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abbywebb's review against another edition
3.0
This was a great book by a Canadian author of detective novels. When Engel suffered a stroke several years ago, the resulting damage left him with ataxia sine agraphia - essentially, he was no longer able to read although his ability to write remained intact.
In this memoir of sorts, Engel details his life leading up to the stroke, including his love of literature and all sorts of books, and the events that follow. He walks the reader through his stay at the hospital in Toronto, followed by several weeks at a rehab hospital where he received help with not only reading skills, but everyday adaptive skills such as orientation, cooking, and recalling names.
This could have been written as a sad story where the author invites pity. Instead, Engel uses humour to create his "story" as well as his real life experiences. Being an author, he was devastated by the fact that he could no longer read. Somehow, he managed to focus his efforts long enough to teach himself how to read again, albeit not with the ease he once had. Eventually, he wrote another mystery novel - this time, his reoccurring character, Benny Cooperman, suffered a head injury which resulted in an impaired ability to read - just like him! (It's called [b:Memory Book: A Benny Cooperman Detective Novel|1079317|Memory Book (Benny Cooperman Mysteries)|Howard Engel|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1180809650s/1079317.jpg|1066044], if you're interested.)
I appreciated this book as a quick yet informative read. I cannot for the life of me remember where I first heard of this book, but as soon as I did I just had to find it and read it. And I am not disappointed with the outcome. As I am nearing my adventure of fulfilling a practica on a stroke rehabilitation unit, I feel that I have a better understanding of what stroke patients go through, both mentally and emotionally. I recommend this to anyone who works in a health care setting, with the aging population, or anyone who knows someone who has suffered a similar experience. It's a really short and quick read - you won't be disappointed!
In this memoir of sorts, Engel details his life leading up to the stroke, including his love of literature and all sorts of books, and the events that follow. He walks the reader through his stay at the hospital in Toronto, followed by several weeks at a rehab hospital where he received help with not only reading skills, but everyday adaptive skills such as orientation, cooking, and recalling names.
This could have been written as a sad story where the author invites pity. Instead, Engel uses humour to create his "story" as well as his real life experiences. Being an author, he was devastated by the fact that he could no longer read. Somehow, he managed to focus his efforts long enough to teach himself how to read again, albeit not with the ease he once had. Eventually, he wrote another mystery novel - this time, his reoccurring character, Benny Cooperman, suffered a head injury which resulted in an impaired ability to read - just like him! (It's called [b:Memory Book: A Benny Cooperman Detective Novel|1079317|Memory Book (Benny Cooperman Mysteries)|Howard Engel|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1180809650s/1079317.jpg|1066044], if you're interested.)
I appreciated this book as a quick yet informative read. I cannot for the life of me remember where I first heard of this book, but as soon as I did I just had to find it and read it. And I am not disappointed with the outcome. As I am nearing my adventure of fulfilling a practica on a stroke rehabilitation unit, I feel that I have a better understanding of what stroke patients go through, both mentally and emotionally. I recommend this to anyone who works in a health care setting, with the aging population, or anyone who knows someone who has suffered a similar experience. It's a really short and quick read - you won't be disappointed!
yuusasih's review against another edition
3.0
Tendensi saya untuk pindah-pindah membaca membuat buku ini--dan banyak buku lainnya--tersingkir ke tumpukan buku-belum-terbaca saya. Bukan karena bukunya jelek dan tidak menarik, sama sekali bukan, saya memang separah itu.
Menceritakan tentang penulis misteri terkenal Kanada, Howard Engel, yang bangun di suatu pagi dan menemukan dirinya tidak dapat membaca lagi. Huruf-huruf seakan berubah menjadi aksara yang tak pernah dipelajarinya. Di rumah sakit ia mengetahui bahwa dirinya terkena stroke, dan kemampuannya untuk membaca yang terserang. Untungnya, walaupun dia tidak bisa membaca, dia masih bisa menulis? Tapi bagaimana caranya seseorang bisa menulis jika tidak tahu apa yang dibacanya? Terutama dirinya adalah penulis dan pembaca maniak, dua hal yang sangat membutuhkan kemampuan membaca tersebut.
