those who prey on people in desperate situations. Having dealt with this disease first-hand, I know how much one longs for that drug, treatment, diet, etc. that will be the miracle that takes away his loved one's suffering.
I am not keeping this book, primarily because many of the pictures and language are offensive and inappropriate for children and teens.

If you want to understand epilepsy in a personal way.......2006-11-04

This is a great introduction to how a family copes with epilepsy. It is not easy to get through, sometimes rambling and confused, but ultimately touching and genuine. The artwork is dense, penetrating, and evocative.

What To Do About Your Brain-injured Child: Or Your Brain-damaged, Mentally Retarded, Mentally Deficient, Cerebral-Palsied, Epileptic, Autistic, Athetoid, Hyperactive, Attention Deficit Disorder

Average customer rating:

Frustrating!
Use your own critical faculties!
How Could You NOT Do This For Your Brain-Injured Child?
very helpful
NOT a "how to" book

What To Do About Your Brain-injured Child: Or Your Brain-damaged, Mentally Retarded, Mentally Deficient, Cerebral-Palsied, Epileptic, Autistic, Athetoid, Hyperactive, Attention Deficit Disorder
Glenn Doman
Manufacturer: Square One Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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philosophy hope in a jar daily moisturizer

ASIN: 0757001866

Customer Reviews:

Frustrating!.......2007-06-09

This book leads you to believe that you will get instructions on "What to do with your brain injured child." I found it was more like one man's personal story of the development of a therapy program and the his institute. Details of his analysis and people in his life get tiresome and I found myself often thinking. "Okay fine. I agree with the principle but what DO I DO?" There are some sketchy instructions, but I found myself at a loss for how to carry them out since my daughter doesn't understand spoken language. When you are desperate for instructions and frankly don't want to read a story, this book is frustrating!

Use your own critical faculties! .......2006-09-09

My son has Down's Syndrome. My friend suggested I look into Doman's program as several people she knew with typical children were big fans. So I bought this book which offers no real practical advice at all but documents the history of Glenn Doman's research and treatment program. Doman claimed to have developed these treatments with his team in the 50's and 60's at which time other treatments for brain damaged children were completely unsuccessful or worsened the child's situation. Reading the book I thought it seemed authentic and the things he was suggesting didn't seem very different from the early intervention strategies that my son was already benefiting from in the state funded program. I thought perhaps Doman was an early pioneer of this now readily accepted treatment.
I asked my son's physio-therapist - provided by this state funded program - who has a PHD and did her research on children with Down's Syndrome (I know that she knows what she is talking about - I have seen it with my own eyes) - if she had heard of Doman, expecting that he would be a major name in the field. She turned quite white and told me that this program is dangerous. She said that she had seen children with dislocated joints from the treatments and that the program was so instrusive it would ruin our family life and my marriage.
What I think is most instructive is that when I saw one of the 'fans' that my friend knows - and I told her what the physiotherpist had said - she still offered to give me literature to join the program! - she was like some cult member. I am so happy with the state funded program - I don't understand why anyone who wasn't brain damaged/washed themselves would get involved with these people? Please use your critical faculties and check out any program fully before treating your child .

How Could You NOT Do This For Your Brain-Injured Child?.......2006-05-07

This fantastic book taught me more in 2 days than I've learned elsewhere in 2 years. Finally actual help is out there, not just negativity. This is what I expected to learn from my developmental pediatrician, but didn't. It's wonderful to know there are people in this world who give so selflessly for our children. I loved this one so much I ordered "How to Teach Your Baby to be Physically Superb" & "How to Teach Your Baby to Read" I can't wait to see some real improvement in my daughter!!

very helpful.......2006-05-03

I have a Down's child. I found this book to be very helpful. There was a bit of weeding of the history of the Institute to be done. But, by following the information I was able to create a program to fit our lifestyle. (It helped to read the other books by the author on Reading, Math, Physical Activity and Knowledge.) I read the author's other books first, and I felt that this book was the missing link I needed to create a program for my child.
If you are looking for a Step A, Step B... it is not quite that clear. This is a guideline...not child specific. But, frankly if it was specific I would be very skeptical. How could one program be good for the wide variety of "brain injured" children that exist?
If you want to help your child, it will take effort on your part. And, it can be time consuming, depending on how far/fast you want your child to advance. But, after only a couple of months mild/moderate effort, I have seen significant progress...and my son amazes his therapists.

