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Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize Finalist for the National Book Circle Critics Award
"A testament to the power of creativity in language, life—and love." —Heller McAlpin, Washington Post
No other writer can blend the science of the brain with the love of language like Diane Ackerman. In this extraordinary memoir, she opens a window into the experience of wordlessness—the language paralysis called aphasia. In narrating the recovery of her husband, Paul West, from a stroke that reduced his vast vocabulary to a single syllable, she evokes the joy and mystery of the brain’s ability to find and connect words. Deeply rewarding to readers of all kinds, Ackerman has given us a literary love story, accessible insight into the science and medicine of brain injury, and invaluable spiritual sustenance in the face of life’s myriad physical sufferings.
Diane Ackerman is the best-selling author of The Zookeeper’s Wife, A Natural History of the Senses, and many other books.
ReadingRoom
Posted July 17, 2011
Besides being a book about helping stroke victims, it was a touching love story of how a wife, who new her husband well, designed a language therapy that was based on his own personality and helped him recover from a seemingly hopeless situation after suffering a stroke. You get an intimate look into their lives and the journey of recovery. The book was heartwarming and a delight to read.
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted March 11, 2012
I thought it was incredibly brave to have written such a painfully honest remembrance of a hard time and a dedication to love. Few people today can try through good and bad to love the one they're with like the author did. Read this book!
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted May 13, 2012
I enjoyed reading and identfying with the authors experience. Her ability to put in words this experience was unique and identifiable.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.PierresFamily
Posted May 8, 2013
In "One Hundred Names for Love," Diane Ackerman managed to craft both a medical memoir, as well as a love story. She weaves the moving story of how her life and her husband's changed, as a result of his serious stroke, and how they responded together. After showing us what their life and relationship were like "before," she allows us to walk through the stages of the "after," as they walk down new paths, and create new but still loving relationship dynamics. Ackerman shares enough medical info to help us understand the effects of the stroke, and yet she doesn't get so bogged down that we lose interest. I don't want to say more; I don't want to give away any spoilers. But this is a great book, and I highly recommend it.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Birdie17
Posted May 3, 2013
I bought this book for a specific reason: my husband had suffered a stroke 3 months earlier and he, like Ackerman's husband, was aphasic- unable to produce words. Both Ackerman and her husband are authors and words were not only the tools of their work,but also the basis of games they would play. The review indicated that the author had helped her husband regain his voice and I bought the book mainly to see what it was she did. It became clear that this couple was unique in their love of language, immersing themselves in puzzles, arcane word games- many of the words I had never heard- and word play before his stroke. For this reason, it was difficult to compare our lives to theirs. In addition, Ackerman was able, for better or worse, to be with her husband all the time,and had, as well,the benefit of a unique, dedicated assistant to help.It wasn't the "how to" guide I was hoping for. However, it is a moving memoir written by a wife who lived through this experience, and in this we shared similar paths. She spoke of the sorrow she felt in coming to terms with knowing life would never be the same and her husband would never be the same. I understood her grief and have felt it myself. I recommend this book especially to other spouses who have had to face the enormity of change that stroke forces upon your loved one and your relationship. In the end, there is always hope. Improvement is painfully slow, but it does come, and we learn to reshape our lives and move on together.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted May 3, 2013
The subject matter was interesting. The unconditional love shown in the book is to be admired. I did find it too "wordy" for me. I know the two main characters were "wordsmiths", but I got annoyed with that aspect of the book. It was as though the author was "showing off" their knowledge of words.
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Posted January 17, 2012
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Overview
Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize Finalist for the National Book Circle Critics Award
"A testament to the power of creativity in language, life—and love." —Heller McAlpin, Washington Post
No other writer can blend the science of the brain with the love of language like Diane Ackerman. In this extraordinary memoir, she opens a window into the experience of wordlessness—the language paralysis called aphasia. In narrating the recovery of her ...