Jeanne G. (IlliniAlum83) -
Helpful Score: 1
This book really called out to me to read it, but I kept putting it off with almost 300 books in my TBR. But it was such a fast read, I'm sorry I waited so long.
Typical Patterson with many, many chapters, some only 2-3 pages, written with the help of Mrs Friedman's journals on the many treatments they tried to help their son.
This book tells the terrrifying true story of one family's saga of 13 years of dealing with their son's out-of -control Tourette's syndrome and OCD which spirals into nictotine and alcohol addiction which turns out to be the only "drug" that seems to give him some relief and let him sleep.
Any family that has been thru years of doctoring for a child's chronic illness will recognize the fear and torment they go through as the doctors and specialists try one drug cocktail after another to try to reduce the tics and OC repetitive motions that plague this intelligent young man.
Their final solution should astound you and make you question our loyalty to the medical profession.
Why did I not rate this book higher?
I found the chronology to be out of whack so that near the beginning they are discussing taking 17 yo Cory to alcohol rehab, then jump back to where he is much younger. Then story seems to flow in proper time sequence til he hits Jr and Sr High School then bounces around again without proper date references for you to go by.
Also there were vague references to Cory being home-schooled at times when his behavior was too disruptive to be in a classroom, but there is never any mention of him actually doing school work at home except for some college-level courses he takes online as a teenager. He repeatedly says his mom is his hero, she gave up writing and her job to stay with him, he says she was always sticking up for him, but there are almost no examples of that til his critical Jr year in HS and NO mention of her teaching him at home at all til the shool conference that year. I find it commendable that she recorded his long litany of medications with outcomes and side effects, but for any medical mystery this is what you should do......and she is a writer.
So it just left me as a good story that could have been written in a much better way.
Typical Patterson with many, many chapters, some only 2-3 pages, written with the help of Mrs Friedman's journals on the many treatments they tried to help their son.
This book tells the terrrifying true story of one family's saga of 13 years of dealing with their son's out-of -control Tourette's syndrome and OCD which spirals into nictotine and alcohol addiction which turns out to be the only "drug" that seems to give him some relief and let him sleep.
Any family that has been thru years of doctoring for a child's chronic illness will recognize the fear and torment they go through as the doctors and specialists try one drug cocktail after another to try to reduce the tics and OC repetitive motions that plague this intelligent young man.
Their final solution should astound you and make you question our loyalty to the medical profession.
Why did I not rate this book higher?
I found the chronology to be out of whack so that near the beginning they are discussing taking 17 yo Cory to alcohol rehab, then jump back to where he is much younger. Then story seems to flow in proper time sequence til he hits Jr and Sr High School then bounces around again without proper date references for you to go by.
Also there were vague references to Cory being home-schooled at times when his behavior was too disruptive to be in a classroom, but there is never any mention of him actually doing school work at home except for some college-level courses he takes online as a teenager. He repeatedly says his mom is his hero, she gave up writing and her job to stay with him, he says she was always sticking up for him, but there are almost no examples of that til his critical Jr year in HS and NO mention of her teaching him at home at all til the shool conference that year. I find it commendable that she recorded his long litany of medications with outcomes and side effects, but for any medical mystery this is what you should do......and she is a writer.
So it just left me as a good story that could have been written in a much better way.
