May 07, 2008
New Children's Book on Cochlear Implants
My Hearing Loss and Me: We Get Along Most of the Time
by John F. Anderson, Jr.
What are the experiences of students with hearing loss attending regular schools? This book tells a story of a fictional young student through pictures and his experiences using a cochlear implant.
http://www.trafford.com/robots/03-0677.html
Posted by pfa at 09:02 PM | Comments (0)
February 05, 2008
Book: The Church of 80% Sincerity, by David Roche
We are delighted to bring this new release to your attention. Notice, it is available TOMORROW!!!! So get your copy now. Highly recommended by Betsy ...
================================
PRESS RELEASE January 18, 2008
Contact: Tom Haushalter at Tom.Haushalter@us.penguingroup.com
For additional info: www.davidroche.com
Penguin Books is publishing David Roche's new book "The Church of 80%
Sincerity" (under the Perigee imprint) as of Feb. 5, 2007.
“It is not the fact of my disfigurement that wears at my psyche. It is
the fear and self-doubt of others, their very human concern about their
own social acceptability, their worry about being unloveable and
abandoned, which they project onto me.” - David Roche
David Roche, the author of “The Church of 80% Sincerity,” is an
excellent example of the working of the social model of disability.
Roche was born with a large venous malformation on the left side of his
face and neck. Surgeries and heavy radiation therapy in his infancy
further contributed to an appearance that others can view as grotesque
and frightening. With the face commonly being perceived as the locus
of the human persona, Roche is judged as being disabled, even though in
truth he meets none of the common physical criteria for disability.
Roche has for years played with this in his stage work, particularly in
his signature performance, “The Church of 80% Sincerity.” Now, in his
book of the same name, he works this territory with his customary wry,
warm wit.
Humor is the most subversive of the arts. In “Church,” Roche uses it
well to present a new paradigm for facial difference, one which
effectively challenges the prevailing social definition of disability.
Disability is not a tragedy or a reason for pity. It is not something
to be atoned for, nor something to be cured. Instead, Roche claims, for
him it has been a gift.
He shows clearly how his disfigurement brought him to a deeper level of
understanding of himself and of others. Roche says, “My face is unique.
My experience is universal.” And he shows how all of us have an inner
sense of being flawed, a fear of being unacceptable to others.
There is no hint that Roche has transcended his perceived disability.
Instead, it is clear that through it, he has come to be at one with
himself. He has found wholeness through, and with, what at first seemed
to be his flaws. That is the new paradigm, and it is a powerful one
that flows right from the heart of disability culture.
STARRED REVIEW FROM PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The Church of 80% Sincerity _David Roche. Perigee, $19.95 (160p) ISBN
978-0-399-53390-7
The church of the title is not a formal organization but a concept-"the
church of choice for recovering perfectionists," Roche writes in a
powerful little book that's part memoir, part inspirational handbook.
"You can be 80 percent sincere 100 percent of the time, or 100 percent
sincere 80 percent of the time. It's in that 20 percent area where you
get some slack and you can be yourself." For Roche (now in his 60s),
being himself has meant coming to terms with a face so severely
disfigured by a benign congenital tumor that he's been spat at and
called a monster. He was rejected from a seminary because, he was told,
his appearance meant "people would not respect you as a priest." The
loss of the fathers of the Holy Cross is the general public's gain. A
performer and motivational speaker, Roche is frank and witty and
incapable of resorting to sentimental pap. He's used to people staring
at him, and he admits he's been tempted to respond to pestering,
obnoxious boys by saying, "Well, my face is like this because when I
was a little boy like you, I touched my wee-wee." He's well aware that
people find him inspiring, but he doesn't try to hide his flaws, and
that makes him more inspiring. (Feb.)
Posted by pfa at 09:27 AM | Comments (0)
June 01, 2007
UPDATE: Help! I'm Being Bullied Now Available in US
Remember last October when we mentioned a really innovative and excellent new book on bullying? At that time the book was only available in the UK, but now we are delighted to announce it is available through a US distributor!
Help! 'm Being Bullied by Emily Lovegrove is very highly recommended, and has been very much in demand locally. What makes it so unusual is that it is so practical and useful and doable.
This book is designed to be used in close partnership with the parent and child, giving tips and tricks that can be easily remembered when under stress about how to react and defuse situations. It gives a very clear methodology with instructions for how to remember the strategy, which approaches word best in whicih situations, how to avoid escalation -- all with training exercises to help the child remember what to do and help the parent know how to work with the child and give the child appropriate cues.
You can find Help! I'm Being Bullied listed on page 29 of teh Sping 2007 catalog for this distributor. The catalog is available as a PDF on their web site.