NOT a "how to" book.......2004-09-10

A better title for this book might be "How a wonderful, caring physical therapist labored on behalf of brain-injured children". It is an interesting story about the admirable life of Glenn Doman. It is NOT a book about what to DO with your brain-injured child. There was literally no specific information about therapy techniques or teaching protocols. It was not a wasted purchase because it is a beautiful story, but it does not fulfill the promise of the title.

Forced Normalization and Alternative Psychoses of Epilepsy

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Forced Normalization and Alternative Psychoses of Epilepsy
Trimble
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Mental Health | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1871816378

Average customer rating:

Brilliant prose from a trickster of a narrator
Well done, but not quite enough feeling
Another triumph for Slater.
nacreous
Not "creative genius" just weird

Lying: A Metaphorical Memoir
Lauren Slater
Manufacturer: Penguin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 014200006X
Release Date: 2001-10-02

Amazon.com

One has good reason to be suspicious of a book that calls itself a "metaphorical memoir." If a metaphor substitutes one thing for another to which it's not ordinarily related, and a memoir relates the personal experiences of the author, then a metaphorical memoir would be... well, lying, if we're going to get technical about it. Or it could be Lying, in which case, hold that judgment and lay all categories aside: here is a book so stunningly contrary it deserves a whole genre to itself.

Lauren Slater may have grown up with epilepsy. Or she may have Munchausen syndrome, "also called factitious illness," also called lying. Or, quite possibly, she has never had any of the above, and all her exquisite evocations of auras and grand mal seizures are merely well-researched symbolic descriptions of her psychic state. In a chapter that's disguised as an extended letter to her editor (and impishly titled "How to Market This Book") she defends her decision to call the work nonfiction:

Why is what we feel less true than what is? Supposing I simply feel like an epileptic, a spastic person, one with a shivering brain; supposing I have chosen epilepsy because it is the most accurate conduit to convey my psyche to you? Would this not still be a memoir, my memoir?

Slater is peering down a slippery slope here, and for all its manifest brilliance, the pyrotechnics of its prose, reading Lying can be an unnerving experience--sort of like hanging out with a compulsive liar, actually. (It's no help to find out that "after all, a lot, or at least some, or at least a few, of the literal facts are accurate.")

But if Slater is playing with our heads, she's not doing so for fashionable postmodern reasons. Lying's bag of tricks emerges from some complex and deeply felt ideas about form, reality, and consciousness itself--and what's more, it's an extraordinary memoir, "true" or not. A field full of nuns, their windblown habits tipping them over into the snow; an electric brain stimulator that makes a patient see colors and taste her own words; Slater rolling in mounds of Barbadian sugar and then running back to her mother, coated like candy--who cares whether any of these actually happened? In the end, Lying is fundamentally true, just as a great novel or indeed any great work of art is true: in a way that has nothing to do with fact. --Mary Park

Book Description

"[Slater has] the playful mind of a philosopher and the exquisite, unique voice of a poet." (The Washington Post Book World)

In this powerful and provocative new memoir, award-winning author Lauren Slater forces readers to redraw the boundary between what we know as fact and what we believe through the creation of our own personal fictions. Mixing memoir with mendacity, Slater examines memories of her youth, when after being diagnosed with a strange illness she developed seizures and neurological disturbances-and the compulsion to lie. Openly questioning the reliability of memoir itself, Slater presents the mesmerizing story of a young woman who discovers not only what plagues her but also what cures her-the birth of her sensuality, her creativity as an artist, and storytelling as an act of healing.

