Fiction_L Archives Non-fiction books on real-life struggles Dates: 1/15/02,11:02 AM  through  1/24/02,2:04 PM  (16 postings) Search for: Select one or more indexes to search: 2011-current     2009-2010     2004-2008    1995-2003    (Matches from each index will be displayed separately in the results page.) Return to January 2002 thread menu   |   Fiction_L Archives Menu

FROM: "Roberts, Julie" <[removed]@rolling-meadows.lib.il.us>
REC'D: 1/15/02, 11:02 AM

Hello all. I want to do a display soon on (overcoming or living with)
real-life struggles. These would be like: Martha Nibley Beck's Expecting
Adam, Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickel & Dimed, Terry Ryan's The Prize Winner of
Defiance, Ohio, Rita Golden Gelman's Tales of a female nomad, etc.
I'll make a list, if people are interested. Thanks! Julie A. Roberts
[removed]@rolling-meadows.lib.il.us

FROM: [removed]@aol.com
REC'D: 1/15/02, 1:09 PM

I think that idea sounds great. By all means, pleaes post the list when you are done. Another title to add would be:

Nielsen, Jerri. Ice bound: a doctor's incredible battle for survival at the South Pole.

the title pretty much says it all.

Ilene Lefkowitz
Reference Librarian
Kinnelon Library
[removed]@aol.com

FROM: "Phillipich, Luann" <[removed]@co.dakota.mn.us>
REC'D: 1/15/02, 1:09 PM

I found Lance Armstrong's "It's Not About the Bike" very inspirational.

FROM: Cathy Reid <[removed]@ccpl.lib.oh.us>
REC'D: 1/15/02, 1:41 PM

I'd highly recommend Miracles Happen by Brooke and Jean Ellison. It's the
story of a quadraplegic who graduated Summa Cum Laude from Harvard a couple of
years ago--her mother lived with her and helped her while she was there.
They've been on TV a lot lately; I saw them on the Today show last week. The
book is very inspiring.

Cathy Reid
Clark County Public Library
Springfield, OH

FROM: Vicki Novak - LIBRARYX <[removed]@MAIL.MARICOPA.GOV>
REC'D: 1/15/02, 4:28 PM

I haven't read the ones you mentioned, so I'm not sure if these are similar,
but they do fit your subject:

Nobody nowhere: the extraordinary autobiography of an autistic (and other
books) by Donna Williams
Under the eye of the clock: a memoir by Christopher Nolan (he is brain
damaged, paralyzed and mute)
Where is the mango princess? by C.E. Crimmins (the author's husband suffered
a brain injury)
Man made: a memoir of my body by Ken Baker (the author had a brain tumor
that caused his hormones to be abnormal, making him less masculine)


I like to read these kinds of books, so I look forward to seeing your list!

Vicki Novak
[removed]@mail.maricopa.gov

Adult Services
North Central Regional Library
Maricopa County Library District
17811 N. 32nd St.
Phoenix, AZ 85032-1201

http://mcld.maricopa.gov

-----Original Message-----
From: Roberts, Julie [[removed]@rolling-meadows.lib.il.us]
Sent: Tuesday, January 15, 2002 9:45 AM
To: Fiction_L
Subject: Non-fiction books on real-life struggles


Hello all. I want to do a display soon on (overcoming or living with)
real-life struggles. These would be like: Martha Nibley Beck's Expecting
Adam, Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickel & Dimed, Terry Ryan's The Prize Winner of
Defiance, Ohio, Rita Golden Gelman's Tales of a female nomad, etc.
I'll make a list, if people are interested. Thanks! Julie A. Roberts
[removed]@rolling-meadows.lib.il.us

FROM: "Jean Trainor" <[removed]@fnsb.lib.ak.us>
REC'D: 1/15/02, 5:43 PM

Autobiography of a Face by Lucy Grealy (she suffered from cancer of the jaw
at age nine)
Road Song by Natalie Kusz (she was raised near Fairbanks, Alaska and was
disfigured when a dog team attacked her)
Jean Trainor
FNSB Public Library
Fairbanks, Alaska

FROM: "Waznis, Betty" <[removed]@co.san-diego.ca.us>
REC'D: 1/15/02, 6:45 PM

Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
All Over but the Shoutin' by Rick Bragg

FROM: "christine jeffords" <[removed]@hotmail.com>
REC'D: 1/16/02, 7:22 AM

Did anyone suggest Krakauer's "Into Thin Air" yet? And how about "The
Perfect Storm"?

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FROM: "christine jeffords" <[removed]@hotmail.com>
REC'D: 1/16/02, 7:33 AM

>From: Cathy Reid <[removed]@ccpl.lib.oh.us>
>Reply-To: "Fiction_L" <[removed]@maillist.webrary.org>
>To: Fiction_L <[removed]@maillist.webrary.org>
>Subject: Non-fiction books on real-life struggles
>Date: Tue, 15 Jan 2002 14:31:51 -0500
>
>I'd highly recommend Miracles Happen by Brooke and Jean Ellison. It's the
>story of a quadraplegic...

An older book about the struggles of a handicapped person is Marie
Killilea's "Karen" (her daughter, who had cerebral palsy). It has a sequel,
"With Love From Karen." "To Catch an Angel: Adventures in a World I Cannot
See" is the autobiography of a blind man whose name escapes me at present.

