Lightning Strikes Twice
- Reviews
There will shortly be reviews around the web for this book. Meanwhile, these are interesting early ones that have already appeared in a few places:
“To be perfectly honest, I have little cause for complaint. There are only a few additional things I have to think hard about.” That’s what Tom East concludes after “lightning has struck him twice”. Indeed, he is so detached, so lucid about it that I wonder why he has written this book in the first place. Usually, people, after such ordeals they go through, take advantage of every opportunity to make the most of it, either begging for sympathy or getting what the ancient Greeks called catharsis. Tom East is the exception. His purpose, seemingly, is to give us a lesson (using all the tools of a professional writer) in endurance and recovery, about the strength and resilience one has to find in themselves in order to go back to normal, describing in detail, patiently, his more or less successful efforts, his entertaining experiences, and even providing a medicine of his own device – therapy poems. The overall tone of the book, therefore, is serene and optimistic, prodding readers to take every drama that comes their way as lightly as they can afford to. Tom East is, definitely, a man who has managed to bury the hatchet with his own self. I think we should all do the same.
DR PETRU IAMANDI
Strokes are something we would rather not think about but probably should. Life can deliver some unexpected setbacks and the test is how we cope and deal with them. Tom East has had more than his fair share but his story is one of determination to fight his way back to a normal life albeit with some very frustrating post haemorrhage impediments. Tom has refused to let his damaged speech, double vision or what must be the constant fear of another repeat put his life on hold. He just gets on with it. A recommended read to remind all of us to never give up.
JW
Astoundingly lucid account of life with two strokes.
As the blurb says, this is a first-person account of surviving two strokes over twenty years. This is a moving, detailed, in both a factual and emotional way and even, occasionally, a funny account of the author's life and experiences over this period. He has a stroke, he recovers, although not completely and then ten years after, he has another one and has to go through the process again. How he does this and how he is helped by his family, friends and professionals is the gist of the book. It is fascinating and deserves to be read.
Chris Williams
The author in a light way tells the ongoing story of his facing life changing brain haemorrhages on two separate occasions over the past twenty years. The author’s wide range of interests and anecdotes of family holidays gives a fascinating social commentary of pre covid Britain. Well worth reading.
Allan P
What a brave and determined man, great read for someone who has also suffered from a stroke in the past.
Melanie Emery