Customer Reviews:

Brilliant prose from a trickster of a narrator.......2005-12-25

Slater insists that her book be characterized as a non-fiction memoir, despite that fact that she freely admits that her account of her epilepsy is factual, symbolic, real, and fantastical all at once. Slater herself isn't always sure which of her memories are true and which are vivid but invented. If the reader can let themselves free in this alternate reality, Slater's memoir makes for fascinating, touching, and chilling reading. She truly brings the reader inside her own confusions about how much of her disease is real and how much fabricated. The short length of the book allows Slater's literary trickery to work well.

As an adult, Slater confesses to her adolescent neurologist that she frequently exaggerated her seizures and symptoms right before her corpus callostomy surgery. He dismisses her guilt, saying it was well-known that she was an exaggerator. "Okay, you lied. But really, Lauren, I don't want you to feel guilty. In a sense you lied, but in another sense you didn't, because trickery is so hinged on your personality style, and, therefore, you were only being true to yourself."

Also as an adult, Slater finds salvation in AA, despite the fact that she's hardly a drinker. She enjoys the comraderie and the structure of the 12 steps. The climax of Slater's coming to terms with her disease is a stunning confessional at an AA meeting, spoken entirely metaphorically, which has a huge impact on her group and the reader.

Well done, but not quite enough feeling.......2005-10-09

Lauren Slater's tribute to postmodernism in her "metaphorical memoir" is an interesting exploration of the role of fact in what is true. Where we may tend to regard the objective facts of a situation to be the truth of it, Ms. Slater takes a much more subjective view. She asserts her point, explicitly and in a masterful way woven seemlessly throughout the text, that there may be a more truthful way to relate a situation, a character, an anecdote, than to simply relate the facts.

So she leads us to wonder even about the most central elements of the story. Does she really have epilepsy? Has she ever really had a seizure? Does the doctor she cites throughout her story really exist, or is he a metaphor also?

While fascinating questions I found their deliberate effect a bit too successful: I couldn't trust the narrator. Unfortunately for me, that meant also that I was ultimately unable to feel close to the narrator and really understand her motivations -- perhaps, in my eyes at least, the most important role of a memoir.

It's a bit of a quandry that I'm left in. She's succeeded fully in doing what she set out to do. She's presented herself as something of a chronic lier; a trickster at the very least. But since I know this about her so soon, and I'm so frequently reminded, I have difficultly staving off the need to push her away. So as a memoir, instead of a piece of literary theory, I found Slater's book a bit distant.

Another triumph for Slater........2005-10-07

Lauren Slater, Lying (Random House, 2000)

I picked up Lauren Slater's first book, Welcome to My Country, on a whim in 1997, and instantly fell in love with Slater's impeccable prose. That she related case studies without descending into the smarmy self-help realm of, say, Oliver Sacks helped immensely. Welcome to My Country was on my best-I-read list that year.

Fast forward to 2005, and I start wondering what Slater's been up to since releasing it. I check her out at Amazon, and am thrilled to find she's released two books since. Lying is the first of them I picked up, and it's great to see she's still at the top of her game.

Billed as "a metaphorical memoir," we are given an autobiography of Lauren Slater, an epileptic who's had a rather extreme surgical procedure performed to counter her epilepsy. It controls the physical aspects-- the seizures-- but hasn't controlled any of the mental. This, of course, is the stuff popular memoirs are made of; the dysfunctional childhood sells.

What Slater brings to the table that sets her apart from the others is that, while there is always the understanding that the memoir is colored by the perceptions of its author, Slater recognizes this as much as any reader, and has decided to play with it-- to the point where the reader (and the person who wrote the cover copy, as well) realize that by the time we reach the first of Slater's revelations that she's written a fantasy as an actual event, we can no longer even be sure she has epilepsy. This opens up whole worlds of discussion in the larger genre of memoir, and that in itself makes Lying a singularly important work in its field; if taken as a greater meditation on memoir, the reader should come away with this book with a new way of looking at the form.

