Best of
Illness

2007

Bear Feels Sick


Karma Wilson - 2007
    He sniffles and sneezes. He cannot sleep. He aches all over. Worst of all, he's feeling too poorly to play with his friends. How Bear's good friends take care of him with herbal tea and lullabies until he begins to FEEL BETTER is the heart of this loving story that will be familiar to any little one who has ever had the sniffles.

The Lemonade Club


Patricia Polacco - 2007
    That's where they learn that when life hands you lemons, make lemonade! They are having a great year until Traci begins to notice some changes in Marilyn. She's losing weight, and seems tired all the time. She has leukemia - and a tough road of chemotherapy ahead. It is not only Traci and Miss Wichelman who stand up for her, but in a surprising and unexpected turn, the whole fifth-grade class, who figures out a way to say we're with you. In true Polacco fashion, this book turns lemons into lemonade and celebrates amazing life itself.

Final Journeys: A Practical Guide for Bringing Care and Comfort at the End of Life


Maggie Callanan - 2007
    Now the coauthor of the classic bestseller Final Gifts passes along the lessons she has learned from the experts—her patients. Here is the guide we all need to understanding the special needs of the dying and those who care for them. In her work with thousands of families, Maggie Callanan has witnessed the tears, the love—and the confusion and conflict—this final passage can evoke. Now, with honesty, compassion, and even humor, she empowers patients and their families to write the last chapter of their lives with less fear, less pain, and more control—so that all involved can focus their energies on creating the best possible ending. From supporting a husband or wife faced with the loss of a spouse, to helping a dying mother prepare her children to carry on without her, Callanan’s poignant stories illustrate new ways to meet the physical, emotional, and spiritual challenges of this difficult and precious time. She brings welcome clarity to medical and ethical concerns, explaining what to expect at every stage. Each brief chapter also conveys a home truth about making crucial treatment decisions, supporting the patient’s dignity and individuality, and lightening the burden on caregivers. Final Journeys is designed to be your companion, resource, and advocate. From diagnosis through the final hours, it will help you keep the lines of communication open, get the help you need, and create the peaceful end we all hope for.From the Hardcover edition.

The End of Forever


Lurlene McDaniel - 2007
    Now Amy lies somewhere between life and death. Erin and her parents must find the courage to accept that Amy's life support system will never bring her back. Can Amy's dying become hope for someone else's living?Time to Let GoThe doctors assure Erin Bennett and her parents that they can't find any physical cause for her headaches, but the throbbing, violent pain is so intense that Erin knows she needs help. Even landing the lead in the senior musical opposite David Delvin doesn't give her much pleasure. The headaches started just after the death of Erin's younger sister Amy. Erin thought her grieving was over. A therapist begins to help her deal with the pain, but what is it about David that triggers Erin's violent reaction.

Don't Go Where I Can't Follow


Anders Nilsen - 2007
    It is an appreciation of the time they shared together, and a heartbreaking account of the progression of her illness. Including early love notes, simple and poetic postcards, tales of their travels together in written and comics form, journal entries and drawings done in the hospital during her final days, and a beautifully rendered tear-jerking account of Weaver's memorial, Don't Go Where I Can't Follow is a deeply personal romance, and a universal reminder of our mortality and the significance of the relationships we build.

Hair for Mama


Kelly Tinkham - 2007
    All of her beautiful hair is gone because of chemotherapy treatments for her cancer, and she doesn’t want to be remembered without hair. Eight-year-old Marcus knows that the picture won’t be the same without Mama, so he comes up with a plan to find her some hair and make her better. Even though the plan doesn’t work in quite the way Marcus expects, he comes to understand that “hair is nice to have, but not as nice as me having Mama and Mama having me.” This is a story for every family dealing with a serious illness. It is told with a touch of gentle humor in a style that children will readily understand, and the warm and inviting illustrations will bring comfort and hope to young and old alike.

I'm Really Ever So Not Well


Lauren Child - 2007
    But the flowers make Lola sneeze and the pink milk tastes green! Even worse, Charlie has promised his friend Marv that he will play in a soccer game, and now Charlie has to leave! Oh, no! How will Lola ever get better without her big brother around?

Stories of Illness and Healing: Women Write Their Bodies


Sayantani DasGupta - 2007
    The collection includes a variety of women's illness narratives-poetry, essays, short fiction, short drama, analyses, and transcribed oral testimonies-as well as traditional analytic essays about themes and issues raised by the narratives. Stories of Illness and Healing bridges the artificial divide between women's lives and scholarship in gender, health, and medicine.The authors of these narratives are diverse in age, ethnicity, family situation, sexual orientation, and economic status. They are doctors, patients, spouses, mothers, daughters, activists, writers, educators, and performers. The narratives serve to acknowledge that women's illness experiences are more than their diseases, that they encompass their entire lives. The pages of this book echo with personal accounts of illness, diagnosis, and treatment. They reflect the social constructions of women's bodies, their experiences of sexuality and reproduction, and their roles as professional and family caregivers. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Stories of Illness and Healing draws the connection between women's suffering and advocacy for women's lives.

April 16th: Virginia Tech Remembers


Roland Lazenby - 2007
    However, word quickly circulated of a shooting in the dorms - and the gunman was still loose. The campus went into lockdown, and as the gruesome events unfolded in Norris Hall, a group of journalism students trapped in a nearby building transmitted stories and updates to the student-run website, PlanetBlacksburg.com.  Now, these students, together with their journalism instructor and members of the Virginia Tech community, have documented the events of that day. April 16th: Virginia Tech Remembers gives a voice to the students, faculty, and staff who lived through the shooting, and serves as a memorial for the 32 victims. The book also describes the onslaught of media coverage that immediately followed, and reveals the remarkable resilience of the students of Virginia Tech throughout the entire ordeal.

Watercolor Cat


Shelly Mecum - 2007
    Told in Boo's own words, the book gives us a cat's-eye-view of the celebrated work and inspiring life of Hawaii artist Peggy Chun, known equally for her colorful, charming paintings and her strength and resolve in confronting the debilitating disease ALS - amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Featuring a whimsical text by Shelly Mecum and 50 full-color reproductions of Peggy's paintings, the book includes both the artist's famous feline images and her extraordinary depictions of Hawaii's lush flora and fabled locales. With the faithful, attentive Boo always at her side, the narrative traces Peggy's development as an artist, uncovering many private moments of struggle and perserverance along the way.