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Not tonight, Hadassah — A lifelong headache sufferer shares her failure in finding a cure
From Haaretz English Edition 9/13/02
She has written 123 pages about headaches, from signs and symptoms to the search for a cure, but she is no doctor. Hadassah Bat Haim is what she calls a "serious headache expert," a term she reserves for sufferers alone.
Her book, Screaming Quietly (Sorry, I've Got a Headache), which was released last month as a 4-CD audio book by Californian women's publishing house LadyBugPress, is most notable because, despite the ongoing trauma it documents, it manages to be comical.
Inspired by a "roaringly funny" book written by a woman who had TB, Bat Haim decided to record her battle plague — the headaches she has suffered from for most of her life.
Her first ever headache — which struck like a "falling tree" — takes us away from Nahariya, where Bat Haim has lived since 1950, and back to her native Manchester, during World War II. As a teenager Bat Haim — then known as Myrtel Acker — waited to join the WAAF (Women's Auxiliary Air Force) and worked as an actress with a touring company, the "first tremor" preceding s headache was felt on a bus journey home.
As the "small flashlight the conductor used to illuminate his ticket bag stabbed red hot needles" in the back of her eye sockets, Bat Haim recalls that "headache" seemed "pitifully weak" way to describe her condition.
As the migraines set in, and Bat Haim married, moved to Israel and raised three children, her search for a cure began. Her book recounts her abject failure to find relief through drugs or diets, hypnosis or acupuncture, gurus or "the laying on of hands," as well as unexpected breaks from the misery — such as the period following pregnancy. But that offered limiting comfort: After all, she says, " You can't keep having babies, just to get rid of headaches."
Not that most of us know what all the fuss is about. "Do you get headaches?" she asks accusingly, as though it is a qualification. But then, as her gook states, there are "two sorts of people. Those who think that a headache is a social prevarication, and those who get them." Communication between the two, she continues, is like "trying to describe to a civilian what it's like to be in the army."
The real-life happy ending, however, does not make it into the book. Bat Haim — now in her "late middle age" — explains that although migraines break class, gender and ethnic boundaries, they do fade away around the age of 60.
Now, she can enjoy all kinds of things she would never do before, "like stay up late and not be half blind the next day. And it allows a certain peace to descend", she says even offering "some compensation for getting old."
Plus, she accepts that her ability to laugh I the face of suffering is aided, at least to a degree by distance.
The curse of headaches, she reluctantly admits, has minor compensations. For a start, she says, " It's a valid excuse for not doing anything," recalling the age-old excuse that women used on their husbands.
And a person with migraines can readily "appreciate suffering" and "understand [the] "despair" of others. This may be "ennobling," she concludes, but she would clearly prefer "it would ennoble someone else."
"Screaming Quietly, " which is available on the Internet, is Bat Haim's third book. Her first, "Travels with Hannah," recounts " all the mistakes" she made in Israel" while "Galilee and Golan" is a guidebook.
She recently won a short story competition run by LadybugPress and a collection of her short stories, "Off the Rails," is available on CD Rom.
As for her headache tome, she knows, "it won't cure anyone, " but she hopes, at least, "It might cheer them up."
This book can be purchased directly from LadybugBooks.com
This book can be purchased directly from LadybugBooks.com
Screaming Quietly
Hadassah Bat Haim
Price: $29.95
LadybugPress, ISBN 1889409146
By Charlotte Halle
Or from Amazon.com
Write What You Know: A Writer's Adventure
Georgia Jones
Price: $12.95
LadybugBooks.com, ISBN 1889409073
Don DeNevi
January 30, 1999
Palo Alto Daily News
"Some say write what you know. But how do you find out
the things that will make you interesting? That will make
a writer out of you? In Write What You Know author
Georgia Jones takes you through the steps that she herself
has taken along the path to better writing.
Georgia, who has helped writers find their voices for
over five years, and whose own books and articles have spanned
a period of over 30 years, tells us how her own life affected
her fiction, non-fiction, journalism, commentary, poetry, and
plays.
