Customer Reviews

Blindsided: Lifting a Life Above Illness: A Reluctant Memoir

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Review based on hardcover 9/2003... Reviewer's comment: 'Until you walk in my shoes...' I offer that reminder to those reviewers and readers who may pass judgment on a writer, who openly shares his life of trials and tribulations, of what he does or does not say... how he does or does not react to his chronic illness. Here is a man who opens himself to public scrutiny of emotions from the heart -- that alone is a over-the-top fete to accomplish, in this reviewer's eye. Shalom, Mr. Cohen, thank you.

BLINDSIDED is a book sized small in width and length, but powerfully-packed in content with exceptional use of words, phrases and sharing of personal privacy. Richard M. Cohen tells of his life, his family, his chronic illness with candor, wit, anger and courage. Cohen reveals heartache, emotional, physical and mental trials, with introspection of his actions and effect upon his family and self well-being. There are moments when Cohen sometimes goes within himself, leaving the reader, but faithfully he returns.

At age 25, Cohen was diagnosed with beginning stages of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) - a progressive disease. In later years, he battles recurring colon cancer with accompanying side effects, and deals with blindness attributed to side effects of MS. With honesty, the author vents the struggles of physical and mental pain. The fact that the medical profession was only mildly supportive in caring... unconcerned with applying the holistic approach, and the ramifications suffered by Mr. Cohen is appalling, a blemish on the medical profession -- albeit not a new occurrence.

At the beginning there are natural denials ... Cohen states, "Yes, denial can put the brain to sleep, anesthetizing the mind that refuses to face the truth and see the approaching freight train hauling the heavy load of heavy reality." Some of his "advisors" tell him... 'don't tell anyone'... then others say, 'tell about your illness'... 'full disclosure does not work in the real world...' Either route presented problems... within these advisors are coworkers, peers, relating to the damage or not of telling employers and prospective employers. Attempting to live life to the fullest with courage and dignity, Cohen continues his participation in assignments of travel including Poland, Beirut, San Salvador, Middle East and China.

Beyond medical distant (non) attention are the CBS networks executives who mistreated Richard Cohen as well as Meredith Vieira in her right to put family first ... that includes Mike Wallace, his use of ugly language to a female coworker related to baby Ben being brought to his mother's office and a natural act of a baby crying. Hooray for you, Ms. Vieira for not bowing to the ignorant authorities you had to put up with. My admiration of you grew through the years for not bowing to corporate dirty politics. And, your presence on ABC's THE VIEW is exceptional.

From Richard Cohen... "... the formula for successful coping rests in the eye of the beholder... no magic... Making peace is not a one-shot deal but an effort that spans a lifetime. Coping takes discipline and self-control."

Recommended reading: THE LAST DANCE BUT NOT THE LAST SONG, MY STORY author Renee Bondi

I think this is a book everyone should read. Why? Well first let me tell you why I read it. I have a friend who has MS, and I felt this was a book I needed to read to support them, as well as just to gain a better understanding of what one goes through with MS. About half way through this book I realized, the book isn't about MS, it's about living with illness period. MS just happens to be the illness Mr. Cohen has been dealt, along with Colin cancer. At times this book is very intense with emotions and I wanted to just sit there and cry. A few times I just about did. Reading this book helped me to understand that when things seem to be getting bad, always put things in prospective. Think about where you are at that moment in time, and think about how well you have it to others. Count your blessings, especially the ones that matter the most to you. Mr. Cohen had to learn that he couldn't try to run away from his illnesses, he had to learn to run WITH them. It's not always as easy as it sounds; it's a process that Mr. Cohen had to accept. He also had to realize he is a work in progress. This book is one I think everyone should read because of the fact that it encourages you and reminds you that things aren't always easy, but with the ones you love around you, you will get through life with illness or a disability. Those with illness or a disability don't have to run life's race alone. That is probably the one thing in this book that I was encouraged the most about. This book is the best book I've read in a long time.

I, too, suffer from a rare, chronic, progressive neurological disease. I saw myself so clearly in these pages - the frustration, the anger, the acknowledgement of the energy it takes just to make it from day to day.

This is not a "how-to-cope" book. It will take you inside the mind of a person who suffers from a disease -- severe MS in this case -- and is a journal of sorts of his battle for 25+ years. Insult is added to injury when he develops colon cancer - twice.

Cohen is marrried to television talk-show host (The View) Meredith Viera, and it's about the dynamics of their marriage and family (three children) as much as it is about him and his illnesses. The honesty is searing and made me feel as if I were with a compatriot in a lonely war.

What I have found to be of great help for myslef is developing my spiritual (different from religious) life. Cohen dismisses this avenue of help, although he talks a lot about atttitude, and I wanted to reach out to him and share the comfort I have found.

I still highly recommend this book to anyone who is chronically ill, or shares a life with someone who faces that challenge.

What a poignoint narrative...I see so many parallels between his experience with that of our family...so few people truly understand what living and coping with life threatening chronic illnesses is like or how a progressive illness can have such a major impact on a family. He is a role model of 'strength' and 'tenacity' for those of us who traverse the 'landmine' of castrosophic illnesses. I appreciate his searing honesty and his outlook on life. I could relate to everything he wrote about. Bravo to a well written, moving book.