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FROM: [removed]@aol.com
REC'D: 1/16/02, 7:44 AM

"The Broke Diaries" by Angela Nissel

FROM: "christine jeffords" <[removed]@hotmail.com>
REC'D: 1/16/02, 7:44 AM

And, of course, one cannot forget anything by Helen Keller!

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FROM: "Cynthia Baskin" <[removed]@verizon.net>
REC'D: 1/16/02, 7:55 AM

I too love this type of book.

Coming to Term by William Woodwell about the birth of preemies

Mom's Marijuana by Dan Shapiro about a cancer survivor

Losing Malcolm by Carol Henderson about the death of a baby with a heart
defect

Baby face by Jeanne McDermott about a child with Apert Syndrome

Cynthia

FROM: "Shari Hetzke" <[removed]@ahml.lib.il.us>
REC'D: 1/16/02, 8:28 AM

Has anyone mentioned

_The Diving Bell and the Butterfly_ by Jean-Dominique Bauby?

Bauby was a victim of a rare type of stroke to the brain stem - leaving him in virtual total paralysis except for his left eyelid. Read the chapter entitled _My Lucky Day_ to get an idea of his life. (The chapter is only one page.)

Shari Hetzke, Secondary School Services Specialist
Arlington Heights Memorial Library
500 North Dunton
Arlington Heights, IL 60004
Phone 847.506.2629 Fax 847.506.2655

FROM: Becky nolastname <[removed]@yahoo.com>
REC'D: 1/16/02, 9:09 AM

I wanted to second someone else's recommendation of
"It's Not About the Bike" by Lance Armstrong. I don't
usually read biographies, and never read
"inspirational" stuff, but this book was great.
Granted, I picked it up because he's a hometown hero
(he may have grown up in Plano, but he _chooses_ to
live & raise his kids in Austin). But, he got me
started cycling seriously for the first time ever.
And every time I think I can't do it because I'm old &
fat, I think about Lance riding during chemo
treatments, and think to myself, "And your excuse
is...???" (Even more inspiring is the story he tells
about riding around his neighborhood while he was
recovering & being left in the dust by neighbor woman
just out for an afternoon ride.)

like I said, just seconding the nomination
BeckyH

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FROM: "Kim Dimond" <[removed]@hotmail.com>
REC'D: 1/16/02, 1:38 PM

I have not personally read the book however you could use "As nature made
him: the boy who was raised as a girl" by John Colapinto, sounds like a
real-life struggle to me!

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FROM: Julie Roberts <[removed]@rolling-meadows.lib.il.us>
REC'D: 1/24/02, 2:04 PM

Hello all of you great Fiction_L'ers! Here is the compiled list of
non-fiction "real-life struggle" books. Some are my ideas and many are
yours. Thank you all for your great input and ideas! Julie A. Roberts
[removed]@rolling-meadows.lib.il.us

Armstrong, Lance - It's not about the bike (2 votes)
Baker, Ken - Man made: a memoir of my body
Bauby, Jean Dominique - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2 votes)
Beck, Martha Nibley - Expecting Adam: a true story of birth, rebirth, and
everyday magic
Bragg, Rick - All over but the shoutin' & Ava's Man
Colapinto, John - As nature made him: the boy who was raised as a girl
Crimmins, C.E. - Where is the mango princess?
Delany, Sarah L. - On my own at 107
Delany, Sarah L. & A. Elizabeth - Having our say: the Delany Sisters' first
100 years
Eggers, Dave - A heartbreaking work of staggering genius
Ehrenreich, Barbara - Nickel and Dimed
Ellison, Brooke & Jean - Miracles happen (2 votes)
Gelman, Rita Golden - Tales of a female nomad : living at large in the
world
Grealy, Lucy - Autobiography of a face
Henderson, Carol - Losing Malcolm
Holtz, Lou -Winning every day : the game plan for success
Hope Magazine - Signs of hope : in praise of ordinary heroes?
Junger, Sebastian - The Perfect Storm
Keller, Helen - The story of my life and books about her
Killilea, Marie - Karen and With Love from Karen
Krakauer, Jon - Into thin air (2 votes)
Kusz, Natalie - Road Song
Mandela, Nelson - The long walk to freedom: the autobiography of Nelson
Mandela
McCourt, Frank - Angela's Ashes & 'Tis
McCrum, Robert - My year off
McDermott, Jeanne - Baby face
Nielsen, Jerri - Ice Bound : a doctor's incredible battle for survival at
the South Pole
Nissel, Angela - The Broke Diaries
Nolan, Christopher - Under the eye of the clock: a memoir
Pelzer. Dave -- A child called "It" : one child's courage to survive and
others
Rawicz, Slavomir - The Long Walk
Reeve, Christopher - Still Me
Russell, Robert W - To catch an angel: adventures in the world I cannot see
Ryan, Terry - The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio
Shapiro, Dan - Mom's marijuana
Tynan, Ronan - Halfway home
Williams, Donna - Nobody nowhere: the extraordinary autobiography of an
autistic
_____________ -- Somebody somewhere : breaking free from the world of
autism
Woodwell, William H, Jr. - Coming to term: a father's story of birth, loss
and survival

And, don't forget all the books by celebrities like Patti LaBelle, Della
Reese, Iyanla VanZant, Montel Williams, Oprah Winfrey and others! They
came through their struggles!

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