Blindsided

By: Richard M. Cohen

Narrated by: Richard M. Cohen, Richard Ferrone

A hopeful look at coping with the ravages of serious chronic illness by an accomplished journalist, a contributing columnist for the New York Times, and former senior producer of the CBS Evening News

Richard Cohen, a veteran journalist, has lived with multiple sclerosis for 30 years. Diagnosed with colon cancer twice in recent years, Cohen chronicles and celebrates a life brimming over with accomplishment and adversity, while struggling for emotional health.

Autobiographical at its roots, reportorial, and expansive, Blindsided explores the effects of illness on raising three children and his relationship with wife Meredith Vieira (host of ABC’s The View). He tackles the nature of denial and resilience and the redemptive effects of a loving family, and does so with grace, humor, and lyrical prose.

©2003 Richard Cohen; © and (P)2003 HarperCollinsPublishers, Inc.

new narrator, wonderful book

I also loved this book and wanted to note that the version I downloaded in 2010 has a new narrator (Mr. Cohen only read the intro). This is a brave, honest book. My dearest friend who has lived with MS for 20 years also loved it, and found it to be incredibly inspiring, as did I. It's about living fully with a chronic illness, but also so much more. It's about life, choices, careers, marriage, so many of the things which make a truly compelling memoir. I rarely take the time to recommend a book (and I've downloaded hundreds) but this one moved me deeply.

Couldn't stop listening...

I tend to be quite critical and harsh when it comes to book reviews. But, I have to say that I adored this book. Maybe it is because I have ms and that this is the first ms-related book I have read (or listened to). But, I was simply unable to stop listening until the book was over. I enjoyed seeing how someone else with ms lived and dealt with situations that I have dealt with or that I will perhaps deal with in the future (even if ms is a very variable disease that affects everyone differently and even if the way I would react to a similar situation might be completely different)



If you have ms, another chronic illness or if you simply enjoy a book that can give one perspective on life (and how lucky someone who has their health truly is) or even if you enjoy biographies I do recommend this book.

Brilliant!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. Richard shows, without morbidity, the reality of living with chronic illness, not only for the person with it, but for the people who live with the person with it.

What did you like best about this story?

He is honest about his feelings and feelings of those around him. He is not a victim! He is merely on a journey of BE-ing with himself.

What about Richard Cohen’s performance did you like?

Honesty

BLINDSIDED (ANABRIDGED

As a sufferer myself with MS for ten years, I heartily endorse Richard's view of his journey with the disease - and his attitude with having the array of difficult to descibe symptoms. I used to say, "God is a Jokester to people with Multiple Sclerosis - Sometimes sHe will say " Let's give the patient, oh, I don't know... Urinary incontenence... or maybe some double vision..." Most of all, I loved how Richard described the incipient, almost imperceptible changes in cognition that MS sufferers endure silently. The dream he has at the very end of the book is classic - I have had that very same dream many many times -- I dare say that every MS sufferer has been bestowed that same vision from time to time.

Great writing and awesome story of courage

A story of determination and hope through the struggle of MS. A view of living with MS but also living a wonderful life.