What SK or the Playboy and other men mag covers.
Originally posted by srboone
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With the Olympics about to begin I thought I would get this one posted:
Zero Regrets by Apolo Ohno:
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This book is part motivational and part autobiography. All in all a good book. Signed at a local Borders during his book tour.Comment
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This is one of the most cherished books in my collection. It is also in remarkable condition considering how many times it has been loaned out and read.
The Quiet Room by Lori Schiller and Amanda Bennett:
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The Quiet Room is an autobiography about a young lady who has Schizophrenia. At the age of 23 she was placed on an experimental drug called Clozapine. This drug allowed her to quiet the voices in her head enough to allow her to regain her sense of self and tell her story. The book also allows those close to her to say how they experienced the illness that engulfed this bright young women, including her mother. Now I will tell why this book means so much to me. My older brother (5 years my senior) suffered from Schizophrenia. He was a very intelligent person who as a teen was simply looked at as a troubled teen. Around 18 or 19 he got in some legal trouble and a judge ordered a psychological evaluation. He was diagnosed with Schizophrenia and spent the next several years in and out of mental hospitals and on many anti-psychotic drugs. I have heard many times that persons with this illness often stop stop taking the prescribed drugs because they are working and they feel they no longer need them. I certainly do not speak for everyone but I can tell you that my brother never believed these drugs cured him, He feared the voices that flared up when he discontinued the drugs but the side effects of the drugs were even worse. When in his late twenties he had been hospitalized. I went to see him with my mother and my girlfriend (now my wife). We were told by doctors that he would probably institutionalized for the remainder of his life. He then explained that he was a candidate for an experimental drug that was showing promise in treating Schizophrenia. The drug was a test drug and a few of the patients trying the drug had died. You see for some people the drug drained the body of white blood cells causing the patient to have no immune system. He explained that they would monitor his blood closely and if his white cell count dropped they would remove him from the drug. They simply could not guarantee it would be on time. We sat down with my brother and explained this option, this possible rewards and the risks. His response was immediate. If it may be able to quiet the voices I want to try it! When asked what about the risks, his response was just as quick. I would rather die than continue living like this. Within six months he was living on his own and continued to live on his own until his death at age 57. He was never cured of this awful disease but this miracle drug gave him a life he would not have had. When this book came out I read it and was amazed at how accurately it described my life growing up. I offered it to my mom and she said the parts from Ms. Schiller's mom were as close to what she went through that she could see it happening. I then offered it to my brother, not sure if he had any interest in reading it. He did read it and said that he could not believe how accurate Lori's description of the illness was. I remember going for a walk with my brother one year long after he was on Clozapine. There were a group of people approaching us and I could see he was having trouble. We got into a discussion of what the illness was like and I will never forget something he said. He said "You are talking to my right now and I know you are real, but if you are saying things I do not want to hear I can walk away and I no longer hear you. I know the voices in my head are not real, but no matter what I do they do not go away, the voices are telling me right now that if I get close to those people that they will do me harm. I know they are not real, but if I walk away they will continue. As much as I know they are not real eventually they become more real than you, simply because they are always present. The Clozapine does not make the voices go away, but it does quiet them enough that I can keep them in the background." I am going to post this without re-reading it. I know if I re-read it I will delete it, so I apologize if it is rambling or does not make sense. I will end with this. If you want to see an accurate look into the illness of Schizophenia you should read this book.Comment
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Beautiful testimony for the book, Martin. I wouldn't delete it. We all all have "cherished" books inour collections that we wouldn't give up for the world. Thanks for sharing this with us."I'm a vegan. "
---Kirby Bliss Blanton , The Green Inferno (2013)Comment
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Hahaha, that must have been awkward!Originally posted by Martin View Post
"Honey, I swear its just for the forum guys... I mean, I mean... Oh never mind.."
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Very touching story Martin. Thank you for sharing. I'll have to look into that book.Comment
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Martin, thanks for sharing that. I don't have any relatives that are cursed with that disease, but I sincerely appreciate your story.
JohnComment
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A couple of additions came in the mail today.
First up is a new chapbook with some new authors.
New Screams/Bad Dreams:
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Next up is a new ARC from Cemetery Dance.
Dueling Minds Edited by Brian Freeman:
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This one is now at the top of my TBR pile!Comment
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Very cool.Very very cool.Comment
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I love that ARC! Looks great!Comment
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In celebration of the Olympics I thought I would show my set of Olympic poster prints.
This set covers all summer Olympics from 1896 to 1984:
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