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Karen #2
With Love from Karen
The author continues the story of her daughter facing the challenges of living with cerebral palsy in this sequel to Karen.
384 pages, Library Binding
First published January 1, 1963
44 people are currently reading
265 people want to read
About the author
Marie Killilea
17 books33 followersFounder of the Cerebral Palsy Association.
* Marie Lyons Killilea was born June 28, 1913 in New York City to Tom and Marie Powers Lyons.
* Her father was a sportswriter for the New York Sun and later became co-owner of a Wall Street brokerage firm.
* Attended Mount St. Vincent Academy in Riverdale. Attended the Katherine Gibbs Secretarial School.
* Married James Killilea on July 25, 1933. Primary residence was Larchmont, NY.
* She was an active lobbyist in Albany for the rights of cerebral palsy patients. Her work culminated in the formation of the Cerebral Palsy Association of Westchester County. Later, she was a co-founder of the National United Cerebral Palsy Foundation.
* She wrote a novel, "Karen," which became a best seller in 1952 and has never been out of print. A sequel, "With Love From Karen," was published in 1963 and it is still in print. She wrote other books as well.
* "Karen" won a Christopher Award and was one of the 30 Notable Books of 1953. Her books, totaling 4 million copies, have been published in 11 languages. Mrs. Killilea received letters from all over the world, and she once estimated she answered 15,000 or more.
* She died on October 23, 1991 at the age of 78 of respiratory ailments.At the time of her death she was survived by her husband, Jimmy (who died a few years later at the age of 80) and four children: Marie Irish, Karen Killilea, Kristin Viltz, and Rory Killilea.
* Marie Lyons Killilea was born June 28, 1913 in New York City to Tom and Marie Powers Lyons.
* Her father was a sportswriter for the New York Sun and later became co-owner of a Wall Street brokerage firm.
* Attended Mount St. Vincent Academy in Riverdale. Attended the Katherine Gibbs Secretarial School.
* Married James Killilea on July 25, 1933. Primary residence was Larchmont, NY.
* She was an active lobbyist in Albany for the rights of cerebral palsy patients. Her work culminated in the formation of the Cerebral Palsy Association of Westchester County. Later, she was a co-founder of the National United Cerebral Palsy Foundation.
* She wrote a novel, "Karen," which became a best seller in 1952 and has never been out of print. A sequel, "With Love From Karen," was published in 1963 and it is still in print. She wrote other books as well.
* "Karen" won a Christopher Award and was one of the 30 Notable Books of 1953. Her books, totaling 4 million copies, have been published in 11 languages. Mrs. Killilea received letters from all over the world, and she once estimated she answered 15,000 or more.
* She died on October 23, 1991 at the age of 78 of respiratory ailments.At the time of her death she was survived by her husband, Jimmy (who died a few years later at the age of 80) and four children: Marie Irish, Karen Killilea, Kristin Viltz, and Rory Killilea.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
February 3, 2011
This book along with the first, Karen, changed my life (I first read it when I was 8). I ended up teaching children with special needs. And sharing the first book, Karen, with my daughter was a great moment in our relationship.
Karen Killilea is a child with cerebral palsy at a time when children with special needs were ignored and even despised by society. In one horrifying scene, an ordinary, friendly suburban housewife is transformed into a Shirley Jackson character when she realizes that the toddler is "different. She screams at the mother of Karen (Marie Killilea) to get "that thing" out of here, that the child is "unclean" & that the mother must have "done something" to get a "child like that." The mother is too stunned to do more than protect her child by gathering her out & getting out of this "normal" looking home in a "normal" American suburb which cannot tolerate anything or anyone not "normal."
Hard as it may be to believe, children with cerebral palsy or any physically handicapping condition did not have any "right" to an education until PL-194 was passed by Congress until 1974. Marie & her family pioneered a movement, not only struggling to raise Karen as well as her brother & sisters, but ultimately responding to other families isolated by the fear and ignorance of those around them. Over & over you hear the refrain "the doctors said the best thing to do would be to put him/her away & forget we have had this child." Ultimately, Marie Killilea's work for her child & for other families led to the founding of UCP (United Cerebral Palsy).
But neither this book nor the Karen (the one describing Karen's birth to age 8 when she was first able to walk with crutches) is as lugubrious or even sad as I may have made it sound. Marie Killilea has a warm, Irish-American (at least reminding me of my Irish-American family) tone full of love and humor (rueful as it may sometimes be). She devotes her life to her family in true 1950s style but her own spirit & intelligence suffuse the book.
