Limping through Life A Farm Boy Polio Memoir Jerry Apps 9780870205804 Books
Download As PDF : Limping through Life A Farm Boy Polio Memoir Jerry Apps 9780870205804 Books
Limping through Life A Farm Boy Polio Memoir Jerry Apps 9780870205804 Books
Very moving account of a young man dealing with polio in the early 50's. Well written. I grew up in that era as well and remember the closed swimming pools and a few unlucky friends who were stricken with polio. I also remember lining up in either first or second grade as they immunized the entire student body for polio with the Salk vaccine SHOT! I did NOT want to cry in front of my clasmates but they all cried so I did too! How grateful the world was to Jonas Salk....To hear of all the things Jerry Apps was able to accomplish in his life in spite of his polio is pretty inspirational.
Tags : Limping through Life: A Farm Boy's Polio Memoir [Jerry Apps] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <DIV><B>Limping through Life<BR>A Farm Boy’s Polio Memoir</B><BR>Jerry Apps<BR><BR>“Families throughout the United States lived in fear of polio throughout the late 1940s and early 1950s,Jerry Apps,Limping through Life: A Farm Boy’s Polio Memoir,Wisconsin Historical Society Press,0870205803,Apps, Jerold W. - Health,Poliomyelitis - Patients - Wisconsin,Poliomyelitis;Patients;Wisconsin;Biography.,1934-,AGRICULTURE (GENERAL),Apps, Jerold W.,,Autobiography: science, technology & medicine,BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY Medical (incl. Patients),BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY Personal Memoirs,Biography,Biography & Autobiography,Biography & AutobiographyPersonal Memoirs,Biography Autobiography,BiographyAutobiography,GENERAL,General Adult,HISTORY United States State & Local Midwest (IA, IL, IN, KS, MI, MN, MO, ND, NE, OH, SD, WI),Health,HistoryUnited States - State & Local - Midwest(IA,IL,IN,KS,MI,MN,MO,ND,NE,OH,SD,WI,INFECTIOUS AND PARASITIC DISEASES,Medical - General,Non-Fiction,Patients,Personal Memoirs,Poliomyelitis,United States,United States - State & Local - Midwest,WISCONSIN - LOCAL HISTORY,Wisconsin
Limping through Life A Farm Boy Polio Memoir Jerry Apps 9780870205804 Books Reviews
I really enjoy Jerry books. My grandfather had a farm not far from where Jerry grew up, so reading his books, especially about his own life, allow me to feel like I'm getting to know my grandfather's early years.
When I was in grade school I had a friend who had had polio, he walked with crutches and had stiff braces on one leg. As a child I never knew or even stopped to think about how difficult things must have been for him. This book really brought out the hardships that the author suffered, but never once did I get the impression of self pitty, in fact just the opposite, i can't believe all that this man accomplished. In this day and age, most would have given up.Makes you wonder what he would have accomplished without the disability! Loved it.
Perhaps a writer's strongest writing tool is truth, especially in memoir writing. Although the writer, Jerry Apps, accomplished amazing feats in spite of some disability from his bout with polio he didn't wallow in pity or put himself out there as a hero either. And disease often leaves not only physical scars but emotional ones as well. He didn't avoid this topic either or how his family members reacted to his disease. This was one of the most truthful memoirs I have had the pleasure of reading. The memoir also gives the young (who don't remember standing in lines getting polio vaccinations) a very accurate account of this crippling disease.
This is especially meaning full for me for several reasons. I was in Jerry's high school class and benefited from much help he offered classmates with school work. I also had polio while in high school but was one of the fortunate ones and experienced no long lasting effects. Jerry's ability and humor quickly overshadowed his limp to the extent that it is not something his classmates recognized or remembered. This book is amazing with his ability to recall so many important details. Having also grown up on a dairy farm, I also experienced many of the chores and long hours required of young boys of that time. This is important because it brings out the values of the times so important to the growth of this Country. Jerry is a great Author. Once I started to read this book I could not put it down until finished.
Loved this book, as did my parents who actually grew up in Wild Rose at the time... and my uncle is in some of the photos.
But, most importantly, I have a patient (I am a physical therapist) who had polio at the same time as Jerry did. Same illness, perhaps a bit worse. I had loaned the book to him to read. He is now in the post-polio syndrome of this terrible disease, as is Jerry. He completely related to the initial illness and the subsequent syndrome. He both loved the book and had a terrible time reading it.
Thank you, Jerry, for sharing and putting into words everything that he experienced. And making it understandable for those who were impacted by it.
I live in Wisconsin so I thought I would give this book a try. It was enjoyable in a matter-of-fact sort of way. The life style his family lived is light years from how we live today so taking a step back into a less complex time was refreshing. It also made me realize how hard they worked. There was little pity for a young boy with polio. The people around him are rather stoic. His whole life changed due to his polio and in the end probably developed him into the hard working talented man he became. The thing that stood out for me was when he went to college his mother didn't hug or kiss him or cry. She just dropped him off! I can't imagine! It was a different time and they were brought up to not show much emotion. That is why it is sort of matter-of-fact.
Jerry Apps has a relaxed, readable writing style and kept my interest throughout the book. Having grown up in WI and knowing the Waushara County area made this book especially interesting to me. I passed it along to my 94 year old Mother who's lived in WI all her life and she liked it a lot, too. I remember the polio scare well, I was a child then, too and the fact that they weren't sure what caused it, so places like public swimming pools and county fairs were closed. Apps had limitations due to polio, but certainly did well in his life by cultivating his strengths in writing and science. I think this would be a good book for anyone who wants to know about rural and small town life and also learn about how the polio epidemic affected people, especially children, in that era.
Very moving account of a young man dealing with polio in the early 50's. Well written. I grew up in that era as well and remember the closed swimming pools and a few unlucky friends who were stricken with polio. I also remember lining up in either first or second grade as they immunized the entire student body for polio with the Salk vaccine SHOT! I did NOT want to cry in front of my clasmates but they all cried so I did too! How grateful the world was to Jonas Salk....
To hear of all the things Jerry Apps was able to accomplish in his life in spite of his polio is pretty inspirational.
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