Customer Reviews

Scoliosis: Ascending the Curve

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

As a mother of 2 daughters who have scoliosis, I found this book very informative and reassuring. There was a wide and varied range of scoliosis case histories described, providing something that almost every person/family with scoliosis could relate to and learn from. The medical, social, and emotional aspects of each case were described so those of us touched by this rare abnormality no longer felt alone.

I admire Brooke's courage in writing this book, because scoliosis is a serious, relatively rare and frightening condition. This makes it difficult to talk so frankly about the feelings, emotions, and often severe medical treatment required to control this deforming condition. Bravo Brooke and congratulations for bravely placing a picture of your own back on the front cover of the book.

This book is very informative. It gives a great insight to scoliosis and its trials and errors. Very nice detail of what to expect in every phase of the condition. I really enjoyed reading it!

This book has help me understand in great detail how the spine vertbrae's are linked.With the surgeons letter i was able to see what parts of the spine where affected on my son.This helped to inform me, in a manner in which is easy to understand as the book is written in PLAIN English. I would Reccommend this book to parents or people with Scoliosis wishing to be informed without medical terms.Helps take away the fear of the unkown.rating by me 8 out 10.

I was recently diagnosed with scoliosis and began a search for more information. A woman on an online forum pointed me towards this book. I picked it up and read it in one sitting. The language is not overly complex- very understandable. But gave me a much better understanding of my condition, and what can be done about it. The individual patient's stories were also pretty inspirational.

When I was 13 I underwent a spinal fusion for scoliosis. During this time I was a part of a support group for scoliosis run by Brooke Lyons and after my surgery, Brooke chose to feature me in her book. After reading it I felt people suffering from this disease would have a good resource and I felt good knowing I could help with that. In addition I think everyone's story was really inspiring.

This is a wonderful story (stories) about a real-life disease that remains with you for life. Brooke put real-life experiences of so many different people in this story. Living with scoliosis all my life (33 years), I am now faced with surgery. Even though my younger sister had surgery 13 years ago and has been my real-life source book, Brooke's compilation of facts, stories, and statistics has really been informative and inspiring. Extremely well-written. Thanks for giving us current and compassionate information!!! And congratulations from a nearby neighbor!!

I recently encountered this book at a used bookstore; it was written in 1999 and I would hope there is newer information on the market. That's why this is a 3-star review. It was probably very good at the time it was published. I haven't read any of the other books on the topic.

Ascending the Curve presents a pretty comprehensive view of scoliosis for the recently-diagnosed and therefore, is written for the adolescent patient. Outcomes from a variety of approaches are presented (aggressive treatment, ignoring the problem, alternative treatments that didn't work). The book explains the variables that affect bracing vs. surgery, which I had not been able to figure out by listening to people with scoliosis discuss their treatment.

Two points:
One, I would have liked to see a clear illustation of how curvature is measured. Lots of talk about degrees of curvature, but I'm still in the dark about "degree from what line?"

Two, in the Pros for surgery, one item: "You may get rid of scoliosis-related pain." A corresponding Con says, "The arthritis time clock starts when your spine is fused," implying, but not clearly stating, that the longer term outcome of spinal fusion is a different form of pain. This is not an argument against surgery, but rather a point that could be made more clearly. A fair number of the stories in the book present longer-term outcomes of a variety of treatments (grownups, in other words).

If you're reading everything in the field, this is worth the time it takes to read it. Just don't let it be the only book you read if you've just left the doctor's office with a new diagnosis.

I found the book informative and an easy read, however it lacked excitement and was, at times, boring. As the mother of a patient fighting a different long-term chronic illness and the author of a book about that illness,[ASIN:0595470017 There Must Be A Reason: My Daughter's Battle With Wegener's Granulomatosis] I would have liked to read about the reactions and interactions of the families of the author and those people whose case histories she cites. More detail on the doctor-patient relationships and hospital stays Brooke experienced during her battle would have added to the story. I salute Brooke for sharing her story with the world and having the wherewithall to complete and publish her story. What we learn living with chronic illness either personally or within a family setting can help others and I believe Brooke's experiences touch on doing that.

this book proved an engrossing read one sleepy sunday at the bookstore. brooke lyons and i both attend yale, and over the past year i have come to know her strength, courage and humility. her book is at once insightful and moving. it is borne of a genuine place in her soul and meant to help others afflicted with this ailment. kudos brooke.

This book was lacking any excitment that would allow a reader to connect to it. It read like a medical journal. It is however very informative, as a sort of guide book through scoliosis. But still a reader who does not have the disease will find it quite boring. The personal stories from the author attempted to take the cold impersonal tone away from the book. But the author failed in this attempt. The only thing left to say about this book is that it was a poorly writen book with too narow an intended audience.