All that aside, though, the best reason to read Lauren Slater's books is simply that she's a fine, fine writer. Lying also has a very, very good chance of landing on this year's best-I-read list, despite the quality of my reading having skyrocketed in recent years. **** ½

nacreous.......2004-11-03

Lying is both intellectually exciting and in some ways, psychologically helpful. It promotes the view of the influence of behavior and talk on mental illness, i.e., in this book, epilepsy. Lauren Slater is actually remarkably close-mouthed in many instances (through her reliance on emotionally based rather than realistic, connect the dots, event by event narration) for a person able to write countless memoirs, concerning her own mental illness, and she could have epilepsy--but I don't think so, just the fact that this is "A Metaphorical Memoir" and she talks about what her metaphor of epilepsy actually means very strongly indicates the fact, that she is talking about her mental illness. Her metaphorical lying about epilepsy also extends to the both escapist and hurtful tendencies of borderline personality disorder which go along with her depression. To be able to look at such feelings as influenced by behavior is freeing in a sense because with a change of behavior and biochemistry a new person can be shaped. A little lying is still nice anyway in a person who is able to be psychologically dependent or interdependent, as it creates an effervescent, "nacreous" (this appears to be one of Slater's favorite words) fiction such as this.

Personally, I think that this book is less scary than Prozac Diary, and more helpful to me as a person, simply seeking ways to deal with life. Of course, scaring and disgusting and making a person afraid of even herself can have its uses and is not a hallmark of bad literature---but it was more alienating than instructive.

Also, I am proud of Lauren Slater for going from tell-all-literature to a more novelistic postmodern style, despite the fact that this is still a memoir. I hope that she writes more books: hopefully, ones that are not autobiographical. I would prefer novels, but if she wants to write psychological tomes that's cool too. This is the kind of book that I could definitely see a college professor assigning in class and I rather would like that idea if I were the author.

The people who say this book is unreadable are probably those readers who liked her through her other book, Prozac Diary, which is in a fairly different style. Certain people like certain styles. I prefer this style. It's classier.

I wonder who Christopher Marin is? It's cool that he wrote a review.

Not "creative genius" just weird.......2004-09-27

I must admit that I was somewhat dissapointed in "Lying". The book has a great deal of promise as a tale of dealing with the rigors of epilepsy and various familial dysfunctions but it really doesn't follow through. I will give Slater credit for some marvelously imaginative prose but I finished the book feeling disoriented and duped. After gaining the your interest regarding her coping with her illness and other factors, Slater punishes your emotional investment in her trials by revealing in the last few pages that some or all or none of the entire book is true. Maybe she has epilepsy or maybe its just personality disorder or maybe its neither or maybe she is just a liar or maybe we all are or maybe we are all trying to justfy our existences with "seizures" at reality or maybe . . . etc. While I think all of this was designed to encourage the reader to see life as one big metaphor, it left me with the attitude of simply "yeah, whatever" and I simply ceased caring at all what happened to her. "Lying" is a distracting book that is worth borrowing from someone for its poetic strength but I would skip purchasing this one.

Epileptic Syndromes in Infancy, Childhood and Adolescence with Video

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Epileptic Syndromes in Infancy, Childhood and Adolescence with Video

Manufacturer: John Libbey Eurotext Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Product Description

The fourth edition of Epileptic syndromes in Infancy, Childhood and Adolescence is based on the syndromic approach to epilepsies that is the trademark of the Marseille School of European epileptology, including new perspectives. It also includes video sequences of the various syndromes on a DVD. With contributions from leading opinions and authorities from various corners of the world, the 2005 Blue Guide aims at summarizing a new the state of the art of epileptology.

