Needles: A Memoir of Growing Up with Diabetes

I have spent most of my life growing up with diabetes. It really is refreshing to find a book that deals with the disorder the way having it really is,especially the social and psychological aspects as opposed to the sappy, "feel-good" stories in books like Mazur's "The Dinosaur Tamer", and others like it. Yes, some of those stories for kids are alright, but most want to pretend growing up different hurts less than it really does, and glosses over the course gutter language many pre-teens actually use. I was repeatedly called "dope-head" by cruel peers on the schoolyard, and this is the first book I've read that really deals with the issue of being harassed because of a chronic ailment. I was told that telling classmates about my diabetes would help them be reponsible in case an emergency. If just my friends knew, this might have been the case, but my fourth-grade teacher made a show of telling the whole class just like in this book. The author certainly doesn't steer away from relating the other unpleasant aspects of diabetes itself in her adult and teen years. This is dark, dark reading, folks! It's far different from the book I was given in the hospital that tried to convince me that urine testing was fun, and that needles hut "just a little bit".

A truly wonderful book! I also grew up with juvenile diabetes and it was wonderful to read about a young woman who has come to terms with her illness. The author does not sugar coat living with diabetes and its complications and with every page the author's joys and heartaches are felt. This book would be wonderful for someone who has or knows and loves someone with diabetes. A book that is hard to put down and is a definite keeper!

This book is written by a young woman who was diagnosed with juvenile onset diabetes at the age of 9. She knew alot about the disease because her sister had it, as did older uncles and aunts. One of her childhood games was giving her dolls insulin shots using her sister's discarded needles. This memoir describes the symptoms that pointed out that she, too, had diabetes; her family's reaction; and, in most detail, her own ways of coping with diabetes. In her description, it's evident that she failed to adhere to basic preventive measures. The beauty of her writing is that she conveys the reckless way she managed diabetes honestly, with no overlay of judgment. She wastes no time on "If only I knew then what I know now." And she describes the painful episodes that led her to accept that she was diabetic (after dealing with it haphazardly for 15 years), and that she could manage the disease instead of letting it run her life. This book shows great insight into the psychology of coping with a chronic disease. It should be of interest to diabetics, anyone else dealing with a chronic disease, endocrinologists as well as non-specialist medical practitioners, and anyone interested in women's health issues. The author is an accomplished writer. I'm looking forward to reading anything else she produces, even if it's not autobiographic.

"Needles" is an amazing book. Being a diabetic for nearly 26 of my 29 years, I was certain that the last thing I would want to read about was diabetes. Ms Dominick blew me away! I was emotionally touched by the personal, familial aspects of the book. The whole sister-sister relationship/bond was quite profoundly moving for me. In addition to the emotional reaction, I found myself wondering at times if the author knew something of my childhood/adulthood with diabetes. I often saw myself in the pages of this book. I suspect that many diabetics would say the same. I was thoroughly impressed by Ms Dominick's account of a lifetime with diabetes. It was not soft-pedaled and was presented realistically. People on "the outside" can nonchalantly say that this disease is controllable and therefore not a big deal. I applaud Ms Dominick for telling the truth about it and telling it so eloquently.

Having a daughter with diabetes I was quite familiar with some of the experiences that the writer shares with her readers. Andie's insights and honesty are at times mindnumbing but necessary reading for any parent who has a young maturing child who is a diabetic. This book is up close and personal. It is not a fairy tale and at times is breathtakingly emotional. Andie's story displays diabetes as the ruthless, debilitating, ultimately fatal disease it is. This book clarifies the many reasons why people who are diabetic often act or feel the way they do. I think it would be an especially good book for those health care professionals who are in a postition of caring for diabetics, to read. As a person who is so close to the disease and affected every minute of every day by it, I praise and laud Andie for her heartfelt honesty and courage in writing such a clear view into the world of being a diabetic. I look forward to more writings from this very talented author.