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Against Medical Advice: One Family's Struggle with an Agonizing Medical Mystery

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Authors: James Patterson, Hal Friedman, Cory Friedman
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Category: Book

List Price: ~~$26.99~~
Buy New: $10.52
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New (56) Used (32) from $10.52

Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 304
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 5.8 x 1.1

ISBN: 0316024759
Dewey Decimal Number: 616.830092
EAN: 9780316024754
ASIN: 0316024759

Publication Date: October 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: this 2008 hardcover with dust jacket NEW with all pages clean and intact and spine tight and secure -- ONE FAMILY'S STRUGGLE WITH AN AGONIZING MEDICAL MYSTERY -- A TRUE STORY !!!

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Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
Cory Friedman woke up one morning when he was five years old with the uncontrollable urge to twitch his neck. From that day forward his life became a hell of irrepressible tics and involuntary utterances, and Cory embarked on an excruciating journey from specialist to specialist to discover the cause of his disease. Soon it became unclear what tics were symptoms of his disease and what were side effects of the countless combinations of drugs. The only certainty is that it kept getting worse. Simply put: Cory Friedman's life was a living hell.BRBRAGAINST MEDICAL ADVICE is the true story of Cory and his family's decades-long battle for survival in the face of extraordinary difficulties and a maddening medical establishment. It is a heart-rending story of struggle and triumph with a climax as dramatic as any James Patterson thriller. (2008)

Customer Reviews: Read 20 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

Against Medical Advice by Hal Friedman November 23, 2008
I enjoyed this book more than any I've read in a long time. I had also seen the father interviewd on Oprah prior to ordering the book. I found the accounts of their lives very touching and courageous and appreciated the fact that they shared both the good and bad moments. I also found Cory to be one of the strongest individuals I've ever met or read about. I have nothing but total respect for Cory and his entire family. Their mission to "never give up" was a great inspiration to me. I would hope and pray that I could have the same resolve as this family did, if I faced the seemingly insurmontable difficulties this family did. Definitely a good read!

5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic book November 19, 2008
This book was very well written in typical Patterson style, but it wasn't a typical Patterson story. The story was heart warming wrenching all at the same time, with a happy ending!

2 out of 5 stars

Against Medical Advice November 17, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful

I have read all the books that James Patterson has written. I am used to his style of writting. The way this book was written was not a James Patterson style. So much about Cory, his family and the horrible diease Tourette's syndrome was not even brought up. If the story had been written more like novel it would have not only told the story of Cory Friedman but read more like the James Patterson style. Though I do feel for the Friedman family. I would have liked to have read how Jesse his sister or Cory's mom really dealt with the pressure of living with a family member with Tourette's syndrome. My advise is Do Not Buy this Book

5 out of 5 stars

A fascinating story... November 14, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

I'm a huge fan of James Patterson. I think I've read every book he's ever written, including the ones for teens (the Maximum Ride series and The Dangerous Days of Daniel X). I especially like his Women's Murder Club series. He's a great writer when it comes to fiction. And, now it seems he can add writing non-fiction to his list of accomplishments. "Against Medical Advice" grabbed my attention from the first page and had me turning page after page with eager anticipation. br /br /It's a heart-wrenching (as well as a heart-warming) story of a young boy afflicted with a severe case of Tourette's syndrome. The doctors don't know how to treat him, so they keep feeding him medical cocktails in an effort to control his behavior. The drugs don't work; they just sedate him (leading to ADD) and depress him (adding depression to his list of maladies). Some of the drugs simply intensify his problems. How Cory Friedman makes it through this awful time in his life (lasting from age 5 to age 17) is a story that should tug at your heart. It also offers insights into a medical condition that you don't hear much about.br /br /I believe that because the story is written in first-person, it makes it more readable - even though it wasn't written by Cory, it was co-authored by James Patterson and Cory's father, Hal Friedman. The writing is vivid and fast-paced. br /br /My only criticism of this non-fiction book is it left me a bit confused. The book starts out with Cory at age 17, when he "escapes" being confined to Dressler Psychiatric Hospital, where his parents have taken him for treatment in the hopes they might be able to help him. What they find there is both discouraging and frightening, and Cory does not want to stay. They take him home AMA (against medical advice - - hence, the name of the book). But, from there, the narrative flashes back to the beginning of the problem, at age 5 when his "tics" begin, and ends at age 17 again. But, the opening scene is never quite explained in the chronology of the rest of the story. That aside, I give it 5 stars anyway, for being so well-written. br /

3 out of 5 stars

quick read, easy to read November 14, 2008
I read this book in about 4 hours,it is interesting and br /once you get started you do want to see how it turns out. But it is not a "keeper", just get it from the library.br /br /You won't learn much about Tourettes, but you will learn a lot about the medical establishment's compulsion to prescribe medications and keep on prescribing regardless of the consequences.

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