Too Late to Die Young: Nearly True Tales from a Life

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Thank You Ms. McBryde-Johnson...

a brisk ride into disability rights

A Provocatively Tilted Perspective

An Entertaining and Provocative Memoir

Voice of Disability Rights

Too Late to Die Young: Nearly True Tales from a Life
Harriet McBryde Johnson
Manufacturer: Picador
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0312425716
Release Date: 2006-02-21

Book Description

This highly unconventional memoir opens with a lyrical meditation on death and ends with a bold and unsentimental sermon on pleasure. Due to a congenital neuromuscular disease, Harriet McBryde Johnson has never been able to walk, dress, or bathe without assistance. Whether in the streets of Havana, on the floor of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, or in an auditorium at Princeton debating philosopher Peter Singer, Harriet McBryde Johnson debunks and defies the many stereotypes surrounding the disabled.

Customer Reviews:

Thank You Ms. McBryde-Johnson..........2007-04-29

As a child, Harriet McBryde Johnson never thought she would live a long life. At least that is what the telethons on television kept saying. However, she has. Yet, this is not a "triumph over disability" story. It is a story of a woman who is living her life fully. From a law student schooling the University of South Carolina on the subject of civil liberties to experiencing a disability-themed conference in Cuba, the reader is taken on a journey in which he or she just might view disability in a different way by the end of the book.

This book was really powerful for me. I was born with Cerebral Palsy. However, it has not been until the last couple of years that I started feeling comfortable with myself as a person with a disability. I read this book as part of a class I took this semester and I'm very glad I did. Stories like these remind me that disability is not a negative and that we are worthy of full, rich lives.

a brisk ride into disability rights.......2005-08-26

The chapters in this book are arranged chronologically, but each is a discrete story. The episodes varied enough so that I was never bored: Ms. Johnson protested telethons, resisted a search of her dorm by the Secret Service, ran for office, served as a delegate at the Democratic National Convention, visited Cuba for an international conference on people with disabilities, argued in a jury trial, and more.

Her views on disability as a civil rights issue aren't presented in a didactic way; they become clear to the reader as she confronts her opponents. I liked being privy to the details of her experience, even though she presents herself as nearly always right. While I read I was thinking that she came off as SO sure of herself that I would find her overbearing and a little obnoxious in person. However, she acknowledges the thorniness, and clearly isn't out to be the reader's best friend.

Other than that note, I felt myself in good hands. I have a better understanding of what it's like to need and live with a personal assistant. I was familiar with the basics of disability rights, but the book got into nuances I hadn't considered-- the pressures and trade-offs in Cuba, where genuine intentions for equality butt up against severe economic limits, for example. And it reinforced ideas that non-disabled people glide over: most of us will be disabled sometime. Disabled people aren't necessarily more "terminal" or "suffering" than the rest of us, because frankly everyone suffers and dies. And if that sounds depressing, don't worry: some of the stories in this book were so funny I had to read bits out loud to my spouse.

This is a four- instead of a five-star review because I didn't feel I quite got a fair view of the author's opponents; it was just a little too one-sided, although that enhanced some of the humor. But the book was still well-written and fascinating. Definitely worth reading.

A Provocatively Tilted Perspective .......2005-08-16

This new book by Harriet McBryde Johnson, a civil rights attorney in Charleston, SC and disability activist, is a must read! Her book, Too Late to Die Young, provides insight into aspects of her life and career, but the author states upfront that "This book doesn't have a tidy message." Ms. Johnson is a gifted writer with a provocatively tilted perspective that is worth hearing. She accurately describes herself as a story teller in the great tradition of southern story tellers. I knew her stories were worth reading when, early on in the book, in describing a German doctor's bedside overnight care, she wrote "Now I remember how he kept vigil at my bedside so my parents could sleep and then fell sleep himself. As I listened to his deep, barrel-chested rumble, I imagined he was snoring in German." Later in the book, Harriet, after having noted that her normal viewpoint of most people is at crotch level (due to her posture), described her first impression of someone she met: "It's love at first sight - at my first sight of his shoes." Wonderful!

