Book Description
MEMOIR
It all began one typical day in the life of Joe Heller. He was jogging four miles at a clip these days, working on his novel God Knows, coping with the complications of an unpleasant divorce, and pigging out once or twice a week on Chinese food with cronies like Mel Brooks, Mario Puzo, and his buddy of more than twenty years, Speed Vogel. He was feeling perfectly fine that day -- but within twenty-four hours he would be in intensive care at Manhattan's Mount Sinai Hospital. He would remain hospitalized for nearly six months and leave in a wheelchair.
Joseph Heller had Guillain-Barré syndrome, a debilitating, sometimes fatal condition that can leave its victims paralyzed from head to toe. The clan gathered immediately. Speed -- sometime artist, sometime businessman, sometime herring taster, and now a coauthor -- moved into Joe's apartment as messenger, servant, and shaman. Mel Brooks, arch-hypochondriac of the Western world, knew as much about Heller's condition as the doctors. Mario Puzo, author of the preeminent gangster novel of our time, proved to be the most reluctant man ever to be dragged along on a hospital visit. These and lots of others rallied around the sickbed in a show of loyalty and friendship that not only built a wild and spirited camaraderie but helped bring Joe Heller, writer and buddy extraordinaire, through his greatest crisis.
This book is an inspiring, hilarious memoir of a calamitous illness and the rocky road to recuperation -- as only the author of Catch-22 and the friend who helped him back to health could tell it. No Laughing Matter is as wacky, terrifying, and great-hearted as any fiction Joseph Heller ever wrote.
Download Description
"MEMOIR It all began one typical day in the life of Joe Heller. He was jogging four miles at a clip these days, working on his novel God Knows, coping with the complications of an unpleasant divorce, and pigging out once or twice a week on Chinese food with cronies like Mel Brooks, Mario Puzo, and his buddy of more than twenty years, Speed Vogel. He was feeling perfectly fine that day -- but within twenty-four hours he would be in intensive care at Manhattan's Mount Sinai Hospital. He would remain hospitalized for nearly six months and leave in a wheelchair. Joseph Heller had Guillain-Barré syndrome, a debilitating, sometimes fatal condition that can leave its victims paralyzed from head to toe. The clan gathered immediately. Speed -- sometime artist, sometime businessman, sometime herring taster, and now a coauthor -- moved into Joe's apartment as messenger, servant, and shaman. Mel Brooks, arch-hypochondriac of the Western world, knew as much about Heller's condition as the doctors. Mario Puzo, author of the preeminent gangster novel of our time, proved to be the most reluctant man ever to be dragged along on a hospital visit. These and lots of others rallied around the sickbed in a show of loyalty and friendship that not only built a wild and spirited camaraderie but helped bring Joe Heller, writer and buddy extraordinaire, through his greatest crisis. This book is an inspiring, hilarious memoir of a calamitous illness and the rocky road to recuperation -- as only the author of Catch-22 and the friend who helped him back to health could tell it. No Laughing Matter is as wacky, terrifying, and great-hearted as any fiction Joseph Heller ever wrote. "
Customer Reviews:
No Laughing Matter.......2005-09-05
This book is good it jumps around a little to much between chapters from Joseph Heller who had GBS in the early 80's and Speed Vogel his friend that really helped take care of allot of the things Joe couldn't take care of. It gives both meets perspectives. There was allot of good information obtained from the book and there was also some humor even though this is a bad situation to be in... I did benefit from reading this book. I have a friend who has GBS and I wanted to better understand how he and some others have recovered from it....
A funny look at Guillain-Barre syndrome.......2004-09-27
Heller was one of my all-time favorite writers, and his books never disappointed me. This book, written with his good friend Speed Vogel, is a description of Heller's medical ordeal.
Heller had Guillain-Barre syndrome, which is like a temporary form of polio. The muscles in his body shut down leaving him paralyzed. Eventually, the muscles started to work again, but he had to go through a long, difficult rehab process. He had to learn to do everything he had done without thinking about it before he got sick. Vogel helped him through the process and they decided to write this book to describe the whole ordeal.
