Product Description
Teresa Mullin was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at four years of age, but it was not until she was nine that she learned most children with the disease were not expected to live to adulthood. What had been a nuisance soon became a force that molded her childhood, youth, and future. In The Stones Applaud, Mullin writes of absences from school, serving as a poster child, frequent hospitalizations, medical treatments, and most painful the isolation that came with cystic fibrosis, an inherited condition that damages the lungs and affects the digestive system. With dry humor and sharp insights, Mullin describes her battles with the disease, teachers, fellow students, and even medical professionals who tried to hold her back from experiencing life. Alternately funny, frank, poignant, and gripping, The Stones Applaud reveals the talented young writer's fierce determination to live, thrive, and persevere. Whether writing about the joy of being accepted to prep school and Harvard University, the tragedies of others deaths, or the pain of a broken friendship, Mullin never resorts to sentimentality or courts pity. The result is a powerful self-portrait of a young woman who bravely faced death while living life, who fought for every breath and every experience, and who challenges others to carry on the fight for dignity and independence for those with chronic illness. Before she died, Mullin visited Ireland and witnessed cold Atlantic waves beat against the cliffs. Inevitably, the cliffs will not withstand the unrelenting waves, but still they persevere and only the stones applaud. Mullin selected that metaphor from a poem by Gerald Dawe as the title of her memoir. She saw herself and others impacted by cystic fibrosis as the stone cliffs, standing resolute and strong in the face of a battle they suspect they will never win.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.5 based on 5 reviews)

A real, yet immature, telling of CF by E. Ahern (Pennsylvania)

3 Stars
October 22, 2009
My husband's best friend has Cystic Fibrosis and that initially led me to read this book. Our long-standing friendship with him has led me to a passable knowledge concerning this disease, but I looked forward to reading this book and gaining new perspective. This book was very well written and informative, not just about the physical trials of this disease, but also about the continual shifting of emotional perceptions and reactions to all aspects of life while battling a chronic and fatal illness. Overall, I found this book to be a brutally honest account of one woman's struggle with a disease...however, I think that this is an accurate portrayal of her struggle in the time period in which she was raised. Reading this opened up a very detailed discussion with our friend, whose experiences have been similar in some ways but vastly different in other ways. Teresa's account is largely laced with frustration, anger and bitterness at her treatment, others reactions and to her disease in general. Our friend and his experiences have been much more optimistic and I accredit this to his facing the disease one decade later than Teresa. This has led me to two conclusions about the timing of her life and the writing of this book. First, that she wrote it in her early twenties, during a time in life when many of us having just become adults are still settling into ourselves. This may have contributed largely to the general negativity in the book. But also, I felt it somewhat hopeful for the disease in general, that though Teresa had to face such inadequate and uninformed health care, that in such a short time CF has come so far. Of course it still has a ways to go, but many of her experiences are now obsolete because research and knowledge have increased at a continually growing rate. The other well-known book about CF (Alex, the Life of a Child) is told from a mourning father and I found to be decidedly tragic and emotionally draining and this book seems to have a much more even and pragmatic approach. I would hesitate to recommend this book to parents facing a newly diagnosed child, only because I feel, after speaking at length with our friend, that the research is moving so steadily forward that this book, thankfully, seems soon to be an inaccurate representation of the face of CF today. Although the emotional and social issues addressed will undoubtedly remain relevant.

Very touching and sad... by Bookd (USA)

5 Stars
September 13, 2007
I really enjoyed this book, and read it in 2 sittings. The author was a courageous young woman and I'm amazed what she accomplished in such a short life. It is written in a pleasant conversational way that I felt like I knew her a bit when I finished. The one thing I wish it had was a more in depth study of the authors family (Theresa also had a sister who had CF, and died a few years after she did). Her family went on to have a few more children (were her parents aware of the risk?) after her and her sister were diagnosed. I was also curious to how it affected them emotionally, I wish maybe her parents could have touched on this a bit more, just because it was so interesting I would have loved to know more, particularly how her sister struggled as well. I also recommend Breathing for a Living by Laura Rothenburg, my favorite book.

Opened my eyes to many issues facing the chronically ill by Suzanne Amara (MA)

5 Stars
June 09, 2007
I think Teresa Mullin achieved her goals in writing this book. It's a truly eye-opening account of what it's like to grow up with a severe chronic illness---how much she had to fight to be able to even be given a chance to do things we all take for granted. I was especially horrified by the account of the sadistic sounding head nurse at her prep school, who seemed to enjoy making her feel out of place. It was sad but telling to read about her delight in very ordinary things like pulling an all-nighter with friends studying and then going very early to Dunkin Donuts---something most of us would not count among life's big events. I also realized how the emphasis on finding the genes for genetic diseases might distract those who would otherwise work to make everyday life for people with the diseases better. Mullin felt it might have been not that hard to find a way to better fight lung infections and loosen secretions, but so much of the time and money went into finding a cure, and not into finding new treatments. That must be a huge dilemma. I don't know anyone personally with CF, but I do know quite a few children at my sons' inclusive school that are living with severe chronic conditions, and this book will affect how I see them. I wish the best for Mullin's family. I think her parents should also write a book. They would have much to tell about their life with two children with CF---their younger daughter Susan's story is overshadowed here, naturally, as Teresa was away from home so much, but I would love to know more about her, and about how the parents decided to have more children, and about their work on the behalf of CF. I want to thank them for having this book published.

Phenomenal by C. Reed (Massachusetts)

5 Stars
May 15, 2007
Teresa's book about her life is excellent. She's a strong-willed, brilliant person who conveys her experiences without a hint of self-pity. She's articulate and honest, and she opened my eyes to the shortcomings of preventative medicine and its neglect of those who are already living with disease. She also reminded me that you can't take a break from fighting injustice. Every day she fought it, through exhaustion and other people's ignorance. Teresa seems to have had a tireless spirit, and I hope this book helps people remember to continue Teresa's fight against medical complacency and the marginalization of chronically ill people.

Excellent by L Duffy (Massachusetts)

5 Stars
April 03, 2007
Teresa's words are filled with insight, purpose, and pure honesty. The Stones Applaud offers the healthy an eye-opening account of life as we've constructed it, and offers the chronically-ill a champion for their cause. Highly recommended.

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