How do you move forward when the past is holding you back? When the abuse from the past affects life choices in the present? Cerebral Palsy Gal is the riveting story of one woman’s quest to come to terms with her health, heartbreak and family.Amanda was born with cerebral palsy. Throughout her life, she struggled against seemingly overwhelming odds to follow her dream – to be a best-selling … best-selling writer. As a child, she endured appalling physical, mental, and emotional abuse from members of her own family, especially her mother, who could not accept Amanda’s condition. When her father was only fifty-nine, he died of cancer. She found comfort and solace with her grandmother – her “gragwa” as she called her – the only person in her childhood who cared for her. A chance meeting with a former U.S. intelligence officer and his family at a convention in Las Vegas gave Amanda the chance to be part of a loving family she so dearly craved.
Cerebral Palsy Gal is the remarkable story of survival against the odds, a poignant, inspiring, and utterly compelling account of one person finding her own voice and, in turn, becoming the voice of those who, through disability, cannot speak for themselves.
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This was a heartbreaking story yet it was also a story of strength resilence. Being born with cerbral palsy, and not having your own mother acccept you. Yet she does have a strong role model in her gragwa (grandma). I would recommend this book to others
Amanda was born with cerebral palsy. All she wanted in life was to follow her dream to be a best selling writer. Her struggles were real with the physical and emotional abuse she received from her family, especially her mother. Her mother could never accept her due to her CP.
She moved with her family a lot which made leaving old friends and finding new ones a struggle. She just wanted her mother to love her as a daughter. She was closest to her grandma, “gragwa,” who was always there for her.
Eventually she became part of a loving family who accepted her for who she was. She wanted to become the voice for other disabled individuals. An illness should not define who a person is. This story touched my heart since I used to work for United Cerebral Palsy.
An interesting and enlightening read. Fino’s style is quite different from what I’m used to. At times it almost felt like stream of consciousness.
I’m glad this book exists. It sounds like the topic of Cerebral Palsy has been swept under the carpet and that’s never a good thing, especially for those suffering from such challenging disabilities. I also found the situation in the US interesting, comparing it to the very different approach to such issues in Sweden where I live.
I sincerely hope Fino will continue writing because her story and her determination to go after her dream, despite others believing them impossible, is something I’m sure many others in similar circumstances can look up to, encouraging more people with disabilities to drop the shackles society puts on their minds from an early age. Go Amanda! You should be proud of yourself for achieving everything you already have!
I give this book 4.5 stars. The formatting was not as good as it should be and there were some odd moments because of it that threw me out of the flow of the story.
This book is an eye-opener to people who have family, friends, or acquaintances with cerebral palsy. The author was very honest in sharing her experiences and inner thoughts; that despite the disability, they should be treated as normal human beings who have the same feelings as those who do not have disability; that they also have desires and aspirations they wish could be supported without prejudice.
What I love the most about this book is that the author was very honest in sharing her thoughts whether they were good or bad. By the style of writing, I can tell that she poured her heart out to share her amazing life journey.
Overall, I am giving this book 5 out of 5 stars and my recommendation is not limited to people who have cerebral palsy or other disabilities. I recommend this to all mature readers. It is very informative, inspiring, and a great book to read during hopeless times because it teaches self-worth.