But the biggest joy of all is Karen, the little girl at the heart of this saga. Delightful, special, bright, & wonderfully ordinary despite all her difficulties, her personality as reflected through her mother's humor & warm appreciation, make this book a joy to read. I read it many times growing up & again, as I wrote above, a few years ago with my own daughter. It was different with each reading & always a delight.
I strongly recommend this book to people interested in families, in children, in American society in the 1950s or just those who appreciate good writing.
Ellie NYC
Karen Killilea is a child with cerebral palsy at a time when children with special needs were ignored and even despised by society. In one horrifying scene, an ordinary, friendly suburban housewife is transformed into a Shirley Jackson character when she realizes that the toddler is "different. She screams at the mother of Karen (Marie Killilea) to get "that thing" out of here, that the child is "unclean" & that the mother must have "done something" to get a "child like that." The mother is too stunned to do more than protect her child by gathering her out & getting out of this "normal" looking home in a "normal" American suburb which cannot tolerate anything or anyone not "normal."
Hard as it may be to believe, children with cerebral palsy or any physically handicapping condition did not have any "right" to an education until PL-194 was passed by Congress until 1974. Marie & her family pioneered a movement, not only struggling to raise Karen as well as her brother & sisters, but ultimately responding to other families isolated by the fear and ignorance of those around them. Over & over you hear the refrain "the doctors said the best thing to do would be to put him/her away & forget we have had this child." Ultimately, Marie Killilea's work for her child & for other families led to the founding of UCP (United Cerebral Palsy).
But neither this book nor the Karen (the one describing Karen's birth to age 8 when she was first able to walk with crutches) is as lugubrious or even sad as I may have made it sound. Marie Killilea has a warm, Irish-American (at least reminding me of my Irish-American family) tone full of love and humor (rueful as it may sometimes be). She devotes her life to her family in true 1950s style but her own spirit & intelligence suffuse the book.
But the biggest joy of all is Karen, the little girl at the heart of this saga. Delightful, special, bright, & wonderfully ordinary despite all her difficulties, her personality as reflected through her mother's humor & warm appreciation, make this book a joy to read. I read it many times growing up & again, as I wrote above, a few years ago with my own daughter. It was different with each reading & always a delight.
I strongly recommend this book to people interested in families, in children, in American society in the 1950s or just those who appreciate good writing.
Ellie NYC
October 16, 2022
I'm cheating and copying and pasting my review of the prequel, Karen, here.
I received this from a favorite Aunt in Montreal as a child. I have no idea how many times I read this but it could be in 3 digits. It certainly is high up in two digits! It didn't occur to me for many years why my Aunt had picked this particular book and its sequel to give me. I have multiple disabilities and could relate in many ways to Karen more than many people. Like her I had multiple surgeries, including on my hips as a child. Since my parents over protected me, I strongly suspect my wise Aunt was making sure I got a dose of reality and learned it could have been much much worse for me.
There was lots of love in the family, and luckily, a good sense of humor was had by all the kids in the family, especially Karen. The first book is Karen as a preteen. The second book takes her roughly from either teen or tween years to a young lady.
I'm not sure if this is still in print any more but if it isn't, I hope someone brings it back into print! Anyone who reads it will never mutter about how it is unfair that disabled people get the best, closest parking spaces or any other perceived "advantages" in life. We have enough difficulties, both physically and emotionally, that the few advantages are insufficient to balance out the struggle in life. I'm not moaning and saying poor me, but if people think it is easy being disabled, read between the lines of this book and get a sense of what it really is like.
Thank you Aunt Florence for one of the wisest gifts you ever gave me!
I just reread this in 2022. For me, it has stood the test of time pretty well. I certainly noted some sexism while reading but it was describing life in the 1950s. I’d say my main objection was the tremendous influence of Catholicism for this family. I assume with time this became less of a force since my impression is that at least one of the kids had a divorce. Highly recommended for the details of dealing with Cerebral Palsy, much of which haven’t really changed.
I received this from a favorite Aunt in Montreal as a child. I have no idea how many times I read this but it could be in 3 digits. It certainly is high up in two digits! It didn't occur to me for many years why my Aunt had picked this particular book and its sequel to give me. I have multiple disabilities and could relate in many ways to Karen more than many people. Like her I had multiple surgeries, including on my hips as a child. Since my parents over protected me, I strongly suspect my wise Aunt was making sure I got a dose of reality and learned it could have been much much worse for me.