Psychiatric Issues in Epilepsy: A Practical Guide to Diagnosis and Treatment

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Psychiatric Issues in Epilepsy: A Practical Guide to Diagnosis and Treatment
Alan B Ettinger , and Andres M Kanner
Manufacturer: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 078178591X

Book Description

This volume is a pragmatic, comprehensive guide to evaluation and management of psychiatric problems in patients with epilepsy. The authors critically analyze recent findings on the relationship between seizures and psychiatric disorders and offer practical recommendations for diagnosis and treatment. Numerous case studies are included. This thoroughly updated edition includes new material on animal models of psychopathology in epilepsy, use of psychotropic drugs in epilepsy, use of antiepileptic drugs in psychiatry, neuroanatomic and neurobiologic bases of psychiatric disorders, neuropsychological evaluation in children with epilepsy, neuropsychological testing in epilepsy surgery candidates, and value and limitations of the forced normalization concept.

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A thriller set in contemporary NY with a dash of Sci-Fi
somebody PLEASE make this into a movie
Great read!
Fantastic!
Superb!

Improbable: A Novel
Adam Fawer
Manufacturer: HarperTorch
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 006073678X
Release Date: 2006-01-31

Book Description

From a brilliant new talent comes a riveting novel of chance, fate, and numbers, and one man's strange journey past the boundaries of the possible.

David Caine inhabits a world of obsession, rich rewards, and rapid, destructive downfalls. A compulsive gambler and brilliant mathematician prone to crippling epileptic seizures, he possesses the uncanny ability to calculate odds of any hand in the blink of an eye. But one night at an underground poker club, Caine makes a costly mi scalculation, sending his life spinning out of control. Desperate, he agrees to test an experimental drug with unnerving side effects: inexplicable visions of the past, present, and future. Unsure whether he's perceiving an alternate reality or suffering a psychotic breakdown, Caine embarks on a journey that stretches beyond the possible into the world of the improbable. Gradually, he discovers the extent of his astonishing new ability -- but powerful, shadowy forces know Caine's secret. Now Caine must fight for his survival -- and his sanity . . .

Customer Reviews:

A thriller set in contemporary NY with a dash of Sci-Fi.......2007-05-18

David Caine is a compulsive gambler with an almost savant ability at probability maths and very bad epilepsy. Unfortunately, he misjudges his odds in a game one day and finds himself owing the Russian mafia more money than is good for anyone. In desperation he agrees to try an experimental drug to help his epilepsy, and get paid - but it's a drug with some very strange side effects for him that will make him a valuable asset for anyone who can capture him.

I enjoyed this novel. My reading preferences run towards Sci-Fi/Fantasy with a dash of thriller and this novel combined them all well. The book's only real issue was a tendency at times to indulge in lectures to fill in background theory. These tended to break the pace of the story up, but they did give it a bit more depth than it would otherwise have had. I do wonder if there will be a sequel however, but if there was, I would be inclined to buy it. An author to watch.

somebody PLEASE make this into a movie.......2007-05-12

this is one of the best books i have read this year! the characters are beautifully drawn, the dialogue spot on and the plot is fast paced. don't start this at night, or you'll be rubbing your eyes in the morning and complaining about your lost sleep. the thing about improbable is the unique way the author uses quantam physics. a good companion to this book is extraordinary knowing by dr.elizabeth mayer----not a novel, but a fact based discussion of non-local awareness..

Great read!.......2007-03-06

Fast-paced and thrilling, this novel is indeed a page turner. Self-turned writer Fawer did a surprisingly great job on his debut.

It's a thriller garnished with sci-fi elements such as bio-experiment, psychic ability and quantum theory. There are vivid portraits of characters and dynamic action scenes.

Fantastic!.......2007-01-19

This book had been sitting on my shelf for months and after having it read it, I wish I had read it earlier. Fantastic story, believeable science combined with history, philosophy, religion... it actually made me stop for a second and think, "This might be possible...!" I don't want to give away any of the great plot, so you'll just have to read it for yourself.

Superb!.......2007-01-09

Out of all the books I've read Imprabable has been one of the most entertaining. I would love to see it made into a movie!