Patiently and with a wonderful prose, she assists you through
a series of exercises. She entertains with story examples to
demonstrate techniques. She describes complex ideas so simply
that anyone who has the spark can continue to improve on the skill
that must go along with the love of writing.
Write What You Know is a book that can be used and
enjoyed by the new writer looking for guidance, or is a book for
the seasoned pro in search of a fresh outlook. And for $12.95,
you get to meet an absolutely marvelous woman.
Georgia's daily encouragement and writing challenges have brought
together writers from all over the world."
Anne Johnson, http://www.womenfolk.com:
"Georgia Jones has put together a writer's guide that mixes humor,
guidelines, exercises and examples of real writing. This is all done
in a way that gently draws the aspiring author into the process of
writing. The book guides us through the elements of fiction including
character, place, dialog and plot but each of these is brought to life
in a way that makes one eager to start writing.
For example, as I read the section on development of a character for
fiction, my first thought was that it is far more complicated than I
expected. Yet, at the same time I felt that it would be truly
fascinating to work with character in this way.
It's not so much that Georgia Jones makes writing look easy, but
that it would be well worth the time and effort to build the skills
that she guides us through. She shows us that writing is not so much
a mystery as a challenge. She begins the book talking about how we
write what we know. In the end we realize that we know far more
than we ever imagined."
This book can be purchased directly from LadybugBooks.com
Or from Amazon.com
Extraordinary Ordinary Women
by Alice Hellstrom Anderson
Price: NOW! $17.95
LadybugBooks.com; ISBN: 1889409200
Throughout the history of the world, both religious
and secular, women have played a major role in the
history of nations by helping to shape their destiny.
From the beginning of the American nation to the present
time, women have played a significant role in helping to shape
the character fabric of the American people.
Within the covers of this book, Extraordinary Ordinary Women,
with a broad and bold sweep of her literary brush Alice Hellstrom
Anderson has painted brilliant highlights from the lives of some of
the American women of the 20th century who have made a significant
contribution to the character fabric of the nation by the exercise
of their extraordinary talents.
Throughout its pages it is interesting to note that one
extraordinary characteristic, common to each woman's story, tells
of their determination to use their God-given talents for the
betterment and enrichment of humanity.
In telling their stories and revealing this extraordinary
characteristic, common to each of these women, Alice Hellstrom
Anderson has given us a book of great worth that should prove
to be inspirational reading to both genders of all walks of life
for this and succeeding generations.
Derek de Cambra,
Opera/drama director,
writer, poet, lecturer, performing/graphic artist.
Reader comments from Amazon.com
A reader from USA , June 16, 1998
An inspiring book for women of all ages. You will be amazed
at what these women have done, accomplished or experienced.
Each story is inspiring and unique. A true display of how
one person can in fact make a difference.
A reader from USA/Maine , June 15, 1998
Inspiring and motivating... Reflecting the lives of women
with widely ranging careers and special interests, Ms. Anderson's
book is at once both inspiring and motivating.
From women whose work involves teaching developmentally and
physically challenged children and women committed to the
rescue and humane treatment of animals, to women whose life
work has been to provide career opportunities for other
women, these thoughtfully written biographical profiles
provide a pciture of diversity and dedication.
Thoughtfully researched and articulately written, Ms. Anderson's
book would be an exceptional graduation gift for any young
woman embarking on the exploration of her own career options.
It is gratifying reading for anyone who finds inspiration in
the lives and good works of others.
This book can be purchased directly from LadybugBooks.com
Or from Amazon.com
Not in Vain: An Extraordinary Life
Ada Aharoni
Price: NOW! $14.95
LadybugBooks.com, ISBN 1889409189
Not In Vain: An Extraordinary Life, written by Ada Aharoni,
is the story of Thea Wolf, a German Jew working in the prestigious
Jewish Hospital in Alexandria Egypt. It is a story of a compassionate
heart and how one woman's actions affected so many.
Not in Vain is more than a single woman's story. It is,
also, a book of stories and events: Stories of Jewish-Arab efforts
to save European Jews who became refugees on the roads and ports of
Alexandria, Egypt in the years of World War Two. Shimon Perez, former
Israeli Prime Minister, said of Not in Vain: An Extraordinary Life
"This is a book about the Levant at its best... a real message of
peace... I highly recommend it."