There was lots of love in the family, and luckily, a good sense of humor was had by all the kids in the family, especially Karen. The first book is Karen as a preteen. The second book takes her roughly from either teen or tween years to a young lady.
I'm not sure if this is still in print any more but if it isn't, I hope someone brings it back into print! Anyone who reads it will never mutter about how it is unfair that disabled people get the best, closest parking spaces or any other perceived "advantages" in life. We have enough difficulties, both physically and emotionally, that the few advantages are insufficient to balance out the struggle in life. I'm not moaning and saying poor me, but if people think it is easy being disabled, read between the lines of this book and get a sense of what it really is like.
Thank you Aunt Florence for one of the wisest gifts you ever gave me!
I just reread this in 2022. For me, it has stood the test of time pretty well. I certainly noted some sexism while reading but it was describing life in the 1950s. I’d say my main objection was the tremendous influence of Catholicism for this family. I assume with time this became less of a force since my impression is that at least one of the kids had a divorce. Highly recommended for the details of dealing with Cerebral Palsy, much of which haven’t really changed.
May 24, 2013
The sequel/conclusion to Karen, while somewhat less well-edited and less linear, is just as wonderful for all the information contained therein about living with a child with disabilities. It's a bygone era; things like sexuality and menstruation aren't even mentioned in regards to Karen; I get the feeling that it was regarded as a given that she would never date or marry, given her "condition". Karen also remains a picture of innocence right up through the end of the book, when she is probably twenty years old.
The book has the same lovely sense of irreverent humor that made the first an enticing read, even through such side-tracks as the LONG wait for an annulment to a first marriage, getting into show dogs, and Marie's last successful pregnancy. Karen's life is detailed, but so is the family life, and I think that's what I like most about this book--Karen is just one of the family, and everyone's ups and downs are chronicled, so it becomes a family memoir and not a disability memoir. The excitement over finally getting to attend school as a preteen is bittersweet from a modern perspective--thank goodness those days are over, though our current state is arguably not a huge improvement! I cringed a little when they decide to forego all further PT, but only a little, because it's just patterning anyway, and that never did anyone much good. The family, as though through a sixth sense (perhaps just a familial habit of being active; Marie mentions in both books how she played tennis and swam and generally was a sporty kid, back in the 20s), finds Karen things she can do that provide almost as much help as a trained PT might: swimming (in the ocean!), horseback riding, dog showing.
The book is peppered with semi-famous people, probably more famous when it was published than in memory, and Marie does a lovely job of making each and every family member a huge character in their own right. It's sad to go and read about what happened about 8 years after the events of the book conclude, when Gloria and Little Marie's 4 daughters die in a house fire at Russ & Gloria's home. There was, of course, much criticism of Marie for invading the privacy of her family, both before and after the fire, from within and without the family, but I choose to enjoy this lively book for what it is: a sparking family memoir.
(Also, prepare to cringe when Marie is offered a cigarette by her obstetrician! Smoking is a risk factor in premature births, of which Marie had at least 3 (Katherine, Karen, Rory), not to mention numerous miscarriages. Imagine how differently she would have behaved had she known.)
The book has the same lovely sense of irreverent humor that made the first an enticing read, even through such side-tracks as the LONG wait for an annulment to a first marriage, getting into show dogs, and Marie's last successful pregnancy. Karen's life is detailed, but so is the family life, and I think that's what I like most about this book--Karen is just one of the family, and everyone's ups and downs are chronicled, so it becomes a family memoir and not a disability memoir. The excitement over finally getting to attend school as a preteen is bittersweet from a modern perspective--thank goodness those days are over, though our current state is arguably not a huge improvement! I cringed a little when they decide to forego all further PT, but only a little, because it's just patterning anyway, and that never did anyone much good. The family, as though through a sixth sense (perhaps just a familial habit of being active; Marie mentions in both books how she played tennis and swam and generally was a sporty kid, back in the 20s), finds Karen things she can do that provide almost as much help as a trained PT might: swimming (in the ocean!), horseback riding, dog showing.
