Book Review of Huntington’s and Me      Reviewed by Sarah
A Guide for Young People
by Alison Gray
Huntington’s Disease Association (Wgtn) Inc.
61 pages, $12-00 plus postage.

 The new book “Huntington’s and Me”, is everything and more than I expected it to be. From the explanations of the very basic things, like what HD is actually about, to advising people how to cope with HD. The book covers all the possible questions anybody could have about HD. The layout of the book is also very impressionable. It starts off with the facts and as you continue to read it, it gets more personal, ending with information about how we should all be positive about a HD cure to come.

The book is very easy to read. Explanations are good and relate well to your own situation. The book includes realistic situations and feelings that people connected to HD deal with every single day of their lives. It gets the point across that HD is an extremely difficult thing to deal with, especially for children and young adults who are still growing and developing. The book makes you feel less alone and it makes you feel as though it is okay to feel how you do because others feel exactly the same.

Although the book does a very good job of mentioning all the hard things about HD, it also states that there are ways around the difficult times and also that there is reason for hope; hope that many cling to.

The illustrations add something special to the book. They are quite basic but very effective. I especially liked the quotes throughout the book by different people in different HD situations from throughout New Zealand.

 The book proved very useful for me. I only took in what I needed to know and what I needed to be reminded of. Every person will get different things from it, depending on their own special situation. One thing that I can say is that all young people who read it, whether they are fully connected to HD or not will definitely get something from the book.

I got from this book that the best thing for me is to accept that HD is part of my life and that it has changed my family and me forever. It does not mean that life does not go on, because it does. There is so much excitement in life with or without HD. From his point onwards I will not let HD get in the way of anything as I am still young and healthy with a lot of life to live. That however is just something personal I got from the book. I encourage everybody related to HD in any way to purchase the book as it has so much to offer anyone.

 SARAH