Ms. Stein introduces her book by explaining it is fiction based on personal experience, so when she describes the migraine “aura” she understands what that means. (Aura is the intial sign of an impending migraine headache, usually visual changes.)
Author Audrey Beth Stein could have written a cute, fun to read book for kids about “the day my best friend slept over. But by adding “and a MIGRAINE” she took it to the next level, creating a fun learning activity as well. For that reason, I recommend it for kids as well as their parents.
an 8 year old with migraine
Migraine doesn’t affect everyone but those who suffer with this debilitating condition know the physical pain is just one aspect of it. The other is the way it disrupts life, often unpredictably-like when this 8 year old girl is anticipating a fun adventure with her best friend Allie.
Ms. Stein introduces her book by explaining it is fiction based on personal experience, so when she describes the migraine “aura” she understands what that means. (Aura is the intial sign of an impending migraine headache, usually visual changes.)
As she narrates Allie’s “throbbing headache”, we learn how with her parents’ help she copes with the pain and disability, and how working together they manage to save her special day.
We don’t learn much about how her friend reacts to Allie’s distress, but she shows concern and doesn’t create more stress for her hosts. In the end both girls have fun doing the kinds of things all kids should get to enjoy without migraine getting in the way.
I’ve been so moved by the response to this book… I truly had no idea when I started writing how many people experienced migraine, and I’m grateful to know that the book is touching a chord. As reviewer Shirley A. Sanders says, “My little one suffers migraines, so she appreciates knowing she doesn’t suffer alone.”
Audrey Beth Stein
The colorful illustrations by Ana Solarte do more than show us what happens. She captures the emotions of migraine with details that reflect Allie’s distress and highlight her parents’ attempts to relieve it.
I was surprised that there is no medical disclaimer, but the author did not present her ideas as medical advice.
As with any health information media, I advise against using it for diagnosis or treatment without personal medical direction. If your child has unexplained headaches I suggest you seek medical consultation with a qualified health professional.
I received a complimentary advance reader copy of this book via NetGalley and the publishers.
“This book should be read by parents, teachers, friends and families of migraine sufferers. Congratulations to the author for bringing this information to a greater audience.” —
Marc Irwin Sharfman MD Board Certified Neurologist Headache Institute, Longwood Florida
I have reviewed or recommended several science books on this blog and this post gathers them together in one place. Generally, these are non-medical books, although there is overlap. In a future post I will gather my medical book reviews.
Are you tired of hearing “follow the science”?
I know I am, I don’t know where the phrase came from. It’s more accurate to say the science follows us; everywhere we go, and everything we do involves science. It’s true now and was true 100 years ago. Read this piece published March 4, 1922.
Take from the air every aeroplane; from the roads every automobile; from the country every train; from the cities every electric light; from ships every wireless apparatus; from oceans all cables; from the land all wires; from shops all motors; from office buildings every elevator, telephone and typewriter; let epidemics spread at will; let major surgery be impossible—all this and vastly more, the bondage of ignorance, where knowledge now makes us free, would be the terrible catastrophe if the tide of time should but ebb to the childhood days of men still living!…Therefore, whoever desires progress and prosperity, whoever would advance humanity to a higher plane of civilization, must further the work of the scientist in every way he possibly can.
The Work of the Scientist. JAMA. 2022;327(9):882. doi:10.1001/jama.2022.0191
Originally Published March 4, 1922 | JAMA. 1922;78(9):649. (JAMA Revisited is transcribed verbatim from articles published previously, unless otherwise noted.)
I don’t ride trains, I’m not sure what a “wireless apparatus” is, and I haven’t used typewriter in years. But everytime we use our mobile phones, computers, access the internet, or stream videos or music, we can thank the scientists who made it possible.
(This post and the ones linked to contain affiliate links that may pay a small commission to this blog, while you pay nothing extra. Quite a deal. )
Science books and reviews
I have reviewed or recommended several science books on this blog and this post gathers them together in one place. Generally, these cover basic science. In a future post I will gather medical science book reviews. Bookmark these list posts for easy reference later.
At the same time, some of the more entrepreneurial see the potential for using genetic modification to selectively breed desirable and profitable human traits-high IQ, increased muscle mass, or designer skin color, and enhanced fertility, including choosing the gender of babies.
If you like history, current events, medical science, or just want to be more knowledgeable about why we should be concerned about infections , antibiotic resistance and vaccine phobia, you should read this book.
World of Wonders is not about medicine, at least not human medicine. Although there is a chapter about the Southern Cassowary, Casuarius Casuarius, a bird that can and does kill people. All chapters are named for and describe a variety of common, familiar animals and plants-
But numbers need context. Statistics help us understand what has happened before, what is happening now, and what may or will happen in the future. And not only what, but how and why. Then we can act to change the outcome. And sometimes those outcomes involve life or death.
I want to introduce you to my new guest blogger, Web developer, David Hynes. David has a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering and an MBA. Before retiring, he worked with my husband as a Senior Staff Information Analyst for a large oil company. He follows politics, technology and science and enjoys music and travel. I enjoy David’s social media posts which are thoughtful and articulate. He recently commented about an engaging book he was reading and posted a summary of the main points from the first part of the book. He graciously gave permission…
I haven’t reviewed this book but I read it and wondered why I didn’t know this story before, a true account of a simple but strong woman whose death gave a priceless gift to science- immortal cells.
“Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, yet her cells—taken without her knowledge—became one of the most important tools in medicine: The first “immortal” human cells grown in culture, which are still alive today, though she has been dead for more than sixty years.
HeLa cells were vital for developing the polio vaccine; uncovered secrets of cancer, viruses, and the atom bomb’s effects; helped lead to important advances like in vitro fertilization, cloning, and gene mapping; and have been bought and sold by the billions.
Yet Henrietta Lacks remains virtually unknown, buried in an unmarked grave.
As author Rebecca Skloot so brilliantly shows, the story of the Lacks family—past and present—is inextricably connected to the dark history of experimentation on African Americans, the birth of bioethics, and the legal battles over whether we control the stuff we are made of.
Intimate in feeling, astonishing in scope, and impossible to put down, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks captures the beauty and drama of scientific discovery, as well as its human consequences.” from Amazon
exploring the HEART of health through books about science
I hope you will bookmark this page in case you didn’t have time to read all the posts.
watercress words by Dr Aletha 
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