The book is peppered with semi-famous people, probably more famous when it was published than in memory, and Marie does a lovely job of making each and every family member a huge character in their own right. It's sad to go and read about what happened about 8 years after the events of the book conclude, when Gloria and Little Marie's 4 daughters die in a house fire at Russ & Gloria's home. There was, of course, much criticism of Marie for invading the privacy of her family, both before and after the fire, from within and without the family, but I choose to enjoy this lively book for what it is: a sparking family memoir.
(Also, prepare to cringe when Marie is offered a cigarette by her obstetrician! Smoking is a risk factor in premature births, of which Marie had at least 3 (Katherine, Karen, Rory), not to mention numerous miscarriages. Imagine how differently she would have behaved had she known.)
March 10, 2014
I read this book to tatters when I was young. Recently bought a copy on eBay to re-read and see if it was still a compelling story to me as an adult. It was--with the added fun of enjoying the retro factor. I found myself wondering what kind of life Karen enjoyed as an adult, but she kept her life from that point on scrupulously private. I was able only to find out that that she is still alive, working as a receptionist in upstate New York.
March 15, 2020
SPOILER
This is the sequel to the best selling memoir Karen that was written in the 1950s. Karen was born with Cerebral palsy and grew up in an Irish catholic family. She learnt to walk with cruches and leg braces, but those were always painful and so she eventually chose to return to using the wheelchair. The wheelchair gave her more freedom and no more pain.
Karen had been educated at home with a tutor because no school would accept her. Their excuse was usually something like, she cant walk so she cannot keep up with the other children. When she turned 12 years the family moved from Rye NY to Larchmont NY, just down the road and slightly closer to NYC. There the Good Counsel Catholic church and diocese accepted Karen as a student and she finally was able to go to school.
Today Karen lives in NY state and works as a recptionist for a Catholic retreat. She will turn 80 years old this year (2020). Karens parents passed away in the 1990s. One of Karens older siblings has also passed but there still 2 sisters and 1 brother living in the USA.
There were one chapter I skipped over. It described a catholic church mass in details and had far too much latin in it. This second book was written by Karens mother Marie, in response to all the questions that She received about "what happened next to Karen?"
This is the sequel to the best selling memoir Karen that was written in the 1950s. Karen was born with Cerebral palsy and grew up in an Irish catholic family. She learnt to walk with cruches and leg braces, but those were always painful and so she eventually chose to return to using the wheelchair. The wheelchair gave her more freedom and no more pain.
Karen had been educated at home with a tutor because no school would accept her. Their excuse was usually something like, she cant walk so she cannot keep up with the other children. When she turned 12 years the family moved from Rye NY to Larchmont NY, just down the road and slightly closer to NYC. There the Good Counsel Catholic church and diocese accepted Karen as a student and she finally was able to go to school.
Today Karen lives in NY state and works as a recptionist for a Catholic retreat. She will turn 80 years old this year (2020). Karens parents passed away in the 1990s. One of Karens older siblings has also passed but there still 2 sisters and 1 brother living in the USA.
There were one chapter I skipped over. It described a catholic church mass in details and had far too much latin in it. This second book was written by Karens mother Marie, in response to all the questions that She received about "what happened next to Karen?"
July 21, 2007
I loved the book Karen. I remember being somewhat disappointed by this sequel. I still recommend it to readers who enjoyed Karen because it is interesting to find out what happened to Karen and her family members. But I found it a bit depressing, and also thought the author, Karen’s mother, rushed through quite a bit about what happened with all her children’s futures. Not enough time/pages were given to momentous life changes.
June 30, 2019
I knew Karen Killilea - and she came into my life at a critical point. Her joy, positiveness, common sense, down-to-earth, hopeful, fun-loving nature ... all blessings, which she gave away by the armful.
August 29, 2019
A decade or so in the Killilea family's life. One of their daughters (Karen) has cerebral palsy, and the Killileas apparently did a great deal of advocacy and support work for others with CP. It's at least partly thanks to Marie Killilea's work that treatment for and perceptions of people with CP (and disabilities in general) have changed since the institutionalization expectations of the 1950s.
It's an intensely readable book. The Killileas were devoutly Roman Catholic, and I found at least some of their takes on morality and philosophy hard to read, and yet I was totally engrossed by this book. Killilea's tone is a wonderful mix of humor, pathos, and friendly neighborly gossip.
It's an intensely readable book. The Killileas were devoutly Roman Catholic, and I found at least some of their takes on morality and philosophy hard to read, and yet I was totally engrossed by this book. Killilea's tone is a wonderful mix of humor, pathos, and friendly neighborly gossip.
