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Good Idea, Great Execution / / 2001-11-12

Sisters, Brothers, and Disability tells the stories of 26 families, each with at least one disabled child, and a sibling. The disabilities vary: they are developmental, sensory and physical. What the disabilities are doesn't matter as much as who the children are. Author Lydia Gans is sensitive to the fact that two children with cerebral palsy may have very different personalities, and effect their siblings very differently, than may two children with similar personalities and different disabilities.

As much as the text, the 142 photographs of these families show the uniqueness of each one. What is especially important about this book is that the focus is not on the disabled children, but on their siblings. Moreover, Gans has not asked the siblings their feelings about disabilities, but from the text, has simply asked them to talk about their brothers and sisters: what do they do together, what things do they have in common, what tastes do they share, what kinds of rivalry do they experience? What's most likely to make them fight? In some cases, siblings volunteered that they care for a brother or sister, and Gans leaves this with no comment. Eventually the reader notices a pattern, and realizes that most of the siblings who assumed caretaker roles were older than the disabled child. Some sibs did push wheelchairs, but some coasted along, standing on the back of the chair.

Gans includes no analytic text. Analysis is for the reader. However, the picture is overall happy. I hate to spoil things with my own analysis, so I won't. I'll just say that I work in habilitation and developing community living skills in disabled adolescents and adults, and these families were quite real to me; they could all be people I know and work with.

I believe this book explores an under-reported aspect of disabled people's lives, and I'm very glad it has been published.

Customer Review is not available for this book

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An enchanting, down to earth meditation on motherhood / / 2000-10-27

While I am not yet a mother myself, I am surrounded by women who are all wonderful mothers (starting with my own!). This book is the perfect gift for these women in my life, but not just because it's a book on motherhood. It is enchanting (all of Engelbreit's books are; just look at her art work!) but it is also down-to-earth, never sappy or over-sentimental, as some "motherhood" books can be. There are quotes and poems and short stories about various stages and moments in the lives of mothers, and these are alternately funny, touching, witty, meditative. Sections such as " All Mothers Are Working Mothers", "Let's Hear It for Mom", and "Dads in Shining Armour" all seem to have been written especially for these special and incredible moms. As always, a treasure of a little book from Engelbreit.

Lots of Ways for Fathers and Sons to Connect! / / 2001-07-03

Review Summary: Fathers and Sons profiles 30 fathers and sons (and occasionally grandfathers and grandsons, as well) plus describes Mr. Richissin and Mr. Graham's relationships with their fathers. The examples look at the famous and the unknown, the heroic and the fallen, the typical and the unusual, and the traditional and the nontraditional relationships. These connections are exposed in the context of both soaring success and tragic loss . . . and everything in between. What speaks loudest is that the sons want to be connected to the fathers, regardless of how the relationship started out. Most dads will get ideas for how to be there for their sons in more ways.

Review: This book is greatly enriched by emphasizing both photography and family relationships. Each exposition enhances the other. The expressions and body language of the pairs say a lot about their connections that an essay could not.

Fathers and sons who feel estranged from each other will find this book most valuable. They will see that there is always a way to start again, and they will eventually be welcomed.

The book will also be valuable to those who are about to face a family crisis, like an illness, death, or divorce. The examples here will give you ideas and courage for dealing with the inevitable in constructive, emotionally enriching ways.

In the introduction, Mr. Richissin indicates that he asked the men and boys for candor. He seems to have been pretty successful in that way. A number of the men describe what had to have been the most painful moments in their relationships. That made the book more meaningful.

Regardless of your interests, you will probably find fathers and sons whose occupations will be relevant to you. There are a number of sports star families including the McEnroes, Alomars, Mannings, Nicklauses, Graves, Lindroses, Pettys, and Esiasons. You also have performers like the Elliotts and Gebels. Journalists and authors are represented by the Keillors, Schapps, and the Wallaces. Business families are represented by the Mondavis. Politicians are represented by the Lockes.

The stories of ordinary families are moving also. You don't have to be a celebrity or father one to be an inspiring father. Some did it even through their hobbies.

The most touching story for me was about the Aycocks. Knowing that his grandson needed a kidney transplant to survive, grandfather Charlie insisted on being the donor. Going into surgery together and recoving forged an even closer bond than would otherwise have existed.

I was also powerfully moved by Mike Wallace's description of having a sense that something was wrong with his son, Peter, and catching the next plane to look for him in France. Mr. Wallace found Peter's body at the bottom of a 150 foot cliff.

The Lindroses inspired me by their strong desire to make choices that were good for the family in every circumstance.

The courage of the Farrell-Forsteins in sharing their nontraditional family impressed me very much.

After you finish enjoying this wonderful book, I suggest that you share what you learned from it with your father and son(s). Encourage them to read it, too. Then sit down together and discuss how you can make your relationships even richer.

Share your heart with your father and son(s) to fulfill yourself!

Fathers & Sons By Todd Richisson and Jim Graham / / 2000-06-05

It's hard to capture those things that make the relationships between fathers and sons unique. This book is a well written and facinating acount of some of the most celebrated and well-known father and son teams along with some 'ordinary Joes' and their sons. The book is divided into stories of individual families of fathers and sons with photographs of each.

The book is very beautifully photographed in black and white, with interesting shots of the subjects. I got it as a gift for my father-in-law, and it is an impressive-looking book, which will be noticed on a coffee table or in an office waiting room. It has newsmen Mike and Chris Wallace on the front cover and quarterback Boomer Essiason and his son on the back. It was fun to show it to friends and ask them to guess if they recognized the photos of famous father/son teams in the candid settings shown in the book. I thought it made a pretty impressive looking gift that had a little personal touch, because it describes things that have gone right and wrong in some famous and not-so-famous father and son relationships. Overall, I would highly recommend it as a nice looking book that provides some thought-provoking stories about what a father/son relationship is and can become.