This easy to read book (a mere 258 pages) includes the bulk of the text of Unspeakable Conversations, a 2003 New York Times Magazine article she wrote that described her conversations with Princeton Professor Peter Singer about his beliefs that the severely disabled, in some circumstances, can justifiably be killed. Interestingly, she is conflicted about the accommodating and courteous man versus his "evil" ideas. She acknowledges that she stands outside the radical mainstream simply for having engaged Mr. Singer in a conversation. Sundry other topics this self-described "crip" covers are her personal crusade against telethons, her atheism, her battles with the Secret Service, caustically amusing anecdotes from the 1996 Democratic Convention in Chicago, a trip to Cuba, and battles with a New York Times photographer who wants to shoot her nude ("nekkid" in her parlance) and does -- but not for publication, and many more amusing and unsettling stories.

If you want to read a sweet story about a courageous and noble fight against disability that profiles an individual who overcomes great obstacles to achieve self-fulfillment, this IT NOT the book to read. Johnson`s book isn't about her disability (adamantly so)...but the fact that she is disabled inescapably colors her stories in powerful ways. You won't necessarily fall in love with Harriet, her politics, or all of her causes, but I think you will love her passion for what she believes, what she does, who she is, and why she does what she does. Ms. McBryde is a new and profound voice (at least to me) that is worth listening to.

An Entertaining and Provocative Memoir.......2005-08-03

While I disagree with a fundamental premise argued in the book, I do recommend it for many reasons. First of all, the author can write! She has filled the book with interesting and unusual experiences, described them with wit as well as passion, and she challenges people like me on some basic assumptions and conclusions. I do hope readers of this book will follow up with Peter Singer's Writings on an Ethical Life (referred to in Harriet Johnson's book) in order to hear Singer's opinions in his own words.

Voice of Disability Rights.......2005-04-22

This has been a good year for disability rights in terms of publications. First, Mary Johnson published Make Them Go Away and now we have Harriet McByde Johnson's much anticipated Too Late to Die Young. Read together these texts provide a powerful one two punch for the disability rights movement in an era which has seen the courts gut the Americans with Disability Act. Both authors have been champions and leaders of the disability rights movement and each are gifted writers.

Harriet McBryde Johnson is a gifted story teller--although I wanted to savor the text and make it last I was too spoiled to do so. I read the book cover to cover the day I received it. Now, I am going back to re-read each and every chapter. Each story told resonates at some level regardless of the subject matter. What truly struck me the most was that my life is not so different, that I am not so unsual, and that the bigotry and discrimination I encounter on a daily basis is no different from what other disabled people face. I am not the only one that is subjected to unwanted attention and grossly inappropriate comments. I am not the only one that found Christopher Reeve comments about disability offensive. I am not the only one who is treated poorly when I travel on an airline. In short, discrimination against the disabled is rampant and it is heartening to know others are experiencing and fighting against this. To know that I have two gifted authors on the side of equal rights lets me not only feel better about myself a feel less alone but know the future, in spite of the courts, will be better than the past.

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Written in 1979, yet still just as timely.

America Is Too Young to Die
Leonard Ravenhill
Manufacturer: Bethany House Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0871230135

Book Description

Originally published in 1979, "America Is Too Young to Die," is one of Leonard Ravenhill's best books.

Ravenhill says, "This much is sure: this generation is mesmerized by materialism and tantalized by TV. It is jeopardized by evils no other age has known, and victimized by cruel, malicious propaganda that clouds reality and therefore confuses thinking. The last but not least ingredient of this 'witches brew' is the religious jackanapes, attracting the crowd to his revival jamboree with the lure of miracles, as a cover-up for his itch for gold.

In the foreword, Vance Havner wrote, "His message is the prophetic trumpet blast, not a pep talk at the civic club."

The book contains Ravenhill's description of a prophet. No better or more powerful description of a biblical prophet has ever been written.