The Brainstorms Healer: Epilepsy in Our Experience (Brainstorms Series, 4)

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The Brainstorms Healer: Epilepsy in Our Experience (Brainstorms Series, 4)

Manufacturer: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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philosophy hope in a jar daily moisturizer

ASIN: 0781716888

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a wonderful exploration of faith and forgiveness
A small gem of a book
A story of faith
Thoughtful and moving
Mental illness in religion and art

Lying Awake
Mark Salzman
Manufacturer: Alfred A. Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0375406328
Release Date: 2000-09-19

Amazon.com

In his third novel, Lying Awake, Mark Salzman breaks the primary rule of fiction by creating a protagonist who has virtually no external life. Sister John of the Cross, a middle-aged nun cloistered in a Carmelite monastery in contemporary Los Angeles, languished for years in a spiritual drought--"her prayers empty and her soul dry"--until she suddenly received God's grace in the form of intense mystical visions. So vivid have her visions become that they burn a kind of afterglow into her mind that she transcribes into crystalline (and highly popular) verse. The only downside is that they are accompanied by excruciating headaches that cause her to black out.

The story hinges on Sister John's discovery that her visions are in fact the result of mild epileptic seizures. As she learns from her neurologist, temporal-lobe epilepsy commonly brings about "hypergraphia (voluminous writing), an intensification but also a narrowing of emotional response, and an obsessive interest in religion and philosophy." Dostoyevsky, the classic victim of this condition, wrote of his raptures: "There are moments, and it is only a matter of five or six seconds, when you feel the presence of eternal harmony.... If this state were to last more than five seconds, the soul could not endure it and would have to disappear." An exact description of Sister John's visions. The question she now faces is whether to go ahead with surgery--and risk obliterating both her spiritual life and her art--or cling to a state of grace that may actually be a delusion ignited by an electrochemical imbalance.

Using a very limited palette, Mark Salzman creates an austere masterpiece. The real miracle of Lying Awake is that it works perfectly on every level: on the realistic surface, it captures the petty squabbles and tiny bursts of radiance of life in a Los Angeles monastery; deeper down it probes the nature of spiritual illumination and the meaning and purpose of prayer in everyday life; and, at bottom, there lurks a profound meditation on the mystery of artistic inspiration. Salzman made a highly auspicious debut in 1986 with Iron and Silk, a memoir of his years in China, and since then he has dramatically changed key in every book--most recently from the absurdist American suburban chronicle of Lost in Place to the artistic-crisis-cum-courtroom-drama novel The Soloist. Lying Awake is quieter and more sober than Salzman's previous narratives, but it is also more accomplished, more thought-provoking, and more highly crafted. --David Laskin

Book Description

In a Carmelite monastery outside present-day Los Angeles, life goes on in a manner virtually un-changed for centuries. Sister John of the Cross has spent years there in the service of God. And there, she alone experiences visions of such dazzling power and insight that she is looked upon as a spiritual master.

But Sister John's visions are accompanied by powerful headaches, and when a doctor reveals that they may be dangerous, she faces a devastating choice. For if her spiritual gifts are symptoms of illness rather than grace, will a "cure" mean the end of her visions and a soul once again dry and searching?

This is the dilemma at the heart of Mark Salzman's spare, astonishing new novel. With extraordinary dexterity, the author of the best-selling Iron & Silk and The Soloist brings to life the mysterious world of the cloister, giving us a brilliantly realized portrait of women today drawn to the rigors of an ancient religious life, and of one woman's trial at the perilous intersection of faith and reason.

Lying Awake is a novel of remarkable empathy and imagination, and Mark Salzman's most provocative work to date.

Download Description

In a Carmelite monastery outside present-day Los Angeles, life goes on in a manner virtually unchanged for centuries. Sister John of the Cross has spent years there in the service of God. And there, she alone experiences visions of such dazzling power and insight that she is looked upon as a spiritual master.

But Sister John's visions are accompanied by powerful headaches, and when a doctor reveals that they may be dangerous, she faces a devastating choice. For if her spiritual gifts are symptoms of illness rather than grace, will a "cure" mean the end of her visions, and a soul once again dry and searching?

