Customer Reviews

By His Side: Life and Love after Stroke

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Eileen has told a story that could have been tragic but, instead, was moving, uplifting, informative, sweet, and funny. I have learned so much from reading this book -- about aphasia, determination, love, and persistence. This should be required reading for anyone who has a loved one who has experienced stroke. It is exceedingly well-written and accessible. Thank you, Eileen for sharing your lives with us!

With only a few pages left to read, I am so moved by the book that I want to share how I am enjoying it. I consider the book a true love story. It more than a book about a victim of stroke. It is a moving story about the profound growth in the intimate relationship of a couple. I have been moved by the depiction of the changed relationship between the author and John. I feel it is a very tender and from the heart telling of her experiences. As a parent of a child who went through neuro-surgery, it brought back the memories and feelings of my family's reaction to his medical crisis. Indeed, the most moving section for me was the part where the author shares her feelings at work versus her feelings being with John - at work, she only wanted to be with John and when she was with John, she didn't want to be at work. As a married man with 3 children, there is much truth to that sentiment.

Having a family member who has suffered a severe stroke, I really needed a book like this. I have read quite a few different books on stroke, and this is the best yet from a personal rather than medical viewpoint. I suppose it is even more useful, if you like to author are the spouse of a stroke sufferer, but even as a close relative, its lessons and honest story are useful and very moving.

Ihave given copies of this incredible book to several friends whose husbands have had strokes. Each one has found comfort in knowing that she is not alone. As well, each has learned techniques/strategies to help her husband regain lost skills, skills that had formerly been taken for granted.
And,as a public health professional, I have learned that we are failing to meet the needs of caregivers. This book was a wake-up call for me. Eileen had to figure out, on her own, what her husband needed and what she needed. The health care system should have been there for both of them. We have our work cut out for us. Thank you, Eileen.

This book was an amazing recall of the personal experience of a spouse of a person with aphasia. I read the book for a book review for a college class. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in stroke rehabilitation, has a loved one who has suffered a stroke, or wants an inspiring read!

As a reader, I am probably very typical. I enjoy a well told story. (Case in point - former President Reagan's review of a Tom Clancy novel praises Clancy as a storyteller.) Perhaps my excuse relates to my own Irish heritage, and the history of the 'Shanachie' or story teller in the Irish culture.

Whatever my reason for expecting a book to always deliver a well told story - Eileen Quann's book does just that.Perhaps Ms. Quann's ability to relate her story so well comes from having lived with a man, her husband John, who certainly sounds as if he might have been an Irish Shanachie in an earlier era.

This book brings the reader into the story of the author's life. The circumstances that drove Ms. Quann to write the book will most likely be foreign to the majority of readers (I know I don't have any family members who have experienced stroke). But the people in this story will seem familiar to many readers, who may have a brother, sister, mother, or husband who have said or done things that sound very similar to what Ms. Quann's family say and do.

I certainly related to where Ms. Quann was in her professional life at the outset of the story. Perhaps this made me think a bit more about what happened as the story unfolded. Would I have reacted in a similar manner? What is really important in my own life? I think many readers who pick up this book will also wind up asking this question. What I truly enjoyed about this book, was the ability of the author to relate this question, in the format of a well told story.

This is not a 'preachy' type of book. It is a story about a family. Like most families, that means they experience love, laughter, tears and fights amidst the more routine daily events. This family also experienced a loved one suffering a stroke. Although we may not have experienced that, we can relate to how this family responds to this experience, and enjoy the story this author weaves as she relates their story.