Three Quarters, Two Dimes, and a Nickel: A Memoir of Becoming Whole

Being a spinal cord injury survivor, I found this book indispensible to my recovery and have recommended it to others who have been severely injured. The book has been criticized for the fact it implies if you are willing to work hard enough you can walk again after a severe spinal cord injury. As has been said many times, if hard work were all it takes, many people in wheelchairs would be running the Boston Marathon. I think the readers who only see the above point of view are missing the author's message and the whole purpose of writing this book. The explanation of the title of the book within the book is the key to the entire book. I recommend the book very highly to the recently injured and to their families.

I want to train with Dick Woit! What a great character. I loved this book because the author doesn't portray himself as a superhuman martyr. Publishing this straightforward autobiography must have taken at least as much courage and guts as rebuilding his body did.

I read this book aboard an airplane, not knowing the first thing about it, but being intrigued by its title. It turned out to be a coming of age story like none other I have read. The author's charmed, sixties' adolescence is drastically altered by a high school wrestling accident. The prognosis regarding recovery is anything but encouraging. The events through which Fiffer is led to his rehabilitation make a riveting account. Besides his own journey, we are also treated to a poignant look at a family -- especially a father -- coming to terms with an unforseen challenge. This is all told from the unique perspective of one who finds he must adapt during a period when a society must also adapt to a dizzying array of upheavals. How Fiffer takes his first and then ultimate steps on that road is what makes such a compelling perspective. The writing is clean and skilled. At all times, I felt like I was in the hands of somebody who had an unfailing instinct for what needed to be delivered to the reader. I recommend this book for anyone who is in the mood for an intelligent, well-told story, free of cliches and without a hint of self-pity. That's probably due to the fact that by the end of it, Fiffer seems to have achieved the kind of strength and enlightenment of one who has looked tragedy in the face and told it to take a walk.

Fiffer has spent time reflecting on his life and it is obvious when reading this book that it was time well spent. His observing eye is keen and his narrative is clean and well-written. What I loved about this book on top of coming to know Fiffer as the courageous and honest individual he is, was its HUMOR. One of my favorite characters in this memoir was the trainer who called him Crip and who lived at home with his dominating mother where he ate Cool Whip, the universal health food. This is a memoir to learn from yes but the best way to learn is to ENJOY the process and that is what Fiffer makes possible through his prose. I read this book through in one wonderful day. I recommend it to everyone.

Though this book is seemingly about recovery from a devastating accident, I was moved by the underlying themes; the dreams of children and parents, sexual maturation, the quest for a complete relationship, accountability, and the half-full vs. half-empty view of the world. The book is witty and moving. We all face barriers; the author's are just more obvious.