Having just read the very last sentence I have tears in my eyes from the strong emotions I feel upon it's end. Words can't describe how well written and truly honest this book is.

It will touch your heart and soul. This book will take you to places within your psyche that are so painful, gut wrenching and raw you will wonder how Richard could write in ways that you have always felt but were unable to put into words.

I have MS and have read many books on the subject of living with a chronic illness. This is by far the best. If you or your family is living with illness this book is should be on the top of your reading to-do list.

I have never written a review for Amazon before, nor have I ever been compelled to. But this book was so perfect. It was deep without being superficial or austentacious, it was honest without being sanctimonious for the level of honesty. My husband has MS, and I got this book to get some insight as to how others deal with the disease. Meredith, or Richard's accounts of Meredith, gave me so much reassurance. They are a brave and wonderful couple, who embrace their own humanness instead of trying to cover it up under make-up and bright lights. Thank you, Richard, for your honesty, for your introspection, for your ability to write in a way that conveys the whole mess of emotions that come with this life. It's odd that really pure joy and irony and uncertainty and misery can all run rampant at the same time, but it's so true, and that really comes through in your book. You're a fantastic example.

Richard Cohen knows about sorrow as well as joy. When he was twenty-five, life seemed to have endless promise. He was an up-and-coming television news producer who felt physically fit and self-confident. One day, Cohen dropped a coffee pot, and he chalked it up to a clumsy moment. On another occasion, he was standing at a curb and he lost his balance for no apparent reason. He gave these symptoms little thought until his leg began to itch and Cohen realized that the outside of the skin on his leg was completely numb. After speaking with his father, a physician, Cohen learned that he has multiple sclerosis, a devastating and potentially crippling disease.

"Blindsided" is not just a story of sickness and physical deterioration. It is also a testament to the faith, love, and determination of a very special family. Cohen married Meredith Vieira after he was diagnosed with MS. They have three children whom they adore, and they have remained unified throughout many years of suffering and sacrifice. Besides his battle with MS, which has left him legally blind, Cohen has also survived two bouts of colon cancer.

Each day, Cohen lives with the knowledge that he will most likely never recover his strength, that he cannot work at the job he adores, and that his wife and children will see him growing weaker as the years pass. Yet, he chooses to fight back by doing his utmost to remain as strong as he can, and by setting an example of courage that is an inspiration to those who know him. Although Cohen's prose is not subtle or elegant, his story is compelling, unforgettable, and unflinchingly honest. After reading this powerful book, most readers will consider every day of good health to be a tremendous blessing that should never be taken for granted.

Those of us with MS tend to stick together. Unfortunately, I would not recommend this book to sufferers of this illness. Despite his claims of optimism, the anger and bitterness of Richard Cohen are strong themes in this book. I found myself questioning whether or not I have, or ever will have, a similarly angry, defensive, and demanding effect on myself and my loved ones.
Mr. Cohen has many amazing professional and personal accomplishements and I was hoping to read about how this man had managed to create such a full life for himself in spite of his obstacles. Instead of hope I found fear.

... at BLINDSIDED, Richard Cohen's memoir about living with serious illness. Because although its specifics are about living with multiple sclerosis, its generalities are simply about living ... and dealing with whatever is the very serious "stuff" that dysfunctions each of us and those we love.

Perhaps due to his background in journalism, Cohen spends most of the book in his head -- dryly analyzing and explaining and at times distancing himself from the reader. But late in the memoir, he dips into his heart to dramatize his dark emotions of shame and anger (after which he apologizes for "complaining"!) -- and it is then that the reader finally sees him sympathetically and is drawn into his specific story.

There is a strong thread of anger in the memoir. From the chip-on-the-shoulder anger of youth that may have led him to activism and on to journalism, to the reactive, look-what-you-made-me-do outbursts that he attributes to illness rather than to his own constitution. Ah, but the fact that we all have similar constitutions is why we can identify with him. I'm not sure Cohen "gets" the universality of his experience -- but readers do, and will all learn much from it.

"Anyone battling chronic illness understands the power of family support and even the groundless fear of being left," Richard Cohen says.

Cohen, whom I had never heard of before reading this book, puts everything in perspective in this eye-opening and introspectively candid look into not only his life, but that of his spouse Meredith Vieira and their 3 children. At times shocking, revealing, humorous, instructive, as well as cathartic, Blindsided makes for an incredibly refreshing read for anyone who has suffered through a chronic illness or hospitalization(such as myself) or who simply enjoys a profoundly uplifting memoir.

Cohen will surprise you with his surprising candor and dry humor. Especially amusing was his unbridled disdain for the ostensibly helpless light in which Ladies Home Journal cast him in after interviewing Meredith. Making him out to be a pitiful invalid and Meredith as the incessantly weeping caretaker was far from the truth, Richard says. As a true testament to his unwavering resolve, he has chosen to live his life to the fullest that he possibly can -- regardless of his medical limitations.

"Personal strength, in the end, wins out. My hope never dies. And, still, I call myself an optimist. I believe that in the end, my life will be better."