Courage To Walk [Paperback]

Robert Waxler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 3, 2010

Courage to Walk is a family memoir filled with fear and hope a heartfelt story of medical intrigue laced with the magic of poetry and meditation. The author s accomplished son Jeremy, a young lawyer, has called to say he cannot move from his bed; he is paralyzed. Having already endured the loss of one son, Bob Waxler and his wife Linda are not willing to suffer another tragic blow and neither is Jeremy. Anxious but determined, they launch into a courageous journey, each in their own way, and battle formidable odds to make sure Jeremy returns to his friends and the courtrooms that he loves. Courage to Walk is a story that reminds us how fragile life is, but it also tells us something important about compassion and the human spirit what a miracle life can be.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Robert Waxler s book provides a poignant and troubling look at a family struggling courageously in the face of a harrowing crisis. What happens when a son is stricken with a mysterious and potentially fatal disease? Why does this happen and how does one--how can one--understand this? What can be done when so much feels out of control? Who should make which decisions? These and other issues are confronted in Mr. Waxler s unsettling, absorbing and compelling narrative, which speaks to the heart as well as the mind. ----Dr. Francis Haines, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Brown University

As someone with cerebral palsy who also works in the disability field, I am acutely aware of the unique challenges that disability can bring to individuals and their families. Professor Waxler s book combines humor, emotion and personal reflection to create a refreshingly honest and accurate look at the highs and lows involved for the entire family after his son Jeremy s illness. Courage to Walk is a winner! Hopefully, it will reach a very wide audience. ----Patrick Gleason, Staff Writer Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center Spotlight Newsletter

There is an implicit contract we make at birth: father-mother/son-daughter. Certain expectations are in place, and we assume that all will continue in what is conventionally considered the natural order of things. With a clear eye--and with no emotional manipulation whatsoever--Robert Waxler tells us what happens when that contract goes awry. This is a very important story, beautifully told. The story of Robert, Linda and Jeremy--with Jonathan hovering close by--reminds us that a parent s love for a child truly knows no bounds. ----Elizabeth Mehren, Professor of Journalism, Boston University, author of Born Too Soon

About the Author

Robert P. Waxler graduated with a B.A. from Brown University, an M.A. from Boston College, and a Ph.D. from Stony Brook College SUNY. He is currently an English professor at University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, where he has also served as Chairman of the English Department, Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and Dean of Continuing Education and Summer Programs. Dr. Waxler is cofounder of the Center for Jewish Culture at UMass Dartmouth, and served as the Center s co-director for fifteen years. He also cofounded Changing Lives Through Literature (CLTL) , an internationally celebrated alternative sentencing program for criminal offenders. Professor Waxler is co-author of Finding a Voice (University of Michigan Press) and Losing Jonathan (Spinner Publications), and co-editor of Changing Lives Through Literature (Notre Dame Press). He has published articles in The Boston Globe, Journal of Popular Culture, Publications of the Modern Language Association, Modern Language Studies, Brown Magazine, and Journal of Business Communications. He has written essays for A Mensch Among Men (Crossing Press), The Book Club Book (Chicago Review Press), Total Quality Management (Dryden Press), and Success Stories (U.S. Department of Education). The author and his work have been featured in Parade Magazine, Le Nouvel Observateur, The New York Times, and on National Public Radio. Robert Waxler can be contacted at [e-mail]

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Spinner Publications; First edition (June 3, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0932027644
• ISBN-13: 978-0932027641
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #979,122 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Savoring each word, February 4, 2011

By 

bdsachs - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Courage To Walk (Paperback)

An impatient reader, I normally scan paragraphs and hunt for the meat of a chapter. Not so with Courage to Walk. I found myself reading every word, slowly savoring each like a flavorful bite. I didn't want to miss one. It was effortless to glide along as the narrative shifted back and forth from poetry to the Waxler family's challenging experience. Bob's skill in telling his story supported by the perfect lines of prose that reflected his emotions added another satisfying level for me.

One cannot help but joyfully celebrate Jeremy's progress and recovery. For their faith, optimism and unyielding efforts in embracing Jeremy in every way possible as he overcome his devastating illness, my utmost respect and adulation go to Bob and Linda. After vicariously experiencing their ordeal, each of us should feel compelled to hug our loved ones a little longer and savor the knowledge that they are safe and well.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Courage to Walk, January 31, 2011

By 

Faye Stoller - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Courage To Walk (Paperback)

In THE COURAGE TO WALK, Bob Waxler writes about his younger son's battle against a potentially paralyzing disease. He describes the harrowing details of Jeremy's journey, beginning with its initial onset, through many doctors' appointments, surgeries, and physical therapy sessions. The book is beautifully written and shares with the reader a very personal glimpse of a family's strength and love.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courage to Walk, January 30, 2011

By 

AnOski - See all my reviews

This review is from: Courage To Walk (Paperback)

Dr. Robert Waxler takes us on a second journey in which one of his sons is facing an almost impossible battle against the odds. In his first book, Losing Jonathan, he shares the agony of the hourly roller coaster emotions he and Linda faced as they fought to keep Jonathan alive and focused on beating his heroin addiction, a battle that he eventually lost a year later. Bob and Linda's willingness to open their hearts and share their pain, courage and loss helped all of us who are parents. One would have hoped that they would never have to face such an agonizing experience again. Maybe lesser people would have crumbled when the second event smacked them in the face and challenged them to dig even deeper than they thought they could. Not Bob and Linda.

They took Jeremy to the hospital believing his inability to walk was nothing more than a simple back problem. Maybe a pinched nerve or muscle spasm. Then the doctors told them Jeremy needed immediate emergency surgery or he might die that night. There was no time for second opinions or alternatives. In Antonio Portia's translated aphorisms, "Voices," he says, " A new pain enters and the old pains of the household receive it with their silence, not with their death." For the second time, Bob and Linda faced the terrifying prospect of losing a son. Could they survive the pain of losing Jeremy on top of the pain of having lost Jonathan? For them, giving up was not an option.

"Courage to Walk" illustrates how the infinite love and support of family and the courage of both parents and child can make a difference. It was not that they had done more for Jeremy than they's done to save Jonathan that resulted in Jeremy's survival . Rather, it was Jeremy's courage and willingness to fight his battle with every ounce of his strength that brought him back from the brink of death to a man who could stand tall and walk with pride. In one aphorism in "Voices," Portia states, "I know what I have given you. I do not know what you have received." Bob Waxler's "Courage to Walk", has given us a treasure chest of opportunities to learn invaluable lessons about hope, faith and courage in this triumphant story.