Dufour Editions
http://www.dufoureditions.com/
Phone:
1-800-869-5677
610-458-5005
Address:
PO Box 7
Chester Springs, PA
19425
Posted by pfa at 10:17 AM | Comments (0)
April 09, 2007
Betsy's Recommendations: A Movie and a Book
Betsy just wrote me to recommend a couple items that have caught her interest and excitement.
The first is the movie Stolen. The main plot of the movie focuses on art theft, but according to Betsy the movie contains a subplot touching on nose prostheses, facial disfigurement and facial reconstruction. The film is now available for purchase as a DVD.
The second item Betsy is recommending is To Die Well, a book by Dr. Sidney Wanzer and Dr. Joseph Glenmullen. From the book's web site, this phrase seems to best describe its purpose.
"The information in To Die Well is both comforting and empowering. Knowing our rights to refuse treatment, as well as legal ways to bring about death if pain or distress cannot be alleviated, will spare us the frightening helplessness that can rob our last days of meaning and connection with others."
Posted by pfa at 09:22 AM | Comments (0)
November 26, 2006
Heroes with a Thousand Faces
We received the following press release for this absolutely fascinating book, Heroes with a Thousand Faces. Some of the information and personalities presented in this new book are also highlighted in the musical Let's Face the Music previously profiled in an earlier blog entry.
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Imagine if we had to wear our imperfections like labels on our faces every day, all the time – in photos, at formal events, interviewing for a job, and meeting someone for the first time. What if there were no hiding our imperfections? No doubt we would struggle with feeling self-conscious and we would constantly wonder how we were being judged by others.
In her book Heroes with a Thousand Faces, writer Laura Greenwald introduces us to people who were born with severe facial deformities or whose faces have been changed forever because of injury or disease. Their stories are at once heartbreaking and hopeful. They teach us all the definitions of patience and perseverance.
One young woman, Melissa, has undergone forty-two surgeries in nineteen years to try to correct issues affecting her face since birth. After surgeries, she refused to look in the mirror for days. “She wouldn’t look in the mirror,” her family says, “because she wouldn’t know who was going to be there.” Today, Melissa advocates for education and understanding for people with facial deformities. “I wish parents would educate their children that we’re not all the same. I wish parents would tell children what’s wrong and not just tell them not to stare.”
From a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at how prosthetic noses, acrylic eyes, and other replacement parts are made, to the headline-grabbing debates about facial transplantation, Laura Greenwald challenges her readers to look beyond physical appearances and to see the heroes within.
A portion of the author’s proceeds benefits programs to support people with facial differences.
Order Heroes with a Thousand Faces from BN.com or Amazon.com, or by contacting Strauss Consultants at 718.625.9382.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Laura Greenwald writes and edits medical publications. She is manager of physician and consumer communications for Cleveland Clinic.
Posted by pfa at 09:50 PM | Comments (0)
November 03, 2006
Books: Uglies, Pretties, Specials
Young adult author Scott Westerfeld has recently released the final volume of his trilogy:
1. Uglies
2. Pretties
3. Specials.
This series is not particularly happy or upbeat, and whether it is inspiring will depend on the individual. From many perspectives it could be considered provocative.
While the three books discuss a variety of important sociopolitical themes, the one most relevant to this blog is the consideration of personal attractiveness. Uglies is set in a post-apocalyptic future. To protect the world from another collapse and to encourage all peoples to treat each other as fair and equal, they have come up with a strategy -- require all people to be equally attractive. Yes, really -- compulsory cosmetic surgery at age 16. If you run away, they hunt you down and bring you back. At the same time, they use brainwashing techniques and peer pressure to persuade people that they really want these surgeries. Not quite halfway through the first volume, one of the characters asks, "But what if I want to keep my own face?"
As I said, a provocative work. It doesn't entirely answer the question for you, although you can see the author's sympathies glinting through the discussions.
Posted by pfa at 02:40 PM | Comments (0)
October 27, 2006
New Bullying Book
We had a great inaugural event today, and Betsy is a simply wonderful speaker. While Betsy was here, she mentioned a book on bullying that has impressed her.
Help! I'm Being Bullied
Dr. Emily Lovegrove
http://www.bullyingdoctor.com/
Betsy said this book is primarily for teens and their parents, with alternating chapters written for each audience. It offers a range of strategies, with memory aids to help pull the ideas out when you need them.
While the book is strategies that are independent of the source of the type of bullying, Dr. Lovegrove's primary research and clinical experience has been with children with facial difference. Here is the research behind the book.
Lovegrove E, Rumsey N. Ignoring it doesn't make it stop: adolescents, appearance, and bullying. Cleft Palate Craniofac J. 2005 Jan;42(1):33-44. PMID: 15643925. Abstract
Posted by pfa at 04:57 PM | Comments (0)