Illinois State Library

General Information

Name:  Denise Thornton  

Genre: Non-Fiction

Audience: Adult; Young Adult;

Born:

Scarecrow Press. 2007

It is difficult enough for teens growing up today to deal with the regular issues arising from family, school, and relationships, regardless of whether they have physical disabilities or not. Add to those problems the extra obstacles that visual, hearing, and physical impairments present some teens, and the road to adulthood just got exponentially more complex.

Physical Disabilities: The Ultimate Teen Guide provides a roadmap through these additional tribulations teens with disabilities face by showing the methods, mechanisms, and resources other teens are using to cope with their disabilities. Discussing everything from going away to college to living independently to traveling internationally, this book is filled with stories from active teens who have vision, hearing, and other physical disabilities.

Interviews with teens who are meeting the challenges of living with cerebral palsy, spina bifida, Osteosarcoma, amputations, visual impairment, Rellex Sympathetic Dystrophy, paralysis, hearing impairment, and deafness are included along with more than 40 photos of these teens participating in various activities. Author Denise Thornton has organized the book into eight categories: School, Tools and Technology, Transportation and Access, Sports, the Arts, Relationships, Independence, and Advocacy. Each chapter combines the experiences of teens and young adults in all these spheres with up-to-date information on the resources that readers can call on as they follow their own dreams. Teens, parents, teachers, and medical professionals will find this to be a valuable resource.

Scarecrow Press. 2011

Cancer hits hard at any age, but it is especially challenging for teens who must battle their disease while negotiating the tricky terrain of adolescence. This book explores the range of challenges cancer places on both teens who have cancer and teens who have friends or family members with cancer. Denise Thornton follows cancer's devastating path through a teen's life from diagnosis to treatment and survivorship, with special attention to how cancer can affect relations with friends and family, and its impact on school life.

Living with Cancer explores the toll cancer can take on self image and looks at how teens facing cancer have found a sense of balance and control. Each chapter takes advantage of expert knowledge and new information that is continually coming to light, but the bulk of the book is made up of narratives shared by teens whose lives have been changed by cancer. This book will prove immensely useful for teens who are facing cancer, as well as friends and family members who want to understand and support them.