Synopses & Reviews
Richard Cohen, a veteran writer, producer and distinguished journalist, has lived with multiple sclerosis for over 25 years. Recently diagnosed again with colon cancer, Cohen describes his lifelong struggle with multiple sclerosis, his first bout with colon cancer, a loving marriage to Meredith Viera, the effect of illness on raising children, and the nature of denial and resilience, all told with grace, humour, and lyrical prose.
Cohen chronicles and celebrates a life brimming over with accomplishment, adversity and personal endeavour and his story has struck a chord with readers nation–wide. He has been interviewed by Barbara Walters for a nearly hour–long segment that ran on 20/20, he also appeared on wife Viera's program, The View and is scheduled for Charlie Rose, Larry King Live, Good Morning America, and the Paula Zahn Show, among others. Blindsided also received outstanding print attention and People magazine has run a first serial piece.
Autobiographical at its roots, reportorial and expansive, Blindsided builds on Cohen's story as a task aimed at emotional well–being, if not survival, pursued in sober tones that explore coping to its most redemptive and complex levels. Despite his extreme circumstances, Cohen's is a common struggle, recognisable as an integral part of humanity, and one which he explores with varying amounts of diligence, respect, personal revelation and humour.
Review
"Blindsided is beautifully written and utterly honest. May we all be so brave and caring in our own families."
Tom Brokaw
Review
"A powerful and agonizingly frank description of a life with which many chronically ill people and their families will identify."
Library Journal (Starred Review)
Review
"With aplomb and high character [Cohen] lays out
lessons in unflappable prose....A sharp and affecting piece of perspective-setting."
Kirkus Reviews
Review
"[U]ltimately, his is a story of overcoming adversity and not being beaten by it..." Booklist
Review
"Blindsided is a powerful memoir...[i]t doesn't flinch and it doesn't whine. Its tone is more of self-horror than self-pity.... At the same time, it is disjointed and repetitive, as sickness is by its nature." New York Times
Synopsis
Richard M. Cohen was a twenty-five-year-old television news producer when he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. For thirty years he has battled MS, along with two recent bouts of colon cancer. In
Blindsided he chronicles a life characterized by accomplishment and adversity.
As Cohen writes, "This book is about surviving and flourishing, rising above fear and self-doubt and, of course, anger." With honesty and humor, he explores the effects of illness on his relationship with his wife, Meredith Vieira (host of ABC's The View), and their three children. He tackles the nature of denial and resilience, the struggle for emotional health, and the redemptive effects of a loving family. Blindsided is about celebrating life and coping with chronic illness, seen through the lens of one man's inspiring story.
Synopsis
A hopeful look at coping with the ravages of serious chronic illness by an accomplished journalist, a contributing columnist for the New York Times, and former senior producer of the CBS Evening News
Richard Cohen, a veteran journalist, has lived with multiple sclerosis for 30 years. Diagnosed with colon cancer twice in recent years, Cohen chronicles and celebrates a life brimming over with accomplishment and adversity, while struggling for emotional health.
Autobiographical at its roots, reportorial, and expansive, Blindsided explores the effects of illness on raising three children and his relationship with wife Meredith Vieira (host of ABC's The View). He tackles the nature of denial and resilience and the redemptive effects of a loving family, and does so with grace, humor, and lyrical prose.
About the Author
Richard M. Cohen's distinguished career in journalism earned him numerous awards, including three Emmys and a George Foster Peabody Award. He lives outside New York City with his wife, Meredith Vieira, and their three children.