Product Description

In this absorbing and candid book, Mary McHugh reveals what she experienced as the sister of a man with cerebral palsy and mental retardation - and shares what others have learned about being and having a "special sibling." Weaving a lifetime of memories and reflections with relevant research and interviews with more than 100 other siblings and experts, McHugh explores a spectrum of feelings - from anger and guilt to love and pride - and helps readers understand the issues siblings may encounter in childhood - such as dealing with their own needs for attention and information, identifying with their parents' grief, understanding their sibling's disability, and coping with their own feelings adolescence - such as participating in family discussions, fitting in with peers, searching for their own identity, and talking to a counselor or therapist adulthood - such as building a support system, navigating adult relationships, deciding whether to have children, and planning for their sibling's future care Emotional and enlightening, this book is a must-read for teen and adult siblings - and all professionals who support people with disabilities and their families.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #46481 in Books
• Published on: 2002-10-07
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .65" h x 5.60" w x 8.20" l, .88 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 241 pages

From School Library Journal
YA-A look at what it is like to be a sibling of someone with a physical, mental, or emotional disability. McHugh's brother has both cerebral palsy and mental retardation, a fact that has shaped every aspect of her life. In the course of writing this book, she spoke to siblings ranging in age from 6 to 76 years of age who expressed feelings that ran the gamut from compassion to resentment. She writes with painful honesty and includes information about research studies, interviews with experts, and the experiences and stories of many siblings. The book covers important topics such as coping with anger, embarrassment with new friends, and dealing with the long-term care of the disabled sibling. McHugh concludes with a resource section that includes videotapes, newsletters, support groups, and organizations. This title could be of great interest, help, and comfort to readers who are looking for both information and encouragement from people who understand how they might be feeling.
Peggy Bercher, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews
For siblings of those with physical, mental, or emotional disabilities, here is helpful advice, comfort, and the company of others who've been there. McHugh (formerly an editor at Woman's World and Cosmopolitan, and a frequent New York Times contributor) grew up with a mentally disabled brother for whom she became responsible as an adult after their mother died. McHugh doesn't shrink from the tough issues, even when looking at her own actions. Mostly, she reports, she blocked her brother and his problems out of her life as much as possible. So on one level, this is about McHugh's own journeyone viewed wrenchingly from another angle when one of her own children becomes blind and has a leg amputated as a result of complications from diabetes. But moving on from her own experience, McHugh offers information, understanding, and resources for others, on a wide range of issues: from childhood fears about the parents marriage, to troubles in ones own marriage caused by caring for a disabled sibling, to the urge to somehow make it all better (``For a sibling, there is nothing more painful than watching your mother's heart break because one of her children is wounded''). McHugh considers needs and problems for each age and developmental group, from childhood on. Real help, real comfort for those personally affected. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Ingram
Along with the insights from experts, Mary McHugh shares her personal experiences of growing up with a mentally disabled brother.