This is the dilemma at the heart of Mark Salzman's spare, astonishing new novel. With extraordinary dexterity, the author of the best-selling Iron & Silk and The Soloist brings to life the mysterious world of the cloister, giving us a brilliantly realized portrait of women today drawn to the rigors of an ancient religious life, and of one woman's trial at the perilous intersection of faith and reason.

Lying Awake is a novel of remarkable empathy and imagination, and Mark Salzman's most provocative work to date.

Customer Reviews:

a wonderful exploration of faith and forgiveness.......2007-10-03

I'm a huge Salzman fan and it's hard to pick a favorite. But if the subject matter seems abstruse, be reassured that this gem packs a lot of interest and yes, entertainment between the covers. Spoiler alert, plot give-away to follow. Readers are asked to consider if the spiritual visions of a nun are diminished because they are caused by a small tumor that gives her epileptic fits. As we follow Sister John's crisis of faith, Salzman's big-hearted depiction of spirituality inspires us think twice about what we "know."

Weaving in and out of the narrative are vignettes in Sister John's life that we can all identify with. "The real penance in cloistered life, most Sisters agreed, was not isolation; it was the impossibility of getting away from people one would not normally have chosen as friends."

While the author surely didn't don a habit for his research, this fresh-eyed look at life in a cloister and the very human struggles of its inhabitants feels authentic. Highly recommended.

A small gem of a book.......2007-05-17

In Lying Awake Mark Salzman has written a gem of a book about a nun in a monastery just outside of modern day Los Angeles who has been seeing visions and interpreting those visions in inspirational poetry that--in many ways--is a vital cog in keeping the monastery up and running. This "blessing" that Sister John of the Cross has experienced begins to become ever more frequent and intense to the point where fear for her health rises among her fellow sisters. When she is examined and found to have an epileptic disease that requires surgery she is faced with the choice of giving up her cherished "visions"--and her health--or being treated and gong back to "normal". Placed within the context of the introspective life of a monastery--and juxtaposed skillfully in a series of vignettes that reveal and debate various aspects of the "visionary" lives and works of earlier Christian notables--concepts such as "normal" take on new and heightened meaning.

Salzman is a skilled and masterful writer. The book was both challenging and engrossing. The intertwining of past and present is skillfully rendered. The book is way short on plot but the characters are--for the most part--beautifully rendered. If I have any complaint it would be that the book could have benefited from a bit more biographical information on the various characters--several key cast members get short shrift on that score--yet it is a minor complaint. At a 170 odd pages--with many word free pages of woodcuts and whatnot between the many chapters, this is a short yet intense and moving read. A true gem of a book.

A story of faith.......2006-11-04

When Sister John of the Cross realizes her spiritual visions -- which have come after years of doubting her vocation -- are a result of epilepsy, she must decide whether to treat the condition and possibly lose her close relationship with God, or refuse treatment and risk her life.

In this spare novel, Salzman digs deep into questions of faith, humanity, sisterhood, and religious sacrifice. With not an extra word he addresses Sister John's dilemma. The reader doesn't know until the very end what Sister John will decide, and what the results will be.

A wonderful look at the true meaning of faith.

Thoughtful and moving.......2006-10-31

This is one beautifully written book and it is thought-provoking. It still lingers in your mind after the last page has been turned and you find yourself questioning the plot of this book as well as remembering the lyricalness of Salzman's words. It is a simple volume that packs a punch with its thoughtfulness, and simple statements. It offers up questions of faith and what it means to live in a cloistered world. Instead of it sounding stifling, it sounds liberating and sometimes, peaceful as well as tiring and hard. This book focuses on Sister John and her journey of faith.

Sister John was a young woman when she joined the convent and throughout her journey, she tries to find the meaning of faith, servitude to God and what it means to live among very strict rules. Then all of a sudden, she starts experiencing a new spiritual connection to God and finds that she needs to write all the time. Her poetry sells and brings a modest sum of cash to the convent to meet their needs. More importantly to her, she finally feels closer to God and feels the peace invading her bones. Sister John is deliriously joyous to have found the meaning of her life.