May 3, 2019
Whether or not your life has been touched or affected by someone with cerebral palsy, this book demonstrates the warmth and values that everyone should be wise enough to display. I'm reminded of Rose's words from "The Last Jedi:" "That's how we're gonna win. Not fighting what we hate, but saving what we love." Marie's attitude of firm parenting, embracing joy and her children, and her easy style only make me wish there were a third book about the wonderful Killilea's.
August 26, 2013
I never liked this one half as much when I was a kid, and I could barely get through it on this reread. I tried it again, though, and got more into it. There's too much of Karen's fans and their letters and honestly, several of them seemed very creepy. It's also oddly nonlinear and I could never get a handle on how old people were at any given point, especially once Kristen was born.
August 18, 2008
Read this in high school, I think. Really liked reading what had happened to Karen. Would be interesting to see if I still like it....
June 11, 2009
More of Karen's remarkable story
July 9, 2014
Still one of my dog-eared favorites. A grown-up Karen and her ever-growing family take on new challenges and joyous adventures with love and humor and a great big, heaping dose of faith.
February 19, 2015
amazing true story. I have read it over and over. It has been so helpful in raising a child with multiple medical challenges.
October 10, 2021
Karen passed away from a respiratory illness at the age of 80 in 2020. I just learned that her older sister, Marie, passed away in 2021.
March 21, 2017
I read this book when I was a preteen, and looking at the book now from memory (many years later), the parents didn't protect the children. The children were made to experience being in a fish bowl, for example, interrupted breakfasts, dinners, lunches; (the mother who writes, "we disconnected all doorbells...let them all in (invited and uninvited guests)" ; to frequent house guests (the mother herself writes, "...one memorable weekend we served...meals" and the mother also writes (paraphrasing) , "...one weekend Jimmy came home, and hoped to...but every bed in the house had been taken; even the waterbed...Jimmy's friend looked at him, and asked him, "is it often like this?" and jimmy says "I guess so"); the mother who was often on book tours or speaking engagements, while the father worked. There were also other things that occurred in the family that if I had been one of the kids, I would be very very upset; as it is, Rory fled to Seattle; Kristin to Illinois, and Marie got divorced, and somewhere I read, that Karen had become a lutheran ( I don't know whether that's true or not. Haven't found any website that affirmed or denied it.) Also, at one point in the book, the author said about Gloria in Florida..."Gloria had been to court." Was Gloria experiencing the release of pent up rage in Florida at at having to be "mother's helper" to Marie, at never being sent to school or even asked if she would like to go, at never being officially adopted by Marie and Jimmy even though she was an "unofficial adopted daughter"; at having to wait for Russ having to become Catholic (because he was a non catholic at first, and then became a catholic), six years to get married to Russ in a catholic ceremony; and finally, for the Catholic church to say, yes, you and Russ can get married?
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August 9, 2008In middle school, during my melodrama phase, I loved this book. Karen is a girl who had cerebral palsy in the 1950s and 1960s when her parents pretty much had to make up treatment, and one doctor told them to put Karen in an institution and let her die. The mother started organizing around CP. As a child I remember thinking that they seem very close and loving. There were also very devote Pre-Vatican II Catholics, which kind of fascinated me.
I re-read this as an adult and it's a little creepy. I'm sure some it just offends my feminist sensibilities and the medical treatments seem kind of barbaric. The family dynamics seem a little weird and there are whole in the story. However, it was one of the first books that provided a remotely realistic picture of a child with a disability.
I re-read this as an adult and it's a little creepy. I'm sure some it just offends my feminist sensibilities and the medical treatments seem kind of barbaric. The family dynamics seem a little weird and there are whole in the story. However, it was one of the first books that provided a remotely realistic picture of a child with a disability.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 11, 2017
Love this book
I read this book as a teenager and still have the paperbacks but wanted it on Kindle. Thus I read it again. This is the second party of the Karen Killilea story. Karen was born in 1940 3 months premature. She almost died several times as an infant. As the result probably of her early birth she has cerebral palsy of the spastic type which made her body inflexible. That she learned to walk was a miracle. The faith of Karen and her family are heartwarming. I read this book first as a Protestant and then later as a Catholic and although I loved it as a Protestant - I got so much more reading it as a Catholic. And let me add this Karen was born for a very special reason. Her parents started the CP foundation, in a time where such children were "put away" (institutionalized). Great book!!