The book is full of funny stories of these two men, and their other friends. It was great to see that he kept his amazing sense of humor throughout his illness. If you've enjoyed any of his other books, you should get a big kick out of this one too.
Good as Gold.......2003-04-14
Not exactly a laughing matter, but certainly one presented with plenty of humor. Author Joseph Heller developed a nerve disease called Guillain-Barre after years of seeming good health, and later wrote a book (coauthored by his pal Speed Vogel) chronicling his declining health and his fight back to semi-normality.
It was a day like any other, just before getting a divorce and starting a new novel (which became "God Knows"). But Joseph Heller found that his food tasted funny, his body felt abnormally heavy, and he was having problems putting on and removing clothing. He checked into a hotel, and sure enough -- he had had a problem. What's more, he had a nerve disease called Guillain-Barre, which could cause permanent paralysis.
While his mind remained sharp and unusually witty, Heller's body became paralyzed. His pals Speed Vogel, Mario Puzo (of "Godfather" fame), Dustin Hoffman and Mel Brooks all clustered around to help their friend as he began to regain control of his life.
The account is funny and kooky, full of eccentric people like Puzo and Brooks. But there are deeper undercurrents in "No Laughing Matter," in which the friends help keep Heller from sinking into a frenzy of displeasure and cabin fever. There are no gooey monologues about the power of love and friendship -- it would probably have made the authors gag, even if it didn't make the readers. But the accounts of an admittedly difficult-to-deal-with famous author being helped out, despite his eccentricity, is very touching.
There is a lot of serious content, with Heller's decline in health and the details of his time in the hospital. (Constantly lying in a hospital bed, mostly paralyzed, unable to grip a pen and with a tube in his nose) But he manages to give a funny spin to almost everything in the book, including his encounters with Valerie Humphrey, a beautiful nurse who became his second wife, and media-shy Mario Puzo telling him how lucky he was to be sick and paralyzed, since he wouldn't be require do interviews. Half the book is Speed Vogel's voice; he offers an alternate, somewhat humbler viewpoint. He also gives more entertaining anecdotes such as Mel Brooks painting his "SNORE! SNORE! SNORE!" message on the wall, or the lobster dinner, or just arguing with Joe about the thirty-person dinner.
Funnier and more heartwarming than most "disease diaries," this gives us two different viewpoints: The patient, and the loyal pal. Definitely an intriguing and interesting read.
Warm, funny, scary and vivid all at the same time.......2001-11-01
NO LAUGHING MATTER is a very informative and entertaining piece of writing. Co-authored by Joseph Heller and Speed Vogel (who write alternating chapters) it details the effects of the rare debilitating affliction called Guillain-Barre syndrome. This autobiographical/biographical chronicle passes along a lot of information without once falling into obscure medical dullness.
Guillain-Barre is a disease that attacks the central nervous system, rendering the victim completely paralyzed. Although what Heller contracted was a mild form of the disorder, in an extreme case mentioned a patient was only able to move their eyes. Recovery is possible from this disease; if it's caught early enough, the patient can be hooked up to a respirator if need be and then slowly rehabilitated. NO LAUGHING MATTER is two stories. The first is that of Joseph Heller the patient who goes from being in (seemingly) perfect health to being utterly bedridden in a matter of days. The second part of the tale is told by Speed Vogel, a friend of Heller, who took care of virtually all of his financial, legal and personal obligations.
From reading some other reviews of the book, one might be under the impression that this is a light and fluffy feel-good story of friendship where one will be forced to read numerous passages on the deeper meanings of love and caring. People learning great life lessons by sacrificing much that they have purely in the name of camaraderie. Chicken soup for the soul and novocain for the brain. Fortunately, one couldn't be further from the truth. While the two authors obviously have a great fondness for each other, you won't find any obvious soliloquies on the healing power of friendship. What you will find are people who care a great deal, but aren't afraid to share a lot of good-natured abuse. While in sickness and on the road to recovery, this never feels false or sugarcoated. It's an honest account of what real friendships are made of.
