Customer Reviews

I'm Glad You're Not Dead: A Liver Transplant Story

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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This book was given to me by a concerned friend who read the book and couldn't believe how similiar my situation is to Elizabeth. I was a little hesitant because of the title but decided to read it anyway. I truly appreciate Elizabeth for putting her experience into words because this book put it all in perspective for me. It's not the end of the world! I'm not the only one. I am at the very, very begining of the process of liver transplantation and found this book to be comforting and informative. Everything I have gone thru so for is identical to Elizabeth's story. I also come from a family of 5 children and found that amazing. I would like to get in touch with Elizabeth. I am going to leave my e-mail address for anyone to contact me, especially Elizabeth. Thank you for putting you experience into words.

This is a good book.

It is a story of the author's own experience of going through a liver transplant. The author is a professor of English Literature, and that adds linguistic flair to the narration. The story in itself is interesting, but at times the language and effort of writing takes away from the story line. Proof reading is average, with many minor typos. The printed text could have been sharper.

Of the 162 pages, the story itself occupies the first 88. Then Ms. Parr adds the stories of other patients, running for 22 pages. These nicely fill in the gaps in the author's own experience, since nobody experiences all possible aspects of the process. Then she resumes her narration's postscript, incorporating the doctors' advice and admonitions, over the next 26 pages. These are useful, and worth remembering. The last 26 pages contain the glossary of the medical terms, and a listing of important transplant organizations. This can come in handy.

The book has a personality which is split between being a good, literary work, and a good patient's handbook. It is tough to balance these two, and this book does manage that feat somewhat successfully. I would recommend this book without any reservations.