I read this book as a teenager and still have the paperbacks but wanted it on Kindle. Thus I read it again. This is the second party of the Karen Killilea story. Karen was born in 1940 3 months premature. She almost died several times as an infant. As the result probably of her early birth she has cerebral palsy of the spastic type which made her body inflexible. That she learned to walk was a miracle. The faith of Karen and her family are heartwarming. I read this book first as a Protestant and then later as a Catholic and although I loved it as a Protestant - I got so much more reading it as a Catholic. And let me add this Karen was born for a very special reason. Her parents started the CP foundation, in a time where such children were "put away" (institutionalized). Great book!!
October 4, 2018
This book is great, but not as great as the first one.
I loved reading how Karen and the rest of the family grew up. I would have always wondered had there not been a sequel!
The disappointing part, and oddity, I found, was how a huge bulk of the book was about Gloria and Russ and waiting for Rome to permit them to marry. Very little is mentioned about their daughter Marie by comparison: Gloria's births are in detail, Marie it simply says she had a "lovely baby boy". We don't find out much about Marie's husband Ronnie, but we find out a lot about Russ. I wonder if Marie jr. didn't want to be in the book in detail and Gloria did? If Marie Sr. and Marie Jr. grew distant? would be interesting to know.
I loved reading how Karen and the rest of the family grew up. I would have always wondered had there not been a sequel!
The disappointing part, and oddity, I found, was how a huge bulk of the book was about Gloria and Russ and waiting for Rome to permit them to marry. Very little is mentioned about their daughter Marie by comparison: Gloria's births are in detail, Marie it simply says she had a "lovely baby boy". We don't find out much about Marie's husband Ronnie, but we find out a lot about Russ. I wonder if Marie jr. didn't want to be in the book in detail and Gloria did? If Marie Sr. and Marie Jr. grew distant? would be interesting to know.
July 12, 2016
Very good follow on to the best-selling book Karen
I don't have much to add to the other 5 star ratings as they've said it all. I've just read both Karen and With Love from Karen back to back and couldn't put them down. Marie Killilea is an excellent writer and the story made you feel as though you were right there in the living room as part of the family. I also enjoyed hearing about what life was like in the 1940s.
I don't have much to add to the other 5 star ratings as they've said it all. I've just read both Karen and With Love from Karen back to back and couldn't put them down. Marie Killilea is an excellent writer and the story made you feel as though you were right there in the living room as part of the family. I also enjoyed hearing about what life was like in the 1940s.
February 29, 2024
Long time favorite
I still own the first paperback copy I purchased from the Scholastic Book program in the mid 60s as a middle school student. The family story is relevant still today. Well written, uplifting, informative and inspirational. I wish they could know how much I love it.
I still own the first paperback copy I purchased from the Scholastic Book program in the mid 60s as a middle school student. The family story is relevant still today. Well written, uplifting, informative and inspirational. I wish they could know how much I love it.
December 30, 2014
The follow-up to Karen, but her mother, continues the story into Karen's teens.
I read this while recovering from minor hand surgery, and felt blue - so the fact that I cried through half the book is probably partially due to that. However, again, the mom can write and the story is compelling.
I read this while recovering from minor hand surgery, and felt blue - so the fact that I cried through half the book is probably partially due to that. However, again, the mom can write and the story is compelling.
August 29, 2017
This is an excellent book, a sequel to the bestseller Karen. This book is a continuing story of a little girl with cerebral palsy, at first not expected to survive, who faced and overcame many difficulties. It is very bittersweet. This is a must read.
March 20, 2018
3.5 stars for this one. A follow-up to Karen. A blast from the past; read these when I was a kid. Still made me cry though. It is so dated but that is how you recognize how much things have changed in the treatment of CP and in the opportunities for students in a public school setting.
January 16, 2008
I apparently had a passion for the melodramatic as a child, because I LOVED this book.
April 12, 2008
Packed with too many characters and very dated, but shows the strength of a large family embracing their daughter with CP in the 50s and 60s.
July 3, 2011
Just lovely. Especially after reading Karen, it's like catching up with old friends.
June 26, 2013
I adored this book, the wonderful sequel to "Karen," when I was a teenager.
March 14, 2015
I have read this book over and over. Amazing story and amazing family, you will laugh and cry along with them
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April 27, 2015So good!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews