Damn Bunch of Cripples: My Politically Incorrect Education in Disability Awareness [Paperback]

lew Shaver (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 2003

I was sitting in a small upstairs room attempting to write this narrative of my education in disability awareness. For over 30 years I have been involved in working with individuals with disabilities as a coach and administrator on the intercollegiate, national and international levels. When I started this journey, at a small, Midwestern University, I had no idea of what I was getting myself into. Now that I have traveled this educational path I have come to realize that it may have been one of the most important learning experiences of my life, an experience I feel needs to be shared.In putting this narrative together, one very real issue I struggled with was how to deal with the present climate of political correctness. My decision was to tell the stories as I remember them, in the language as I remember. To do differently would change and compromise the actual experience. Thus, this is a sharing of feelings and experiences that a coach and his athletes spent in timeless hours in a gym practicing and competing, of thousands of miles traveled throughout the United States and beyond, and days and nights spent together in laughter and frustration.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Lew Shaver was a Professor at Southwest Minnesota State University. He is a member of the Southwest University Athletic Hall of Honor, the Central Intercollegiate Conference Hall of Fame and the National Wheelchair Basketball Association Hall of Fame. He is retired and resides with his wife Judy in Canby, Minnesota.

Product Details

• Paperback: 154 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse, Inc. (September 15, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595292542
• ISBN-13: 978-0595292547
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,105,563 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The human side of disabilities are revealed, January 12, 2004

By 

MJS (Minneapolis, MN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Damn Bunch of Cripples: My Politically Incorrect Education in Disability Awareness (Paperback)

The adventures of Lew Shaver really shows how lifes little twists and turns can have lifetime effect.
The book takes you on a journey of what it is like to travel and work with the disabled who turn out to be quite like everyone. The pictures he is able to draw with words will give you insights as to how they want to be treated and and how the teammates treat each other.
There are a wide range of emotions including rage, happiness, sadness, anger, elation, depression, sympathy, doubt and love in all of the nearly 50 short stories about creating and working with a wheelchair basketball team.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Book, June 23, 2009

By 

K. english - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Damn Bunch of Cripples: My Politically Incorrect Education in Disability Awareness (Paperback)

This memoir tells the story of roughly twenty-five years of life lessons learned with and from the members of his wheelchair basketball team through Coach Shaver's viewpoint. The book provides a good starting point for someone without exposure to disability in their life. It has humor, and is relatable. I would recommend this book to others to read. I would however point out that it could use a revision by an editor, as there are many grammatical and typographical errors throughout the book