In 1983, Jane Bernstein had everything she ever wanted: a healthy four-year-old daughter, Charlotte; a happy marriage; a highly praised first novel; and a brand new baby, Rachel. But by the time Rachel was six weeks old,
a neuro-ophthalmologist told Jane and her husband that their baby was blind. Although there was some hope that Rachel might gain partial vision as she grew, her condition was one that often resulted in seizure disorders and intellectual impairment. So began a series of medical and emotional setbacks that were to plague Rachel and her parents and strain their marriage to the breaking point. Spanning the first four years of Rachel's life, Loving Rachel is a heartbreaking chronicle of a marriage and a compelling story of parental love told with searing honesty and surprising humor.
| Cover Title Copyright Contents Acknowledgments-WRONG PAGE Foreword by Stefi Rubin PART I 1. Expectations 2. The Diagnosis 3. The First Twelve Days 4. Hospital City 5. God PART II 6. Sometimes You Just Go Crazy 7. We Dig 8. We Lift Our Heads 9. A Slow Awakening 10. He Believes PART III 11. Maine Fever 12. Giving Baby the Needle 13. Some Babies Cry 14. One of Us Tries to Run 15. We Wait PART IV 16. Healing 17. Her Radar 18. 265 PAGE MISSING Back cover | "This is a story of courageous love that rises above misfortune; of parental love, immeasurably patient, hopeful, buoyant; of marital love that is tested, stretched and strengthened through adversity. . . . Parents of disabled children, or any parents for that matter, will find this an inspiring tale."—New York Times Book Review"Compelling. . . . An absorbing family drama that is real and wrenching. . . . Straightforward and affecting. . . . Bernstein's writing is intense and evocative." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"...a probing meditation on why we care for our kin." —Los Angeles Times Book Review
|Jane Bernstein, a professor of English and creative writing at Carnegie Mellon University, is the author of Rachel in the World: A Memoir, Bereft—A Sister's Story, and other books. For more, visit www.janebernstein.net.