Benar-benar inspiratif, kisah mengenai seseorang yang kehilangan kemampuan yang paling berharga baginya. Perjuangan Engel untuk bisa tetap menulis novel walaupun dengan keadaannya yang seperti itu membuat saya, yang juga hobi menulis, menjadi sangat termotivasi. Saya sampai sekarang masih bisa membaca, karena itu saya tidak akan kalah oleh Engel. :D
Menceritakan tentang penulis misteri terkenal Kanada, Howard Engel, yang bangun di suatu pagi dan menemukan dirinya tidak dapat membaca lagi. Huruf-huruf seakan berubah menjadi aksara yang tak pernah dipelajarinya. Di rumah sakit ia mengetahui bahwa dirinya terkena stroke, dan kemampuannya untuk membaca yang terserang. Untungnya, walaupun dia tidak bisa membaca, dia masih bisa menulis? Tapi bagaimana caranya seseorang bisa menulis jika tidak tahu apa yang dibacanya? Terutama dirinya adalah penulis dan pembaca maniak, dua hal yang sangat membutuhkan kemampuan membaca tersebut.
Benar-benar inspiratif, kisah mengenai seseorang yang kehilangan kemampuan yang paling berharga baginya. Perjuangan Engel untuk bisa tetap menulis novel walaupun dengan keadaannya yang seperti itu membuat saya, yang juga hobi menulis, menjadi sangat termotivasi. Saya sampai sekarang masih bisa membaca, karena itu saya tidak akan kalah oleh Engel. :D
cheryl6of8's review against another edition
4.0
Another book that got picked up because I was too lazy to move from where I was sitting. Although it was sitting nearby because I had selected it from a stack of my mother's books as one I wanted to read instead of just pass on to others. The title of the book made this in a way a horror story for me, because I have been reading non-stop since I was 3 years old and being unable to read is one of my all-time greatest fears. I had eye surgery last year because my reading was being affected by a vision problem enough to outweigh my fears of the surgery going wrong. Also, I read for my job, but that was secondary to my reading for pleasure.
This tells the story of a man who had a small localized stroke that resulted in him being unable to read, although he could still write. This man was a novelist, so it was a problem for him. He also had memory impairments and a general sense of detachment that made him struggle to think critically. This is his story of putting the pieces back together and even being able to write another novel, although it has not been easy. He talks of still having to sound out words letter by letter. Still, he compulsively buys books just as before the stroke, even though he struggles to read them. The account was well-written and interesting and accessible and it was a quick and humorous read. (His sense of humor never failed him -- in the diary entry written just a few days after the stroke, he stated that his weekend out of town had been canceled due to weather "stayed home and had a stroke instead.") I am actually interested now in reading his mysteries, particularly the one written after the stroke in which the protagonist deals with the effects of a head injury.
I also found it interesting to read this book because my mother had underlined or highlighted some passages and she has been dealing with memory loss in the last few years, so I got some insight into her perspective on things.
This tells the story of a man who had a small localized stroke that resulted in him being unable to read, although he could still write. This man was a novelist, so it was a problem for him. He also had memory impairments and a general sense of detachment that made him struggle to think critically. This is his story of putting the pieces back together and even being able to write another novel, although it has not been easy. He talks of still having to sound out words letter by letter. Still, he compulsively buys books just as before the stroke, even though he struggles to read them. The account was well-written and interesting and accessible and it was a quick and humorous read. (His sense of humor never failed him -- in the diary entry written just a few days after the stroke, he stated that his weekend out of town had been canceled due to weather "stayed home and had a stroke instead.") I am actually interested now in reading his mysteries, particularly the one written after the stroke in which the protagonist deals with the effects of a head injury.
I also found it interesting to read this book because my mother had underlined or highlighted some passages and she has been dealing with memory loss in the last few years, so I got some insight into her perspective on things.
beyond3va's review
2.0
ok, so interesting topic right?...well it was just definitely not my cup of tea. i keep getting distracted by little details in the book that really have no great impact on the story but i do think the journey of Howard Engel is very interesting and anybody can get it.
Imagine that you could no longer do something you loved and have done everyday of your life. I think the courage and "real"ness of the book make up for the fact that it can be a little dull and confusing in general.
Imagine that you could no longer do something you loved and have done everyday of your life. I think the courage and "real"ness of the book make up for the fact that it can be a little dull and confusing in general.
nanajo's review against another edition
4.0
My first Howard Engel book I read was 'Memory Book' in which I was introduced to detective Benny Cooperman who as a result of head trauma was suffering from alexia sine agraphia. Now reading Engel's memoir of his real life experience with alexia, I am filled with admiration for his ability to continue on a path seeking the written word which he can't read or at least without great difficulty. The book is disjointed at times but this is the authentic experience of the author who continues to life his life with confusion. I prefer that a second writer didn't tidy it up. Oliver Sachs provides additional insight into this medical condition which I found very interesting.
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