An Arrow Through the Heart : One Woman's Story of Life, Love, and Surviving a Near-Fatal Heart Attack

Rating:
Summary: Healing
Review: ...
I'm a critical care nurse, and what I find of compelling interest is not the just the nuts and bolts of survival and medical daring-do, but rather, the meaning of illness and healing. I believe that it is of the utmost importance that we understand and listen to the stories of individuals who have travelled to the edge, approached the threshold of life and death and returned to share with us. Living is more than physical survival, and Deborah does a lovely job of finding meaning in not just her physical state, but the emotional and spiritual aspects of living, healing, confronting death.
It's so easy, in my work environment, to get swept up by the physicality of it all: the techno;ogy, the life and death drama, the adrenaline rush, the the technical minutae of modern medicine. Not to say it isn't wonderful...it is , and challenging and (dare I say it?) fun as well. What can easily get lost, however, is the recognition that the person in that bed is a whole and independent person, with a life story and a life purpose of far greater magnitude than a stay, however long, in a critical care unit. The illness or accident pull the individual out of context, and can let us diminish them, all unawares.
It helps, of course, that Deborah is an elegant writer; her ability to weave bits and pieces of past and present together into a seamless narrative of her first year post-event feels whole and real. She's found a nice balance that allows the book to transcend the purely personal memmoir.
I think this is an important book on a number of levels: for Deborah, as a healing piece; for other women, as a wakeup call about a very real and undertreated health risk; for healthcare providers, as a means of engendering humility and empathy; for anyone interested in mind-body-spirit wholeness and the process of healing.

Rating:
Summary: Inspirational
Review: I just finished reading this wonderful book! I was motivated to read this because a dear girl friend is 45( also diabetic) and suffered a major heart attack. I wanted to know more about what happens medically and emotionally.
Very frightening. I want to know how the author is doing now?

Rating:
Summary: Arrow Through the Heart
Review: I read this book when it first was published and again recently. It really is one of the most absorbing and beautifully written books in my collection. I have sent copies to my friends and relatives and have been getting rave reviews. My cousin in England wrote: "I started Deborah's book at 8PM could barely put it down at 11, went to sleep and finished it the next morning!"

Rating:
Summary: Inspiring
Review: This is an intimate account of what one woman goes through after having a heart attack. I was surprised about how much I enjoyed it. It is has a great deal of clinical detail of the illness, but it is mostly about the recovery process, the slow, hard, and difficult recovery from the insult to the body. Reading about someone who can't do the basic acts we all take for granted makes it easier to count your own blessings.

Rating:
Summary: I really enjoyed this book
Review: This is an intimate account of what one woman goes through after having a heart attack. I was surprised about how much I enjoyed it. It is has a great deal of clinical detail of the illness, but it is mostly about the recovery process, the slow, hard, and difficult recovery from the insult to the body. Reading about someone who can't do the basic acts we all take for granted makes it easier to count your own blessings.

Rating:
Summary: Inspiring
Review: This was a very inspirational book for those of us who have lived through a debilitating illness and a different perspective on life for those who have not. It made me look at my world differently and appreciate where I am currently. The book was well-written and engaging. I have recommended it to many people.

Rating:
Summary: Not What I Expected...
Review: When I purchased the book, I thought it would act as a resounding inflection into the life and times of a woman struggling with the horrible aftermath of critical events similar to what I had gone through three years earlier. I did not find that at all. This book came across more as a wishy-washy love story than a tell-all "I'm writing to help others" book of caring and honesty. Her husband must be one great guy! I found nothing in this book that helped me fight my own demons or helped me deal with the personal strife that I've had to live with all these years. I respect Deborah for her willingness to put this all out there, but in the end, her book was an arrow through my wallet and a major disappointment.