Customer Reviews:

Written in 1979, yet still just as timely........2003-12-02

I got this book in the mail this afternoon, and decided to just take a glance at it. Grabbing this book was like grabbing lightning. I could just not let go. I was charged by it. I was changed by it. This book is a powerful cry by Leonard Ravenhill for a life of holiness, a demonstration of the power of God, and faithfulness to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Book Description

The compelling true stories of former gang members won to Christ. It enlightens parents on how and why our children are attracted to gang life.

Customer Reviews:

This book is a must for a thrill seeker and bible believer !.......1999-01-20

Many people have given up on todays youth but Too young To Die paints a picture of hope and persistance by the author who dedicated his life and ministry to helping Chicago ruthless gangbangers find christ.

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Fight to the Death: A True Story
Stephen Richards
Manufacturer: John Blake
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1844542459

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not dated at all
Too Young To Die
the best
Her books are the best!!!
the fist lurlene mcdaniel book i ever read

Too Young to Die
Lurlene Mcdaniel
Manufacturer: Laurel Leaf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0553280082
Release Date: 1989-07-01

Book Description

At sixteen, Melissa Austin has always worked hard to make things go her way. As the school year begins, her grades are up and she's even landed a coveted spot on the high school Brain Bowl team. She and her best friend, Jory Delaney, are determined to have the best junior year ever.

But suddenly Melissa receives devastating news about her health. At first she refuses to accept the doctor's diagnosis, but as her illness gets worse she cannot deny the truth. The caring and closeness Melissa feels toward her family and especially toward Jory help her find the inner strength and courage to face the mysteries of living and dying.

Customer Reviews:

not dated at all.......2007-01-22

This was written before the internet age, but it's totally relevant today. It's about a girl who has it all (looks, brains, etc.), and then she discoveres she has cancer. She meets a guy in the hospital, someone who understands everything she's going through, and they start dating.

I liked this book because so many dating books sort of exist in a world where no one gets sick, and here, real life pops up and gives everything perspective. On the other hand, just because these characters get really ill doesn't diminish how important love and relationships are. Melissa and Ric still have sexual feelings and go through what all teens go through in relationships.

This was the first Lurlene McDaniel book I've read, and I plan to read as many as I can!

Too Young To Die.......2006-12-22

"The diagnosis is lymphocytic leukemia, Melissa. It's a form of cancer." This book puts you in the place of 16-year-old Melissa. She seemed to be a normal teen, living her life to the fullest. She was beautiful with long, thick, black hair, which would soon be gone. Her best friend, Jory, was always with her, and her all-time crush started to like her! She was even nominated to go out for the Brain Bowl, which was always her dream. Everything was going her way until she was diagnosed with a life-threatening disease, leukemia. She couldn't just live anymore; she had to fight for her life. A never-ending battle was going on in her body. Melissa's struggle between life and death really will make you see things from a different point a view.
I recommend Too Young to Die by Lurlene McDaniel to any person that wants to know what facing reality can be like. It is hard for people who haven't experienced loss, to understand. McDaniel does a remarkable job clarifying the situation and taking you on a journey through the eyes of Melissa, while battling her cancer. Many people die everyday of cancer, heart disease, and other dreadful causes. Think about how fortunate you are compared to many of these people that don't even know if they are going to be alive tomorrow.

the best.......2006-03-22

the story sucks u in and wont let u out tell the end with tears in ur eyes

Her books are the best!!!.......2006-03-18

I love to read...especially sad books. This book was amazing!! What bravery Melissa had. I don't want to give away any secrets but this is a MUST read!

the fist lurlene mcdaniel book i ever read.......2005-11-28

When someone gave me this book in fifth grade, I put it aside and didn't read it right away. Boy was I glad when I finally started reading. It was one of the best books I've ever read. Well, back when I was in fifth grade. I'm in eighth grade now, and I still like this book.

