Synopses & Reviews
When Bridget Moore left Ireland in 1865, she never suspected that along with her trunk and rosary beads, she was bringing Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy to New York City. It wasn't until Bridget was a grandmother, one who had buried four of her grandsons, that she realized she'd brought MD to the States, a disease that would haunt her family for generations. Years later, her great-grandchildren grew up under the elevated trains of Jackson Heights, Queens—and one of them was Christine Kehl O'Hagan, the author of this moving and insightful memoir.
Christine, her sister Pam, and their brother Richie played in the streets and attended mass every Sunday. But Richie had trouble walking. By the time he was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy, Christine learned that two of her mother's brothers—uncles she'd never known about—had died of MD. Christine eventually married and had a healthy son. But one day she saw her second boy, Jamie, struggle to climb onto the school bus—and she knew knew then and there that this disease would be with her the rest of her life.
Extraordinarily written, with much honesty and humor, The Book of Kehls is the engaging story of a family that has known love, courage, and heartbreak in equal measure—and survived.
Review
"While Christine O'Hagan beautifully and candidly renders detailed stories of loss and sorrow from a five-generation family history of Duchenne MD, it's the family's perseverance and hope, their ability to love and laugh and sustain each other, that most touched my heart."
- Jerry Lewis, National Chairman of the Muscular Dystrophy Association
"Though born nearsighted, Christine Kehl O'Hagan's childhood myopia blinded her from nothing. She came into the world with perfect vision of her family's karmic brawl with disease, dysfunction and death. Yet The Book of Kehls is a remarkable testament to the power of faith and fortitude, of cunning and courage. After reading her gripping, don't-you-dare-give-up memoir, you will never see your life quite the same again."
- Saralee Rosenberg, author of the New York Times bestseller A Little Help From Above and Claire Voyant
"With this brave and unflinchingly honest memoir, Christine Kehl O'Hagan tells the story of her family, struck, again and again, by the tragedies of Muscular Dystrophy. But this is not only a chronicle of death; The Book of Kehls is a true story of life, courageously told with keen insight, grace, and humor."
- Binnie Kirshenbaum, author of An Almost Perfect Moment
“I read the book straight-through. I couldn't put it down. It broke my heart, then, at the end, my heart began to mend.
The Book of Kehls is a story of shattering losses. Christine Kehl O'Hagan exposes her heart in moving and unsentimental prose and recounts her family's story with astonishing candor. She does not shy away from the hair-pulling grief, the deep guilt, the blind rage she and her family have struggled with because of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. At the same time, this is a book of all-encompassing love and abiding loyalty. An extraordinary book for everyone and for all families that demonstrates the immeasurable capacity of the human heart to endure the unimaginable, to rise above what seemed impossible to live through."
- Sandra Benítez, author of Night of the Radishes and The Weight of All Things
ard
“Affecting and joyous...Christine Kehl OHagan shares the ordinary and the extraordinary in this honest, disarming memoir of her multi-generational struggle with the progressively destructive genetic disease, muscular dystrophy... A moving testament to the power of family love and a paean to the charm and courage of the Irish.”
- Louisa Ermelino,author of The Sisters Mallone
Synopsis
On back cover, strip out bar code and price. On copyright page, reset print line to P1.
Synopsis
When Bridget Moore left Ireland in 1865, she never suspected that along with her trunk and rosary beads, she was bringing Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy to New York City. It wasn't until Bridget was a grandmother, one who had buried four of her grandsons, that she realized she'd brought MD to the States, a disease that would haunt her family for generations. Years later, her great-grandchildren grew up under the elevated trains of Jackson Heights, Queens—and one of them was Christine Kehl O'Hagan, the author of this moving and insightful memoir.
Christine, her sister Pam, and their brother Richie played in the streets and attended mass every Sunday. But Richie had trouble walking. By the time he was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy, Christine learned that two of her mother's brothers—uncles she'd never known about—had died of MD. Christine eventually married and had a healthy son. But one day she saw her second boy, Jamie, struggle to climb onto the school bus—and she knew knew then and there that this disease would be with her the rest of her life.
Extraordinarily written, with much honesty and humor, The Book of Kehls is the engaging story of a family that has known love, courage, and heartbreak in equal measure—and survived.
About the Author
Christine Kehl O'Hagan is also the author of the novel Benediction at the Savoia. She was born and grew up in Jackson Heights, Queens, and now lives with her husband on Long Island.
Reading Group Guide
1. This book is a true story of one familys struggle with a fatal disease——and a carefully crafted narrative. What are some of the techniques that OHagan used to create characters that involve us deeply in her story?
2. Why did OHagan choose to present her son Jamies death scene in the prologue? Do you agree with the decision to begin the memoir on such an intense note?
3. Though this memoir is sad, it is also funny. What impact does humor have on your experience of the book?
4. During much of the book, OHagan grapples with her desire for “a life that matters.” Discuss whether her desire was fulfilled.
5. In several emotionally charged passages, the author describes the grief that she and her husband experienced right after their sons death. Will this memoir be helpful for parents who suffer the ultimate loss?
6. OHagan doesnt credit her Catholic faith or any one source of strength as the “magic bullet” that carried her through. Instead, she writes about following “sparks.” What does this say about her religious upbringing? What do you find helpful when confronting lifes hardships?
7. The author writes about muscular dystrophys “gifts.” Discuss the idea that difficult circumstances can offer gifts.
8. Though begun on a sad note, the book ends optimistically with the author at the playground with her three-year-old granddaughter. OHagan writes that “joy is attached to our hearts with the most tenacious of threads.” Discuss whether this statement resonates with your own life experiences.