Patient: The True Story of a Rare Illness

Rating:
Summary: Thank You Ben Watt!
Review: Right from the beginning,and I'm talking about the Preface,I was drawn into Ben Watt's story. His story is one of a human condition that can also be so dehumanizing. Very ill he spends months in the hospitals,in pain,undiagnosed,unable to eat, and having surgery upon surgery.
He talks openly(no holds barred) and even at times injects humor,especially into the more humiliating aspects of being in the hospital.He talks about the big stuff, the surgeries,all the tubes coming and going from his body,watching himself shrink down to nothing and the little stuff, how good it felt to take his first shower in weeks, or put on a pair of new shoes and go for a walk OUTSIDE!Things most of us take for granted every day.
We are also let into his everyday thoughts(sometimes while he's on pain killers) about everything going on around him and everything being done to him. He also gives us a glimpse of his life before the illness. He speaks as though his life is passing before his eyes.He senses all the time what his loved one are going through along with him. His girlfriend Tracey always at his side.
Finally diagnosed he assesses what kind of life may lie ahead for Tracey and him.Thank you Ben Watt for sharing your journey with the world.
Even if you have not gone through anything close to this, you will be touched by this story. If you've been through a similar experience or are close to someone who has,this book will give you strength and understanding. It did for me.....Laurie

Rating:
Summary: A remarkable memoir
Review: Since I am not familiar with the music of Everything But the Girl I have to admit I didn't know what to expect from this book. But I was both amazed and astonished at how well written and how compelling this memoir was. I was unable to put this book down. I urge Ben Watt to share more stories with us. I anxiously await....

Rating:
Summary: Everything But The Hype.
Review: The fact that Watt's story lacks a significant plot (outside of the onset, diagnosis, and treatment of his rare condition) is largely forgivable. For those of us who know Watt primarily as a musician/songwriter, the somewhat static storyline here is acceptable. All that's missing from "Patient" is Everything But The Girl's enlightening bed of music to be heard under Ben's delicately articulated prose. Typical of many great songs, Watt occasionally blurs the line between the first- and third-person narration, and "Patient" is better off for it. Perhaps even better than the great writing, though, is the genuine and intimate portal into the lives of Ben and Tracey rarely afforded to EBTG fans. It's a relatively short read, but each page gives plenty to be absorbed as the result of Ben's crafty alliteration and his uncensored, yet careful, approach to the fog of medical lexicon. Not for the weak of heart--or stomach--Watt's book exacts distinct feelings of sobriety and contemplation...with an ending portrait that expertly convey's his trademark understated hope.

Rating:
Summary: Everything But The Hype.
Review: The fact that Watt's story lacks a significant plot (outside of the onset, diagnosis, and treatment of his rare condition) is largely forgivable. For those of us who know Watt primarily as a musician/songwriter, the somewhat static storyline here is acceptable. All that's missing from "Patient" is Everything But The Girl's enlightening bed of music to be heard under Ben's delicately articulated prose. Typical of many great songs, Watt occasionally blurs the line between the first- and third-person narration, and "Patient" is better off for it. Perhaps even better than the great writing, though, is the genuine and intimate portal into the lives of Ben and Tracey rarely afforded to EBTG fans. It's a relatively short read, but each page gives plenty to be absorbed as the result of Ben's crafty alliteration and his uncensored, yet careful, approach to the fog of medical lexicon. Not for the weak of heart--or stomach--Watt's book exacts distinct feelings of sobriety and contemplation...with an ending portrait that expertly convey's his trademark understated hope.

Rating:
Summary: Memorable, insightful
Review: To be clear, I have not read this book. I would only like to comment on the book as emblematic of an interesting phenomenon: that one of the main symptoms of chronic illness is the desire to talk about it to anyone who will listen. The sufferer may rationalize this urge by saying that it is an attempt to reach out for help. But what is interesting is that usually the sufferer is most long-winded about his illness to people he deems unlikely of providing any direct assistance.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting Phenomenon
Review: To be clear, I have not read this book. I would only like to comment on the book as emblematic of an interesting phenomenon: that one of the main symptoms of chronic illness is the desire to talk about it to anyone who will listen. The sufferer may rationalize this urge by saying that it is an attempt to reach out for help. But what is interesting is that usually the sufferer is most long-winded about his illness to people he deems unlikely of providing any direct assistance.

Rating:
Summary: I couldn't put this book down
Review: Watt's account of his ordeal is honest and touching. You can feel his pain and upset, you can also experience the love and relief he feels because of those who go through the experience with him. Being ill, he teaches, is not an individual experience. An illness touches all the people in your life and impacts everything around you and you are powerless to controll it. I couldn't stop reading the book. It's writing style is simple and visual-it's an easy read that I would suggest to anyone.