{"id":36840,"date":"2014-10-28T11:36:19","date_gmt":"2014-10-28T15:36:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?post_type=feature&p=36840"},"modified":"2016-01-11T06:15:42","modified_gmt":"2016-01-11T11:15:42","slug":"5-books-people-with-diabetes-should-read","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=36840","title":{"rendered":"5 Books People With Diabetes Should Read"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n

I devour books. I always have, and I always will. And over my many years of this life as a D-Mom, I\u2019ve probably read just about every book written on diabetes, parenting a child with diabetes, research, and advocacy. Heck: I even wrote a few.<\/p>\n

But I read a lot of other stuff, too (and write a lot of other stuff). Because, as we know, life cannot and should not be all about the b\u00eates.<\/p>\n

And yet, I find that often I learn lessons or find moments of clarity about life with diabetes in books that I\u2019d never expect to. In fact, some of my favorite books that have helped me ponder this d-life have nothing at all to do with diabetes. I\u2019m sharing some below, five books that changed me for the better, and helped me see things I\u2019d never considered before. Here is my list of five nonfiction books that have absolutely nothing to do with diabetes, but that everyone with diabetes in their lives in some way absolutely needs to read.<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0Polio: An American Story (David Oshinsky, 2006)<\/a>:<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"Polio:<\/a><\/p>\n

This story of how a group of advocates\/citizens worked with the government, the public, and researchers to eradicate a disease is powerful, inspiring, fun to read and hope-building. Polio hit America like a sledgehammer, and the public, at first, was reeling (even though the book makes it clear polio did not impact as many as most thought). Then all kinds of folks \u2013 from regular Joes like you and me to the President himself \u2013 took action as a team and changed it all. Oshinsky describes the evolution of the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis (now the March of Dimes), and how it revolutionized fundraising and advocacy. One would never think of a book about polio as a page-turner, but this one is. And you\u2019ll come away from the read ready to advocate and embracing the notion that united, we really all can make a difference.<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0Don\u2019t Kill the Birthday Girl: Tales From An Allergic Life\u00a0 (Sandra Beasley, 2012)<\/a>: <\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"Don't<\/a>Sandra Beasley is a nationally- known poet, and that shows in the beauty of her prose. But there\u2019s more for the diabetes community to her memoir than that. Beasley weaves us along her life with insanely challenging food allergies. On trips with her family, their \u00a0car packed with more special foods, medications and \u201cjust in case\u201d supplies than most families could ever imagine.\u00a0 Through her childhood she wanted to be \u201cjust like everyone else,\u201d and of course, couldn\u2019t. And Beasley takes us through her complicated but wonderful relationship with a mother who cared deeply, wanted to keep her safe, taught her about advocacy and yes, sometimes pissed her off. Beasley\u2019s honest take on growing up with a challenge that sets you apart, yet challenges you to be better is one that helped me, as a D-parent, better understand my own child.<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail\u00a0(Cheryl Strayed, 2013)<\/a>: <\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"Wild:<\/a>Okay, if you have not heard of Wild yet, you\u2019ve been living in the tundra. And if you\u2019ve not read it yet, do it now before the film comes out \u2013 it\u2019s always good to read a book before the film. And if you read it before and did not see the powerful connection to life with diabetes \u2013 read it again and consider this: Wild is not just the story of a woman braving the elements, carrying a heavy pack and finding her way \u2013 sometimes alone and sometimes with the help of others \u2013 on the Pacific Crest Trail. It\u2019s about doing all that in life. We in this diabetes life carry a heavy pack, even if it is metaphorical (although when traveling, all that stuff we need really is<\/em> heavy). Reading Wild, I reflected on my own D-mom journey and on my daughter\u2019s journey growing up with diabetes. I realized that learning when to lean on others and when to take some steps on your own is so important in life. I understood that I, too, have had to \u201clessen my load\u201d both literally and figuratively along the way. Wild speaks to everyone; that\u2019s why it\u2019s such a phenomenon. But I think the diabetes world will really get something extra from it.<\/p>\n

4.\u00a0Poster Child (Emily Rapp 2008)<\/a>: <\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"Poster<\/a>If you or your child has ever stepped up to speak on behalf of a better future in the diabetes world, or if you are considering it, Rapp gives a raw, honest and amazing look at what life is like as\u00a0 poster child. Rapp, who had a leg amputated at the age of 4 due to a congenital birth defect was, two years later, chosen as the national poster child by the March of Dimes. That role shaped her and her view of the world in ways which are amazing, wonderful, worrisome, sad, and glorious. Consider this thought she shares of the experience: \u201c[The] notion, that happiness and fulfillment hinge upon radical transformation, has followed me throughout my life. From an early age, I had fantasies of being ‘healed’ of my disability, a miracle I envisioned as rather more Disney than biblical.\u201d Her story helped me think carefully about how I guided my own child through some \u201cposter child\u201d times in the diabetes world.<\/p>\n

5.\u00a0The Water Giver: The Story of a Mother, a Son, and Their Second Chance (Joan Ryan, 2010)<\/a>: <\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"The<\/a>D-Parents, for the most part, give their entire beings to raise their child with diabetes healthily and happily. Ryan had what may be perhaps a more challenging role: helping her son through a traumatic brain injury and then back to not just living life well, but with a strong and \u201cnew normal\u201d parent\/child relationship. Ryan is brutally honest about her fears and her anger, her loss of self at times, and her frustration and determination in helping her son find a way back to a happy life. Inspiring and eye opening.<\/p>\n

What are your non-diabetes books that we all need to read? <\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

I hope you\u2019ll share.<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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