Melissa is 16 and starting her junior year, which is looking pretty good. The most popular boy in school has taken an interest in her, and there's a pretty good chance she'll make the brain bowl team (kinda like the math thing in 'mean girls', only math and science). Melissa and her best friend, Jory, are physced. They're about to have a great year! Then Melissa starts finding bruises everywhere, and gets put in the hospital for some tests. The outcome isn't good. Melissa has cancer. Melissa, a perfectly healthy 16 year old, now has cancer. It didn't seem possible. Melissa sees her perfect junior year going right down the drain. The chemo she takes to fight off the cancer leaves her sick, and now the most popular boy in school ignores her. Then she meets Ric. Ric's knows what she's going through. He had half his leg amputted to save his body from cancer. With the help of him, Jory, and her family, Melissa is learning how to cope with cancer. She was so mature for a 16 year old, dealing with cancer. I hope I would have the guts to be as brave as Melissa Austin if I ever got sick like that.

There's a sequel to this book, so be sure to read it when you finish this. It's not as good, but it's still worth reading. It focuses more on Jory.

Always and Forever: Two novels: Too Young to Die & Goodbye Doesn't Mean Forever

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A very inspiring Story
An inspiring story
A very Inspiring Story
Wow
wonderful books

Always and Forever: Two novels: Too Young to Die & Goodbye Doesn't Mean Forever
Lurlene Mcdaniel
Manufacturer: Laurel Leaf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0553494198
Release Date: 2004-05-11

Book Description

16-year-old Melissa Austin has always worked hard to get what she wants. As the school year begins, her work is paying off: Her grades are up and she’s landed a coveted spot on the Brain Bowl team. She and her best friend, Jory Delaney, are determined to have the best junior year ever.

Then Melissa receives devastating news about her health. At first she refuses to accept the doctor’s diagnosis, but as her illness gets worse, she cannot deny the truth. Only with the loving support of her family, and especially Jory, can Melissa come to terms with the mysteries of living . . . and dying.

Customer Reviews:

A very inspiring Story.......2006-08-15

Always and forever is an amazing story and I reccommened anyone to read it. THis story is about Melissa Austin, a beautiful girl with a great family and a great life. Her best friend Jory and her brother Micheal were her two most favorite people she knew although Micheal disliked Jory. All Melissa wanted was for Jory and Micheal to get along. Then Melissa received the most shocking news of her life, she was diagnosed with leukemia. This news was very devastating to her family and friends. Her family and friends watched as Melissa went through this ongoing battle with leukemia and all the could do was support her. After Melissa had a relapse at the age of seventeen she died of LEukemia. After Melissa's death Micheal decided to fufill her dream of Jory and Micheal getting along. So Micheal took Jory up with him into his hot air balloon.
This book has taught me that life is short and you should make the best of it because you never know what is going to happen next. It has taught me that even if a persons life seems great things can still go horribly wrong. This book has influenced me to live my life differently and to stop complaining about things because there are people out there who have it worse than I do. Before I read this book I did not think it was going to teach as much as it did, but now that I have read it I am glad I did.

An inspiring story.......2006-08-15

Always and Forever by Lurlene McDaniel is an very inspiring story and I reccommened anyone to read it. This book is about melissa Austin, a beautiful girl who has everything she could want in life. Jory, her best friend, and Micheal, her brother, are her two most favorite people but Micheal, Jory's crush, shows a dislike towards her. All Melissa wants is for them to get along. When everything seems to be going well Melissa is faced the most shocking news of her life. She waqs diagnosed with leukemia. The news was devastating to her family and friends. Her family and friends had to watch Melissa battle leukemia and all they could do was support her. After a long time of struggling, and a relapse, Melissa Austin died of leukemia at age seventeen. After her death micheal decided to fufill Melissa's wish of him and Jory getting along. So Micheal takes Jory up with him in his hot air balloon.
This book has taught me that life is short and that you should live it to the fullest because you never know what is going to happen next. It has taught me that even if a person seems to have the perfect life something can still go horribly wrong. This book has influenced me to not complain as much because there are people out there who have it worse than I do. Before I read this book I didn't think it was going to teach me as much as it did. This book as influenced me in so many ways and I am glad I read it.

