Customer Reviews

Long Time, No See

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I loved this book , not because it is inspiring , which it is , but because it is the story of a fascinating , interesting , fun loving , intellegent , warm , beautiful , real woman ... there is nothing she can't accomplish ! This book reads so easily and with so much anticipation, I put everything aside until I finished it , and when I came to the end I could have started all over again ...... Thank you Beth Finke

I read this book on an airplane flight and didn't even think about how my knees were jammed into the seat in front of me. Some of my fellow passengers were probably curious if they noticed that I laughed out loud (the pinto beans..) and cried at different points. Simply an amazing, funny and inspiring autobiography.

As I read "Long Time, No See" I felt as if the author, Beth Finke, was sitting right next to me telling me her story. She tells it as it is. The book tells of Beth's struggles with blindness, a son born with multiple disabilities, job discrimination, marriage difficulities,while all the time keeping her diabetes in check. Beth writes honestly and with a touch of humor that I'm sure helped her through her many struggles along with her mother's philosphy of "just doing what you have to do." Enjoy the book and be inspired.

This is an extraordinary book. Right from the start I was captivated by Beth Finke's story. She is so brutally honest about life. Her story ranks right up there with Frank McCourt's "Angela's Ashes"--if not more extraordinary. The book is written with great wit and humor. What Beth Finke has gone through in her life really helps to put your own life in perspective. I really enjoyed the book (couldn't put it down) and recommend it to everyone.

An easy quick read with so much inspiration. Finke's writing flows easily and intimately. This is a person you would like to sit down and chat with. She has had many struggles in her young life as she describes her Type I Juvenile diabetes diagnoses to her marriage, loss of sight and then the birth of a multiply handicapped son. She overcame so much and yet her message becomes a cry to help all handicapped people become contributing members of our society without discrimination. Interesting and inspiring-as a teacher I found it helpful and thought provoking as I deal with students who have disabilities. As a parent I wonder how the mother (a young widow) of Beth dealt with the illness and then the other struggles of her youngest daughter with such courage.

Beth Finke's _Long Time, No See_ is a lively and very real story of a modern American woman's life--the ups and downs, the tragedies and belly laughs. Her honesty is palpable and her humor always engaged. Blindness, birth defects, medical red tape, bureaucratic Catch 22's, problems in relationships--this woman has met them all straight on and remained real and honest and entertaining. You won't be able to stop reading this personal story! Guaranteed to give you both grins and tears. Highly recommended even if you know nothing about diabetes or blindness. (P. S. Do not confuse it with a recent novel by the same title.)

Like other reviewers I read this book quickly--you do find yourself wanting to know how it all turns out for the pragmatic narrator of this memoir. However, the timeline is non-linear, and I have yet to find a memoir that makes that work. Still, you will read this and find yourself with a deep respect for its author. If only she could have risked more vulnerability--shown it, rather than reported it, to us--the book would have been infused with more texture, more heart. I do like her for admitting that she doesn't like dogs. Now that took guts!

I read Long Time, No See the other night. I could not put it down til the very last page. Absolutely mind-blowing. Very honest. It was fantastic. I had no idea the complexities of Beth Finke's life. Beth obviously has some amazing family, and her husband Mike is just awe-inspiring. This book is definitely not a 'poor me' story. Its strength is in Beth's account of those daily activities of work, raising a family, and just moving through life. Being blind adds a dimension to those activities I honestly have never fully considered, and Beth does a great job showing us the sometimes humorous and ironic struggles she contends with while living in a sighted world. I highly recommend this book!

I knew Beth Finke growing up in Illinois. I was a teenager when she needed a baby sitter for her disabled son, and she was associated with the foundation where I lived and worked. I not only have very fond memories of Beth, but also her delightful son and her first seeing-eye dog Pandora.

As a young teenager, to meet a woman as bright, witty, and brave as Beth was a life lesson that stays with me to this day. I was so struck by Beth's outlook on life that I decided to make my High School final project a video documentary of her daily life (sorry, it is not available outside of the local TV station's archives). Now, over a decade later, Beth continues to be an inspiration to me and my wife (who also knew Beth), and I am so very glad that others have seen the same in her memoirs.

If you want to be inspired by a life that may have been struck by disabilities, but not dampened by them, you will not be disappointed. While perhaps an odd suggestion to most, I especially suggest this book to those who have sensitive teenagers in their homes - it will put them on the right track towards respect, humor, and a positive outlook on life.

_Long Time, No See_ is the memoir of a woman whose diabetes caused her to become blind at the beginnning of her relationship with the man that became her husband. Beth chronicles her life since the lights went out in a funny, poignant style, bringing humor to stories about her seeing eye dogs and not wallowing in sentimentality over her love for her husband and disabled son. But for me, the best part of the book was reading about the resources and adaptive measures available to blind people. I've been an avid reader since I was two and it's always been one of my greatest fears that I might someday lose my vision, but Beth's book is both an inspiration and a practical guide to what's available. Good work.