Despite the title, much of the book is laugh out loud funny. Heller may have been bedridden but he didn't lose any of his trademark wit. Celebrity cameos of everyone from Dustin Hoffman to Mario Puzo to Mel Brooks help to liven up an already interesting narrative. Both authors have a warm and engaging style of writing that makes even the more incomprehensible medical jargon understandable. The jokes are great and serve also to counterpoint the feelings of desperation and of loneliness.
The book is extremely intriguing, though there are one or two sections that don't quite work. Heller was going through what appeared to be a fairly messy divorce and the legal proceedings got a little bit complicated. For a section, Heller even reproduces a few pages of the court transcripts in order to show his lawyer in the right. As justified as he may be in including these segments, they aren't nearly as interesting as the rest of the book and pale in comparison.
NO LAUGHING MATTER shows us illness from two viewpoints. From Vogel we see the outward appearance of the disease and its effect on Heller. From Heller we experience the sickness firsthand. It's a fascinating dual look at the nature of the affliction. Well worth a read.
No Laughing Matter.......2001-08-04
NO LAUGHING MATTER has some great moments. In places Joseph Heller demonstrated his ability to be funny and touching at the same time. The book was a great inspiration to me at a time when I needed the help it gave me. As the author of SOLOMON'S PORCH, a novel about a man with CIDP, the slow version of Guillain Barre', I was fascinated with this book about Joe Heller and his caretakers. Most of the material that I have read about GBS and CIDP focuses almost exclusively on the patient, but Mr. Heller wrote every other chapter of this book and had his friend, who became one of his caretakers, write the alternate chapters. At the time I read NO LAUGHING MATTER, I was beginning to formulate SOLOMON'S PORCH in my mind. NLM gave me some good ideas about structure.
Amazon.com
Ever since she wrote The Artist's Way Julia Cameron has championed the belief that creativity is a spiritual act and even a birthright. If readers ever feel that their creativity is blocked she has always suggested that they look inward for inspiration and guidance. She explains, "All of the tools that I teach are the tools of inner listening.... When people tune in that way, they not only hear their own personality; they also hear a higher octave of guidance."
In a sense, Cameron has always nudged her readers to forge a more conscious relationship with God. So it isn't any surprise that she would eventually tackle this topic head-on in God Is No Laughing Matter. This inspirational book is formatted as a series of essays, and each one ends with a suggested "Experiment" or "Exercise." This essay structure gives the book lightness and approachability, which is fitting, considering that her main premise is that we need to lighten up so that we can better approach God. When challenging the notion that "God is no laughing matter," she writes, "I'm not so sure about that. Look at octopuses, for example. And baboons with those hilarious bright red asses."
Sound superficial? Don't make me laugh. This is actually one of Cameron's most articulate, spirited, and ripened books yet. Although she underscores some of the spiritual advice that's already being said (slow down, simplify, be still), readers will find plenty of fresh and original essays in a book that really matters. --Gail Hudson
Book Description
In God Is No Laughing Matter, bestselling author Julia Cameron takes a witty, powerfully honest, and irreverent look at the culture of "spirituality" today and offers insight to enable readers to determine their personal spiritual path. The important thing to remember, she says, is that God is both more humorous and more humane than we've been taught.
With her trademark "sparkling prose" (Publishers Weekly), anecdotes, and helpful techniques, Cameron's thought-provoking essays paint the spiritual journey in a refreshingly clear light. Addressing the way in which spiritual "experts" have clouded the message, her book shows readers how to improve concentration and how to make conscious choices that heighten their individual autonomy as well as enrich their lives and their communities.
Customer Reviews:
The best!.......2006-11-19
I loved this book. I savored reading it over a month's time, treating myself to one or two chapters each time. I intend to read it again and actually do the exercises. I found her entertaining, heartfelt, encouraging, and true. Of course some of the descriptions of "types" of people were done as caricatures to make her point; which I believe is to define yourself and your own spirituality, do not let others do it for you.
