Peas, "Pills," and Parkinson's [Paperback]

Alice Crooker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 12, 2006

Peas, “Pills,” and Parkinson’s is the story of Alice Crooker’s battle with Parkinson’s disease and her unusual life with highly irregular people and situations. From her birth when her mother suffered from postpartum psychosis, to the shocking diagnosis of PD at age forty-nine, she uses humor and insight to describe her life and, ultimately, her battle with this misunderstood and relatively neglected disease. Her struggles include a series of mis-diagnoses and a long trail of abandoned doctors prior to finding the competent team of physicians at Virginia Mason Hospital in Seattle. There, she was given hope and a medical procedure which gave her life back. This is a story of struggle and triumph, despair and hope, and an abiding faith in God. All proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to the Virginia Mason Hospital Foundation for improving the lives of Parkinson’s patients. Your interest and support are greatly appreciated.

Product Details

• Paperback: 174 pages
• Publisher: PublishAmerica; POD edition (June 12, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1424137292
• ISBN-13: 978-1424137299
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,883,705 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Book of Humor, Healing and Fairth, December 21, 2006

By 

Carol Troestler (Prairie du Sac, WI United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Peas, "Pills," and Parkinson's (Paperback)

I began Peas, "Pills" and Parkinson's, by Alice Crooker in an airport, and finished it on the airplane before I arrived at my destination. The problem was that I had to control my laughter and my tears on the plane, and that is difficult while reading this book. Alice is an excellent writer. Her writing is well-organized and flowing. The stories are not only about Alice having Parkinson's, but also the other challenges and wonders of her life. She climbed mountains, loved her family of childhood and the challenges they brought her, and fell in love with her "faithful, level headed husband, Dave." She says at his retirement party she was thrilled to see how so many others admired him!

Although as a child her family had difficulty even getting water, she looked on her childhood as a good one. Her mother and father were very interesting people, to say the least, and her descriptions of them were so good I felt I had met them. The struggles have been there in Alice's life, but she has met them assertively with humor and never given up on others or her own health problems. In her final chapter, "Odds and Ends," facing some additional medical problems she writes that she and her husband took a trip and "proceeded to laugh themselves silly over absolutely nothing."

Although Alice's life had difficulties, she never lost her sense of humor or her gratitude to God and her family. She says, "Parkinson's is not good, but God truly is." She says, "all he needs to hear from you and from me are the words, "Dear Lord, please take me in your arms and help me." This is an outstanding book of real life experiences met with determination and hope. I loved this book.

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Peas, "Pills," and Parkinson's, December 31, 2006

By 

Ronald F. Kruger "Author of A Higher Good" (Marion, KY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Peas, "Pills," and Parkinson's (Paperback)

Peas, Pills And Parkinson's, by Alice Crooker.
Review by Ron Kruger, newspaper columnist for over 30 years and author of A Higher Good.
It could have been titled "Wit And True Grit," because that's what Alice Crooker brings to her life and to this book. It is a story about trials and triumphs, and courage and humor, in the face of a debilitating malady.
The charm of this book is Crooker's way of putting things:
About her childhood: "Whereas my dad was a "rare genius," because he always remembered and never for an instant forgot I was a special gift from heaven, my mother never forgot the catastrophic depression my birth had triggered."
About being forced to eat peas: "I'm quite certain one day peas will be linked to every known disease and be behind most natural disasters."
This book is full of such wit and humor. Even under the most adverse conditions of Parkinson's, with her body twisted and her movements uncontrollable, the true grit of Crooker's wit shines.
While undergoing "deep brain stimulation," a radical surgery where the head is shaved, a metal halo is screwed into the skull, and pieces of the skull are removed to allow electrical probes deep into brain, the patient remains awake. This is "brain surgery" in every frightening sense of the word. Still, Crooker was quick with self-effacing wit:
"Dr. Nora then started drilling a second dime-size hole, this time on the left side of the top of my skull. His only comment was, "My, you have a thick skull."
My response was, "Thank you for that observation. Now, at last, I'll be able to explain to my family and friends why I am so stubborn and they can't get anything into my head."
Reading Alice Crooker's book makes one wish they knew her personally. It makes one wish they could talk and laugh with her. It makes one wish they could hug her.
After reading it, the first thought that came to my mind was to give my copy to a friend suffering from the early stages of Parkinson's, and then buy another, because the first words of the Introduction to Peas, Pills and Parkinson's says:
"You or someone you know has (this) problem. I am sorry! Since I cannot fix your unfortunate situation, I wrote this book to cheer you up.
"All proceeds will be donated to The Virginia Manson Foundation to help improve the lives of Parkinson's disease patients."

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Struggle for proper treatment, April 1, 2009

By 

Abe F. March "To Beirut and Back, They Plotte... (Germany) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Peas, "Pills," and Parkinson's (Paperback)

This story is not just about a person dealing with Parkinson's disease, but also about the problems of receiving proper diagnosis and treatment. It is a human-interest story about a very special person, Alice Crooker. Her wit provides much humor in how she deals with other people's reaction to her problems. The doctors who treat her are not spared from her feisty manner.
It is also a story about her childhood and dealing with mental problems. Alice is a person who seeks truth in all that she does. Her faith continues to sustain her.