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Thursday, July 26, 2007

Book review: The Wet Engine

Via Monastic Musings, a review of a book about a father with twin sons, one of whom was born with a heart condition.

Sr. Edith writes:

"The story of the book - it does not have a plot but it does have a story - centers on that little boy, Liam. Who were the doctors and what path of life brought them to deal with these difficult situations? Who invented these surgeries? Who figured out how the human heart worked? And - what does it all mean?

The overarching theme is wonder: that Liam is alive, that so many people have devoted so much of their lives in such surprising ways to uncovering the secrets of the working of the heart, the mystery of the heart itself. Philosopher Josef Pieper diagnoses the absence of wonder as one of the major ills of our society: we get so caught up in doing what works. We forget that it is a mystery that anything exists at all, and don't take the time to stand back in awe and wonder. Brian Doyle has done that, and shared the results with us."

This is not a book "just for" parents dealing with these issues (although I've put a 'parenting and disability' label below so any parents can find other resources), but a spiritual book for all of us, based on the review.

I've also added a link in my sidebar to the Congenital Heart Information Network, a wonderful site.

Click above to read the rest.

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