Lessons from the Road.......2006-08-03
Julia Cameron's no nonsense style and shared wisdom on the connection between art and the divine. This is a real woman with her own share of life's ups and downs. Not some guru mystic in the popcorn style spirituality of certain areas of New Age. Forget Marianne Williamson and all the slick over-polished LA style gurus and their mantras. Turn inward and hear what down-to-earth folks like Cameron have to say. Rather this is Cameron's perspective on what the Divine is and is not. And what it is ... is hard work. She likens the method at which lost souls pick up and abandon deep spiritual paths in a matter of months ... as a form of shopping for God. A very refreshing take on how God is a serious force to be reckoned with... and that there are no short cuts to being in the consciousness of spirit. Easy to read but deep and provoking as usual, vintage Julia Cameron.
GOD DEVELOPS THROUGHOUT MS. CAMERON'S SPIRITUAL PATH.......2004-01-14
From this book to the follow-up PRAYERS FROM A NONBELIEVER: a story of faith, you can read through out the development of Ms. Cameron's faith/spiritual and influence on her work/writing journey. Every book she writes is a journey of the Path. You don't have to be a believer nor a doubter. Each both speaks from her heart to yours. Try reading these two and you will broaden your horizons.
This is the first book I ever threw in the trash.......2002-02-19
I don't know...but by the title I expected an uplifting, refreshing, original series of thoughts from a very popular artist/writer. What I got instead was a series of negative slaps at countless types of spiritual paths. I am someone who reads a book from cover to cover...well I guess I can abandon that statement now. I tried to read straight through this book but got so sick of each chapter being devoted to making you feel as though by doing nothing toward your spiritual goals you are doing just fine (which is a lovely thought if it ended there) however if you should (God forbid!) be a vegetarian, or do yoga then somehow you are a freak and a phony. She continually refers to these horrible "Spiritual People" as if they (whoever the heck they are) are Nazis. I tried skipping chapters but the theme stayed the same. I finally gave up.
I treasure all books and always think about who the appropriate person will be to receive the book when I am finished (if I'm not keeping it for my own library) so throwing it in the trash so no one else will read it is a big deal.
In fact I was so frustrated by this book I wrote my first review.
Hilarious and right-on!!.......2002-01-04
Finally, someone has put into words what I've always felt about God...and until now, felt secretely ashamed. Ms. Cameron reminds us that God can't be all that Very Serious (if you look at the octopus and the "baboons, with their bright red butts.") Her irreverent but sincere take on spirituality is a breath of fresh air that I really needed. So what if we don't pray the exactly correct words and couldn't win an open-book game of bible trivial pursuit? Do we believe what we believe because we truly believe it, or because that's what Sister Very Nasty drilled into us in school? Ms. Cameron urges us to let our religious hair down and stop berating ourselves for not being "spiritual" enough. Her message is clear; one's relationship with his/her creator should be warm, accessible, comforting and a two-way street...rather than one based in fear, guilt and overly-solemn discipline.
Book Description
This book provides accurate facts about all aspects of narcolepsy, a little-known neurological sleep disorder. It is estimated that 150,000-250,000 people in the U.S. have narcolepsy, but most of those have not yet been diagnosed. In the past, patients have seen an average of five or more physicians over a decade or longer before receiving a correct diagnosis of narcolepsy. As the public becomes better informed and more doctors are entering the field of sleep medicine, people are being diagnosed quicker and at an easlier age.
A wealth of information about narcolepsy is available on the internet, but this 166-page book is the most comprehensive, single source of information to be found. In addition to facts, the author relates her personal experiences with all the symptoms and describes how the disorder has impacted her life. It is an excellent reference source and a self-help book rolled into one.
People with narcolepsy usually have great difficulty reading a book without falling asleep. If anything can keep them awake, this book will. It is written in layman's terms, with a positive approach and amusing stories that encourage you to read on.
Customer Reviews:
Indispensable!.......2005-09-29
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is newly diagnosed, both for their own reading and to educate family members, friends, and employers. This book is a detailed personal account of narcolepsy and cataplexy, explaining in plain English how the disease functions. I have loaned my copy out to many people, and may also purchase a copy for my local library. This is an excellent introduction to narcolepsy, explaining the basics and validating your experience so you know that you're not going crazy. Buy this book!
Great non-technical primer.......2004-04-29
Utley's book is a tremendous help to those who need to know more about this disorder.
She's great in interjecting humor, while at the same time showing empathy for others.
