Hang on for the ride as young Jessica Shephard combats a rare, disabling disease. Based on a true story, Laughing Sickness plunges the reader into her desparate search for a diagnosis while struggling to hang onto her life and independence.
Jessica’s harrowing life journey spotlights the ways a person with disabilities can manage in the workplace, cope with a lover and family members who may want to help but stifle independence, get help from doctors swamped with HMO patients and prone to think that what they can’t diagnose must be “all in the patient’s head,” and the urgency of heeding warnings about the dangers of too closely spaced tetanus and other innoculations. Jessica is a joker, a comedienne who uses humor to help her cope, even as a symptom of her rare (and real) disease is suffering an episode of paralysis every time she laughs. Amazing what one can learn when one’s great strength becomes a great vulnerability. Jessica brings all her determination and fighting spirit to getting diagnosed. Does she succeed? I welcome the reader’s opinion on the answer to that question. I’d also like to hear your thoughts on the needs and wants of the disabled. I’ve tried to deal with many of them in my book, but if you think there are more, whether you’re one of the afflicted or one of the rest of us whose own abilities are so perishable, I’d like to know about it for future writing. If you email me at anneblackgray@aol.com, I’ll answer. |
| REVIEWS
I found this book to be a grabber from beginning to end. Although fiction, truth was there, and the author brought to light many problems faced by people who have illnesses not of the norm; and all the trials and tribulations, pain and suffering they go through seeking their answers. I truly recommend this read - great story, informative, and inspirational as well. Well worth your time.
MIDWEST REVIEWS
Anne Black Gray tells a forthright story about a young woman, a baffling illness and a lesson for everyone about disabilities. Laughing Sickness: A Medical Mystery should be a must read for everyone – especially medical personnel who are so quick to blame anything they can’t pinpoint as being psychosomatic. What starts off as an unsolvable illness ends with hope and courage. A truly inspiring story!
SIMEGEN.COM
A tale that has you gripped from page 1. It requires a lot of knowledge of this illness to write a book about it but Gray has managed and succeeded in doing so. Let’s just hope that it opens more people’s eyes to this awful disease people suffer with. After reading this emotional book you realise it is not wise to snigger at those unfortunates blighted by this illness; instead you should offer help and support in abundance. A truly engrossing book that offers light on today’s medical system and just how these patients tend to be treated. Definitely worth reading.
BOOKPLEASURES.COM
The book is extremely well written and beautifully printed. The style is engrossing and the suspense is kept up. I could put the book down only with a lot of difficulty and finished the book in 2 or 3 days. There is a lot of useful information about many medical conditions and diagnostic procedures. At the same time, it is entertaining too. All in all, an excellent read.
SWAMYREVIEWS.COM
This is a striking story that can be read easily in one sitting. The plot is gripping and the novel is a real page turner, since it is based on a real medical case. The story addresses important issues, such as the disabled, discrimination against them and ways to assist them. The reader can easily identify with Jessica and sympathize with her and her plight. The story is well structured and the language simple enough to be understood by all people. It caters to a wide audience who love fiction and nonfiction alike, since the novel is based on a real story.
RAMBLES.NET
It’s practically impossible to find a novel that offers an insider’s view of a relatively untouched subject, via fictional characters who are as admirable as they are likable. Anne Black Gray did just that in Laughing Sickness: A Medical Mystery. I allowed myself a flip-through read to see what Gray had done with this latest addition to the mystery shelf. Once started, I couldn’t stop. I had to see how young, smart, healthy Jessica, benched by an undiagnosable disease, plows her way through the laughably (if it’s not you) bungling medical system to a diagnosis she can live with.
Good for Gray.
Harriet Rochlin, author
This work, admirably, shows the author’s intent to foster awareness of “orphan” diseases, the need for improved medical research and development of therapeutic approaches, and a greater respect and understanding of those with disabiltiies. This novel is more than the sum of its parts.
Pat Lohr-Williams, RN
This book allows you to imagine things that seem impossible – like being incapable of communicating, losing the ability to walk, and having no answers to why you are slowly losing everything valuable in life. It unravels at a fast pace, and is a teaching story that would be rewarding to medical show voyeurs, or people in the medical profession.
L. Stein, RN
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