Erythra Thalassa: Brain Disrupted — What Readers Say
“Annette Berkovits has yet again outdone herself. She is one of the best contemporary writers published today. I highly recommend anything she has written.”
—Rachel L.
“I hope that every parent who is taking care of an adult child is able to find and read this amazing book. With a minimal amount of words – almost like haikus – Annette Libeskind Berkovits takes us on her inner journey of thoughts and emotions. Her words are like simple brushstrokes, employed without wasting a drop of paint. But they create an honest portrait of grief, terror and tenacity that a memoir of 300 pages couldn’t capture. I was so grateful to read this book and learn about Ms. Berkovits and her family. They will always remain a source of inspiration to me. Neurologists everywhere should keep this book on resource lists for their patients and their families.”
—Amazon customer
“We write to know ourselves and let others know they are not alone in their struggles and sorrows. In this beautiful collection of meditations and poems, Berkovits invites the reader to walk with her through a world hollowed out by a stroke that struck down her beloved son– ‘a winner in his field’, a happily married man with two adoring daughters—leaving him a quadriplegic.
In this chapbook, we encounter the strength and courage of a woman who refuses to give up, who will turn over any stone to help her son. The fine clinical print of the insurance policies no one reads. The thoughtfulness of a neurosurgeon, ‘the God of neuro ICU,’ who comes bearing roses. The immense indignities, endless pain, and losses large and small—the little things we take for granted—that afflict Jeremy daily. Erythra Thalassa will fill you with wonder and leave you with a deep appreciation of the human spirit.”
—Dr. D
“A daunting and unflinching examination of perhaps not just the meaning of life after tragedy but of the perspective that comes without illusion. Absolutely inspiring.”
—Jim Cooper
“The unstoppable force and pulsing heart of these finely wrought poems flows to an inescapable conclusion – that the seemingly prosaic sings its own song of beauty and, sadly, that beauty is recognized only when the song is silenced. Each poem in this collection by Annette Libeskind Berkovits is a glistening teardrop demonstrating that we miss so much of life when we fail to embrace the little things, “morning coffee, strong, in the tall mug,” the sweetness of a rain shower, “that scratch, that turn, that wipe, that movement that lets you know you are ‘normal.’””
—Bibliomaniac
“This book is amazing. No one ever knows what someone else is going through, not even family.
A must read especially now.”
—Mou