The only drawback is that she doesn't explore treatments for all the symptoms (such as hypnagogic hallucinations). If she didn't personally seek treatment for a symptom, she doesn't really list treatment options.
It would be helpful if in a future addition, she would share stories from others as well.
If you have the disorder or love someone who does, read this. It does not advocate using narcolepsy as an excuse for not living--it tells you how to live with narcolepsy.
Narcolepsy and Life.......2004-02-15
After reading this book I was better able to understand why I go through what I do. Being a person with narcolepsy I applaud Ms. Utley for being able to tell her story and tell it with medical facts, truth, humor, grace and style. It is a must read for patients and their families.
Wonderful.......2001-04-16
Narcolepsy is a hard disorder to live with and this book really helped. It helped me to understand some symptons that I had that I did not relate to narcolepsy. It also was great to know that I am not the only one that experiences some of the things that I do. A really good book and source of knowledge. I gave it to my doctor to read.
A GOD SEND, A true inspration, there are Angles among us!.......2000-06-25
No one can possibly understand another Narcoleptic like one. Most people don't even tell the doctor alot of the symptoms for fear they will be locked away, considered nuts. Ms. Utley is honest and frank. She has a compassion and ability to touch your very soul. I Thank God every day for her and her book. This is a must read and must have book.
Customer Reviews:
Essential reading for Flann O'Brien fans.......2000-08-25
This book is the definitive biography, whatever quibbles one may have with the author's judgments, aesthetic or otherwise, about O'Nolan's life or art. Think instead about what you get with this book: an author who knew the subject personally, in-depth research into O'Nolan's origins and childhood, an intimate knowledge of the Irish literary scene in the interwar and postwar years, and the ability to show how these shaped the subject intellectually and psychologically. I disagree with a few of Cronin's assessments: I think The Dalkey Archive was the pinnacle of O'Nolan's novelistic achievements. While I agree he should have written more novels, I also feel that his time writing newspaper columns was well spent; there's more wit in most of those columns than in many novels by lesser writers. This book satisfies one of the most important criteria of a biography, that it be a good read in and of itself: Cronin is an excellent writer.
A wonderful view of Dublin literary and middle classlife.......1999-01-10
This is a beautifully written book about a brillant frustrated man, who was a great novelist, newspaper columnist and a competent bureaucrat at the same time. Interesting to an American for that insider's look at those segments of Irish life, it is also valueable to an Irish American Catholic for it is explanation of how O'Brien's convinced Catholicism limited his intellectual curiosity.
Useful, entertaining, and occasionally frustrating.......1997-12-13
Cronin is an affectionate biographer but thankfully not a hagiographer. His personal acquaintance with Brian O'Nolan gives him insight into the various personal and artistic personae that O'Nolan adopted: Flann O'Brien, Myles na gCopaleen, etc. Cronin spends too much energy speculating as to why O'Brien never managed to fulfil the artistic potential of his first two novels. It is, perhaps, unfair to fault Cronin, as this failure frustrates anyone who has read O'Brien's early work. However, Cronin's tone occasionally becomes pious and judgemental of O'Nolan. One wishes this tone would have extended to other aspects of O'Nolan's life (specifically the personal); Cronin evokes and explains the mind set of Dublin in the early to mid twentieth century, but he seems wary of really examining it. In all fairness, that might have been another book altogether. In sum, the book is readable, often as funny as O'Brien himself (and occasionally just as sad), and useful for the student of Flann O'Brien. It fills
Book Description
"This sparkling debut fires volleys of one-liners . . . Romping good stuff."-Daily Mail
"An original and highly readable debut for journalist-turned-gumshoe, Nick Madrid. But a word of warning: never let this man house-sit if you value your pets."-Lynne Truss
"Made me laugh out loud and wince in sympathy at both the violence and the humiliation meted out to the narrator . . . enormous fun."-Val McDermid
Tom Sharpe meets Raymond Chandler in No Laughing Matter, a humorous and brilliant debut that will keep readers on a knife's edge of suspense until the bittersweet end.
When a naked woman flashes past Nick Madrid's hotel window, it's quite a surprise. For Nick's room is on the 14th floor, and the hotel doesn't have an outside elevator. The management is horrified when Cissie Parker lands in the swimming pool-not only is she killed, but she makes a real mess of the shallow end.
