Parkinson Pete's Bookshelves: Reviews of Eighty-Nine Books about Parkinson’s Disease - Softcover

A Reader's Guide to J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye: "'That is so last century!' today's readers and teachers may exclaim as they begin The Catcher in the Rye, the 1951 classic by J. D. Salinger. Fortunately, Peter G. Beidler has decoded the cultural information that packs the novel [....] A valuable tool for twenty-first century readers. Although now retired from Lehigh University's Department of English, Peter G. Beidler continues to serve the reading community." - Geraldine A. Richards, ForeWord Digital Reviews

Parkinson's disease has struck more than a million people in the United States, and many more worldwide. Although it is an incurable, progressive, and ultimately debilitating neurological disease, Parkinson's can be managed with certain medicines, treated with certain surgeries, and slowed down with regular exercise and nutritional regimens.

In the past two decades, many conflicting and a confusing books about Parkinson's disease have appeared. Some were written by doctors who have been trained to study and treat the disease. Some were written by men and women with the disease who wanted to share with others what they have learned. Still others are novels about fictional characters with Parkinson's.

How are doctors, patients, families, friends, and reference librarians to know which book or books will best serve the particular needs of readers? Parkinson Pete spent several years collecting, reading, and writing reviews of eighty-nine books about the disease. His no-nonsense reviews are an indispensable guide for people who want to know what books will most help them understand Parkinson's disease, the people who have it, and the people who treat it.

Peter G. Beidler, aka "Parkinson Pete," is the Lucy G. Moses Distinguished Professor of English, Emeritus, at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He has published widely on pedagogy and on authors as diverse as Geoffrey Chaucer, Henry James, Mark Twain, J. D. Salinger, and Louise Erdrich. Parkinson Pete's Bookshelves is his sixth book with Coffeetown Press. He was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2006. He now lives in Seattle, Washington.