A very Inspiring Story.......2006-08-15

Always and Forever by Lurlene McDaniel is such a great book and I reccommened anyone to read it. This book is about Melissa Austin, a beautiful girl who has everything. Her best freind Jory and her brother Micheal are her two most favorite people but Micheal has a dislike towards Jory. The only thing Melissa ever wanted was for them to get along. She was having a great life until the most shocking thing of her life happened. She was diagonosed with leukemia at sixteen years old. Her family and friends had to watch Melissa go through this ongoing battle with cancer. After battling cancer for a while, having a relapse, and being diagnosed again, Melissa Austin died of leukemia at sixteen years old. After she died Micheal decided to fufill Melissa's wish that Jory and Micheal would get along. So Micheal took Jory up with him in his hot air baloon.
This book has taught me that life is short and it has inspired me to live life to the fullest because you never know whats going to happen next. This book has taught me that even if a person has a great life somrthing can still go horribly wrong. When I started reading this book I didn't think it was going to teach me as much as it did. This book has influenced me in so many ways and I am very glad I read it.

Wow.......2006-03-18

this book was amazing. I picked it up off the school library shelf because all of my friends had said it was an awesome book. they weren't exagerating.

This book tells about a young girl, in her junior year of high school, who is dignosed with lymphocytic leukemia. Melissa is very smart, she is working hard to get the merit scholorship for college. Her best friend Jory, it always there for her, and always working by her side. Jory isn't as "smart" as Melissa, and keeps telling her friend she should get a better social life. Melissa doesn't care about boys, or partying, she just wants to study.

About four months into her junior year Melissa is feeling sick, and gets these bruises on her legs. So the gym teacher reports them to the guidence cousular. She thinks Melissa is getting abused at home. Melissa freaks out, her mother and older brother Micheal have always been supportive...and loving to her. So her mother takes her to the doctor to get checked out. they take a few tests, draw a little blood...and boom. Melissa has lymphocytic leukimia.

This book really shows the hardships of cancer. The chemotherapy Melissa has to go through, makes her get sick almost every five minutes. She is always drowsy, and feels like crap. The way Lurlene McDaniel captures Jory's, and Micheal's and Melissa's feelings is amazing. I cried through half of the book. Its amazing...I recomend this book to anyone. Its more of a girly book, but hey...guys if you like this type of stuff...its an awesome book!

wonderful books.......2006-01-09

this book is one of my absolute favorites books written by lurlene mcdaniel. If you by this book you wont be sorry!

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TOO YOUNG TO DIE

Manufacturer: GOLD MEDAL
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000FI1F8S

Average customer rating:

A Classic Piece

Too young to die
Patricia Fox-Sheinwold
Manufacturer: Emson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0966193407

Customer Reviews:

A Classic Piece.......2000-01-20

My father first bought this book just after it was first released in 1980 shortly after the death of John Lennon (his is the last chapter). Several years later, I pulled the silver and black hardback down from the book shelf and adopted it as my own.

An amazingly diverse and insightful piece of work, this book introduced me to many people who, to this day continue to intrigue and inspire me. Among those include Rudolph Valentino, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Sal Mineo, Brian Epstein, Cass Elliott, Janis Joplin, Freddie Prize, and, of course, the aforementioned John Lennon, just to name a few.

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Informative, Touching, Leaves a Lasting Impression.......2006-02-03

I first read this book nearly thirty years ago as a ten year old searching for answers per my younger cousin's bout with what became terminal leukemia. My relatives feared that discussion of his illness would frighten me but I wanted to know what was happening to him and what was being done to help him.

This book answered my prayers and questions, the simple terms and brave words of kids and teens fighting potentially terminal illnesses dealt with cancer on a level that all-including ten year olds and ninety year olds-could grasp.

Stories of treatment and the all-inclusive effects of cancer (mentally, physically, spiritually) were painful but the indelible mark they left was one of compassionate understanding eclipsing fear of the unknown.

I read this book dozens of times throughout the years, especially after my cousin's passing in 1984.

Ironically, the book's first message, "you can learn a lot from kids with cancer," is both a source of comfort and discomfort, the latter because I've always wondered what happened to those profiled within its pages. I hope they've survived and know what inspirations their stories were and still are.

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