Torn Apart: The Heartbreaking Story of a Childhood Lost - Hardcover

Patterson, James

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1846054028 ISBN 13: 9781846054020

Publisher: Century, 2008

Synopsis

Cory Friedman was an ordinary fun-loving little boy. That fateful March morning in 1989 started just like any other but later that day, he started to feel very different and the course of his life was set to change. It started with an irresistible urge to shake his head, and before long, his body became a volatile, explosive and unpredictable force. Overtaken by physical urges, tics and compulsions, the bright young boy started to feel and look like a puppet on a string. Cory had developed a rare combination of Tourette Syndrome, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Anxiety Disorder and other neurological conditions. The life he knew had been torn apart and his family was left watching him suffer. Desperate to help and hopeful of a cure, they embarked on a fifteen year plight which took them beyond breaking point. Cory was seen by thirteen doctors who in total prescribed sixty potent medicines. He was mistakenly sent to a psychiatric ward and. On the brink of utter despair, he and his family decided to try a form of intervention that had never been tried in cases such as Cory's: he was sent to a wilderness survival camp in a bitter, unforgiving snowy Utah winter. This felt like their final chance. Throughout his young life, Cory struggled to have the same childhood and adolescence as his friends. From time to time an overwhelming anger and frustration overcame him when one doctor after another and an unprecedented number of medicines continually failed him. Still, throughout it all, Cory battled against the extraordinary events that were unfolding, and would take him on one of the most terrifying personaljourneys ever recorded. Torn Apart is a true story of one family's courage, heartbreak, sacrifice and ultimately, triumph.

About this title

Product Description:

Cory Friedman was an ordinary fun-loving little boy. Cory developed a rare combination of Tourette Syndrome, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Anxiety Disorder and other neurological conditions. This book tells the story of his family's courage, heartbreak, sacrifice and ultimately, triumph.

Review:

"Highly readable and emotionally affecting" (Mirror)

"A work of naked truth, as disturbing as it is important ... This true story of Hal Friedman's son, Cory, is a gift of honesty, huge courage, and hope, and a reminder that against all medical advice and odds, human beings can prevail" (Patricia Cornwell)

"[Torn Apart] is both harrowing and heartbreaking, but is also a story of astonishing courage. This book stands as a testament to the amazing power of one family's unconditional love for each other" (Tess Gerritsen)

"In the tradition of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Patterson and Friedman manage to get deep inside debilitating illness, and show us what life looks like from that perspective. [Torn Apart] is an amazing story of courage, fortitude and a family's love, simply told" (Terri Cheney, author of Manic: A Memoir)

"Inspiring . . . a testament to the importance of family and the resilient nature of the human spirit" (George Pelecanos, author of The Turnaround)

About this edition

• Publisher: Century
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1846054028
• ISBN 13: 9781846054020
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 304