In Montreal for the Just For Laughs festival, Nick, a journalist who prefers practicing yoga to interviewing the stars, turns gumshoe to answer the question: did she fall or was she pushed? The trail leads first to the mean streets of Edinburgh and then to Los Angeles, where the truth lurks among the dark secrets of Hollywood.
Peter Guttridge is the Royal Literary Fund writing fellow at Southampton University and teaches creative writing. Between 1998 and 2002, he was the director of the Brighton Literature Festival. Since 1998, he has been the mystery reviewer for The Observer, one of Britain's most prestigious Sunday newspapers. He lives in Sussex on the edge of the South Downs National Park.
Customer Reviews:
British Humor At It's Best.......2005-11-22
This is my favorite humorous mystery series by one of my favorite British authors. Nick Madrid is a self-deprecating masterpiece of an unlikely investigative hero. Laugh out loud situations and rapid dialogue combine with a strong mystery to be solved. A great read.
Stars a fine cast worthy of sequels.......2004-11-01
Bridget, Frank and Nick fly from England to Montreal to cover the Just for Laughs Festival for different newspapers. While Nick is tied up in a yoga position, he sees a young woman flash past his hotel room window. He concludes she is a jumper who he later learns was Cissy Parker, a movie starlet. The police rule it an accidental death due to drugs, but Nick has doubts when Frank mentions he heard a man screaming at a woman on the eighteenth floor.
A reporter Julie informs Nick that she took pictures at a celebrity bash that Cissy attended. The starlet offered her a lot of money to buy the negatives, but Julie refused. One of the photos shows Cissy with an unidentified man. When Nick learns the victim was pregnant he concludes she was pushed. Not realizing the danger he causes to himself, his friends and others associated with Cissy on both sides of the ocean, Nick keeps digging as more homicides occurs.
In between murder, beatings, chases, air travel, NO LAUGHING MATTER contains amusing comical scenes, but the prime story line is the protagonist is drawn into a homicide investigation that he prefers to avoid. Once he begins making inquiries, he continues to the bitter end, which he realizes could be his death, in an effort too learn the identity of the mastermind behind the killings and the beatings he suffered. Talented Peter Guttridge provides a journalistic investigative mystery that stars a fine cast worthy of sequels.
Harriet Klausner
Customer Reviews:
legmans work.......2003-11-19
g.legman ,considered to be a serious collector of erotica and author of some very serious works.his rationale of a dirty joke is considered to be a well researched document and a master piece on the subject.no one have developed such deep insight and interest of perhaps a strange subject like this and have written exsaustive volume.
i am trying to find out all the volumes which i had some 20 years ago.
Books:
- No Place Like Home: A Novel
- Ovarian Cancer (Atlas of Clinical Oncology)
- Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon
- Patty's Toxicology, 8 Volume + Index Set
- Possible Side Effects
- Presidential Courage: Brave Leaders and How They Changed America 1789-1989
- Something the Cat Dragged in
- Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters: 10 Secrets Every Father Should Know
- Suite Française
- Teaching First-Year College Students (Jossey-Bass Higher and Adult Education)
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- The History and Geography of Human Genes
- McDuff Saves the Day
- How I Come by This Cryin' Song
- History: Fiction or Science
- Markov Random Field Modeling in Image Analysis
- Open Business Models: How to Thrive in the New Innovation Landscape
- Nature's Everyday Mysteries: A Field Guide to the World in Your Backyard
- Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2004-2005: The National Data Book
- Getting a Raise Made Easy
- The Prince of America: Achieving Wealth As a Corporate Employee
Authors
| Arts & Literature
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Learning to Walk Again: How Guillain Barre Taught Me to Walk a Different Path
The Darkness Is Not Dark: Overcoming Guillain-Barre Syndrome
Up from the Abyss: A journey of personal redemption from the ravages of Guillain-Barrè syndrome
Guillain-Barre Syndrome: From Diagnosis to Recovery (American Academy of Neurology)
Guillain-Barre' Syndrome: My Worst Nightmare
