List price: $12.99 (that's 20% off!)
Cyrion travels the desert as in a dream, wholly competent and capable, going and coming in a foggy vision as though he appears and dissapears into the sand itself. The setting in Middle Eastern folklore is refreshing after so much Celtic and Norse mythology. The perfect book to read in bed! And an excellent introduction to Ms. Lee's style.
While you will not find my story contained within the pages of this book, I am there. I am a DES daughter, a cancer survivor. I am also a psychotherapist specializing in health psychology. Through my work, I hear a lot of stories, but few compare to those associated with the widespread medical mistake of DES.
Despite the scope of the problems created by this drug, those of us who live with the aftermath are in danger of being forgotten, or at least overlooked. Upon seeing a new physician recently, he said, "I was told in medical school that we wouldn't be seeing any more people exposed to DES." I informed him that I certainly hoped he wouldn't see any new cases of DES exposure, but there were plenty of us still walking around to tell the tale of DES and of our experiences with it. This book does precisely that - tell the tale.
Many thanks to Margaret Lee Braun and Nancy Stuart for a well-written and graphically poignant book. It is tasteful, respectful, and a much needed reminder that we are still here.
My response:
Reading this brought back to mind my experience reading your book. The first friend who gave it to me, a male, left it on my doorstep on November 6th last year, my 39th birthday, as a surprise little gift.
I remember being hugely excited as I unwrapped its package and I remember thinking that it was 21 years before on that same date when I found out I had cancer for the first time, on my 18th birthday.
(A nurse from the clinic at Balboa Hospital had come by and left her card with my roommate, reminding her that I must see the doctor again and why - she had left 2 previous messages the week before that I did not return, because it was my first day on the job at the Bank where I was then on that date, a full-fledged employee, instead of an intern. And I had not called back because I was busy preparing for that day and thought it was about more volunteer work, anyway.)
Anyway, what a gift. The first thing I usually do when I get home is run to the bathroom... I remember reading practically the entire book right there on the porcelain goddess.
(I had part of my bladder resected when the cancer spread the 1st go-round. It's fine now - all that delicious balloon stretching that I adored so much (yea, right!) had done a good job...I still drink a LOT of fluids.)
I know one woman who had cervical, vaginal and ovarian cancer and along with the clear cell adenocarcinoma they found choriocarcinoma when she had ovarian cancer. She had her cervix, uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, lymph nodes and spleen completely removed. She has had 1/3rd of her bladder removed and reconstructed, 19 inches of her intestine and part of her omentum removed and my vagina reconstructed two times. She had 7 surgeries, external and internal radiation therapy and 4 separate mutli-round sessions of chemotherapy - all encompassing eight years of her life (18yrs old-almost 21 and 30yrs-37).
Today, she still has two tumors in her lumbar vertebrae - one the diameter of a quarter and the other a dime.
BUT - she is healthier than most anyone she knows! (Can you guess who "She" is?)
I remember the tears rolling down my face and rejoicing at the same time, that now the world would know it's true, it's still true and it still will be true and true anew for many yet to come, unfortunately. But now, it was in writing and not just in medical journals or my own doctor's handwriting. There were documented "others" and I was not alone. I, and my DES sisters were validated. And, if any MD dared mention to me that it was a long time ago and nothing of consequence today, I would have something in hand to proudly show him or her before I quietly walked out of their office forever.
The feeling of AWE that sticks with me today continues to amaze me. I brought it to a family picnic around Thanksgiving time last year to give to my mother who was visiting from out of town, and my oldest brother picked it up and read the whole thing right there. My mother picked it up and began reading it very shortly thereafter and even asked me questions! My boyfriend read the entire book the night I gave it to him to read.
What continues to strike me is how this book appears to magnetize the reader, pulls them in and keeps them there all the way through. I've never come across that before or seen someone else experience that either.
Why is that? I believe it's because the book is so subtle. From the colors on the cover to the pictures on the pages, the message within speaks loudly, yet softly of a quiet strength, of endurance. The details are not of morbid skeleton bones found in a closet or of gross deformities or fantastic miracles. Depicting man, woman, child - they successfully link all humankind. Which, combined in this wonderful book, induce the quiet force, revealing the present triumphs of real-life people. "DES Stories" chronicles each individual's rising to the purpose, of finding the answers with mastery of oneself and of circumstance.
It is a peaceful, very special honor to have something in common with these very brave human beings. They are prevailers. We are prevailers! For we are NOT victims, which is what the word 'survivor' connotes to me. We have overcome and become stronger and yes, better.
Love, Suzette
List price: $23.95 (that's 30% off!)
This is one of the best examples you will ever read of the infuriating imbalance in our justice system wherein the "rights" of convicted murderers are allowed to far outweigh the rights of their victims. Were it not for her courageous and determined family, Debbie would have been wholly depersonalized and forgotten--even as her cowardly and cruel killers were being fawned over and lavished with every excess of "rights" that our justice system can dream up. You will not be able to put this book down.
What has happened in this case is of grave importance to each and every one of us. And, the story goes on as the men who were convicted of this murder are now being scheduled for a retrial - twenty one years later.
To read this book is to challange oneself to get involved.
List price: $15.95 (that's 30% off!)
Jin-Ha decides to take the class because she is confident in her math skills. Little does she know that not only is this a harder class than she is used to but her teacher's teaching skills confuse her. This turns out to be a problem when Jin-Ha is faced with a surprise pop quiz. She takes the quiz but is completely confused because she doent know any of the material since she only copied the answers from the back of her book for homework. Her grade turned out to be her very first "F" ever! She couldn't believe it! What was she going to be since she had a huge test in ac couple of days she coulnt let her grade slip any more than it was. Jin-Ha studied all she could but just coulnt understand the material. When she is given the test she is still confused and earns another "F"! What was she going to tell her parents? She knew how upset they would be since her family was centered on education. When her mother asked the grade she got she answered grimly "an F" her mother asked, "is that good?" Jin-Ha forgot her mother only knew Korean grades! So Jin-Ha answered back "oh yeah F is for um Fabuloso, that's it Fabuloso!" her mother was very pleased but Jin-Ha wasn't, she had never lied to her parents before! Why didn't she just tell the truth? The only way she could make everything up to her parents would be to study very hard and ace the next test.
Find out if Jin-Ha improves her grade and pleases her parents by reading this Fabuloso book by Marie G. Lee!
Chase Dagger is back, but this time he will need more than luck to catch a killer that has been around for more than 200 years.... Knowing that Oct. 13th a Friday was not even here yet, the worse was yet to happen.
FULL MOON BLOODY MOON has the same unconventional and fetching characters as THE GOOD DIE TWICE. Einstein the bright red macaw that has a big mouth, Chase's right hand woman, Sara, Simon the mailman who knows everybody's business. Padre and Skizzy are also back as well as some new characters. FULL MOON BLOODY MOON is a ferocious horror-filled ride that will stick with you well after you have finished reading the book. Mixed with sex, violence and plenty of fast paced action. I hung onto every word.
Lee Driver (aka S.D. Tooley ) you have done it again, keep up the good work.