Or has she?

Cruelly and suddenly, she discovers her blinding headaches were the cause of a tiny tumor and now she questions her faith and purpose for her life. Then she experiences a deep shadow of doubts and feeling the absence of God in what she terms the deepest shadow of her soul. She fears the loss of her creativity but she also fears being a burden on her sisters. This is the dilemma she faces.

It is a very thoughtful book, which packs a lot to think about in such few pages. I have no idea how I manage to have this in my collection ~~ but I am glad to have it. It's a keeper especially since it is written beautifully and it does ask tough questions of faith that we all need to ask every once in awhile.

10/30/06

Mental illness in religion and art.......2006-05-26

This is the story of a middle-aged nun with temporal lobe epilepsy, a condition which creates ecstatic seizures and hypergraphia (prolific writing) in the sufferer. The nun has to decide whether to let the malady progress (she is disrupting the life of her monastery) or to have an operation which may halt her successful writing career and stop her ecstatic seizures, which she interprets as being direct communication with God.

Sympathetic to the religious impulse as refuge from pain and abandonment, Lying Awake explores the nitty-gritty of contemplative aspirations without romance, sensuality or metaphysical mumbo-jumbo. Well-written and compelling, it touches on many interesting topics such as religion as refuge, the face and purpose of faith, spiritual maturity, and the role of mental illness in religion and art. The book is completely unbiased, which is pleasant. A very empathetic and seemingly objective view of convent life.

Average customer rating:

Worth the quick read
A pamphlet length introduction to epilepsy
Encouraging, Informative
Outstanding Information
Gripping, informative, practical

The Challenge of Epilepsy
Sally Fletcher
Manufacturer: Aura Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0961551364

Book Description

The updated and revised third edition of The Challenge of Epilepsy is informative, inspiring and easy to understand.

If you or someone you know has epilepsy, this book offers help through alternative and complementary solutions for controlling seizures. Some of the methods described in The Challenge of Epilepsy are: EEG biofeedback, nutrition, self esteem, sress management, music, and affirmations.

Customer Reviews:

Worth the quick read.......2007-03-09

Excellent chapters on music and self esteem. Quality, quantity of references leaves some credibility to be desired.

A pamphlet length introduction to epilepsy.......2005-11-25

I recommend this book as a place to get started in learning about epilepsy. Although it is not very scientific, there are no outlandish claims. It presents a realistic picture of epilepsy and a reasonable approach to dealing with it.

On page 9 the author states that she believes that a combination of methods (neuro-feedback, positive thinking, increasing self esteem, yoga, correct nutrition, stress management, spirituality, music and regular exercise) helped her overcome her seizures.

The details are spelled out in chapters 2-9. Chapter 10 is a nice outline summary of her thoughts. It can serve nicely as a guide for people searching for ways to better deal with their epilepsy.

The comments about traditional medical treatment are honest and respectful. The chapter on medication and side effects is unfortunately quite out of date considering that the book is copyright 2004. In fact, none of the newer and very popular medications (felbamate, gabapentin, lamotrigine, oxcarbazepine, tiagabine, topiramate and zonisamide) are even mentioned. In spite of that glaring omission, I recommend it as a great place to start.

Encouraging, Informative.......2005-01-11

This is a must read for anyone who has epilepsy or dealing with someone who has epilepsy. There are many facts and suggestions that are common sense and is very informative and encouraging!

Outstanding Information.......2004-09-27

I highly recommend The Challenge of Epilepsy by Sally Fletcher to anyone who is dealing with epilepsy or has a loved one with epilepsy. Lots of very good information! Many varied and outstanding suggestions!!
Max Beavers

Gripping, informative, practical.......2004-09-23

Fletcher's book offers a human glimpse of epilepsy through her personal experiences and her triumph over it.
Whether you're a medical practitioner or an an ordinary citizen, this book offers pertinent, up-to-date information about treatment.
If you, a family member of friend suffers from epilepsy, this is a must read.

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