Overview

Strong at the Broken Places is the remarkable story of five ordinary people trapped in the complex world of serious chronic illness. In this intimate portrait, acclaimed journalist Richard Cohen probes lives of sickness as these individuals struggle to cope. Cohen spent three years chronicling the lives of five diverse ""citizens of sickness"" Denise, who suffers from ALS; Buzz, whose Christian faith helps him deal with his non-Hodgkin's lymphoma; Sarah, a determined young woman with Crohn's disease; Ben, a college student with muscular dystrophy; Larry, whose bipolar disorder is hidden within. Though different in age and gender, race and economic status, all are determined to live life on their own terms. Though each individual's illness wreaks havoc in a different way, Cohen shows how their experiences are strikingly similar and offer lessons for us all--on self-determination, courage in the face of adversity and public ignorance, on keeping hope alive, and finding strength and peace under the most difficult of circumstances.

Full Product Details

9780061468834

Table of Contents

Reviews

Extraordinary. -- Larry King, Larry King Live This unusual book gives a voice to the voiceless--the chronically disabled who, in our health-conscious society, are defined by their disease....In this advocacy book, written like a personal journal, Cohen tells their stories....Strong at the Broken Places ends on a note of hope. --Providence Journal Career journalist Cohen doesn't flinch from probing for truth about relationships, money, fear, and death....One only hopes that, with their group presentation to a class of Harvard medical students, these five taught young medicos as much as they could teach Cohen and, through him, us. --Booklist Extraordinary. --Larry King, Larry King Live The strength of these profiles derives from Cohen's focus on chronic illnesses that, as he notes, are not sexy and generally do not resolve themselves.. ..these are stories dense with quotidian details. --Washington Post

Extraordinary. -- Larry King, Larry King Live

Author Information

Richard M. Cohen's distinguished career in journalism earned him numerous awards, including three Emmys and a George Foster Peabody Award. He lives outside New York City with his wife, Meredith Vieira, and their three children.

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