Ada Aharoni has carefully reconstructed this time and Thea's
life from interviews with Thea, Thea's journals, and Dr. Aharoni's
own research into this little know period. Lost threads of both
history and personal events are uncovered in Not in Vain and a
whole tapestry of surprises is woven, from the deep sadness of
loss to amazing accounts of near impossible salvation. This is
not one woman's story but the story of many.
Thea Wolf's life is a model for those who are dedicated to a world
of peace and a gripping account of how a young woman made a difference
in the midst of an insane war. "It shows a society in which Arab and
Jew lived peacefully side by side—indeed, intermingled—working
together cooperatively," W. D. Ehrhart
Dr. Ada Aharoni is a professor, researcher, writer and editor
whose works are internationally known. She is tri-lingual, and
writes in English, French and Hebrew, and has published twenty
two books to date that have been translated into seventeen languages.
She believes that culture, literature and communications can help in
healing the urgent ailments of our global village, such as war,
conflict, and poverty, and the themes of peace and conflict resolution
are major ones throughout her works.
Many books have been published about the Jewish experiences in Europe
during the Second World War, but very few about being Jewish in Arab
countries during that period. Not In Vain: An Extraordinary Life
fills a small niche in this wide gap. Though the Jewish community
in Egypt is no more, it can still provide a promising example of
what our global village could be, for as Isaac Bashevis Singer so
well said, "In literature as in dreams, there is no death."
Dr. Ada Aharoni is a professor, researcher, writer and
editor whose works are internationally known. She is
tri-lingual, and writes in English, French and Hebrew, and
has published twenty two books to date that have been translated
into seventeen languages. She believes that culture, literature
and communications can help in healing the urgent ailments of our
global village, such as war, conflict, and poverty, and the themes
of peace and conflict resolution are major ones throughout her
works.
Many books have been published about the Jewish experiences in
Europe during the Second World War, but very few about being Jewish
in Arab countries during that period. Not In Vain: An Extraordinary
Life fills a small niche in this wide gap. Though the Jewish
community in Egypt is no more, it can still provide a promising
example of what our global village could be, for as Isaac Bashevis
Singer so well said, "In literature as in dreams, there is no death."
In Not In Vain: An Extraordinary Life, Ada Aharoni shares with us
the wisdom and experience of Thea Woolf's remarkable life. Thea
talks from the heart, she is real and inspiring. This is a book
about being a strong and wise woman, living a meaningful life,
choosing one's own road, about the power of the word and of the
will, and about the power of the love of life and of humanity.
Thea is an unforgettable role model who offers precious gems of
truth in every chapter.
Not In Vain: An Extraordinary Life is not only an exciting
and revealing personal account, it is also a kaleidoscope of
astonishing human events during World War II in Egypt, which
gives the reader a sense of having lived important moments in
history. It is a book which makes a strong protest against war,
it convincingly depicts its calamities and absurdities, but it
also instills in us the hope that it can one day be banished from
our lives and planet forever.
Ada Aharoni offers us a blend of penetrating insight, poignancy,
compassion and artistry in her rendition of Thea's biographical
account. What could have been a more cynical period than Sister
Thea's Nazi-infested times? And yet Thea shows through her actions,
centered in the model microcosm of the inter-cultural Jewish Hospital
in Alexandria, that a warm, caring attitude does make a difference
in people's lives and is the main hope for peace, both in the
human heart and in our global village.
The close collaboration depicted between Jews and Egyptians in
the Alexandrian community and hospital during World War II, and
their vital cooperation in saving European Jews from the Holocaust,
delineated throughout the book, is a pertinent example of what
the relationships between Israelis and Palestinians could be today.
If it was possible for Moslems and Jews in the past to live in
harmony, collaboration and peace together, it adds hope and
assurance that it is possible to do so in the present and in
the future. ~Daniel Walden, editor, Studies in American
Jewish Literature, Pennsylvania State University
This book can be purchased directly from LadybugBooks.com
Or from Amazon.com
A Garden of Weedin'
Georgia Jones
Price: $16.95
LadybugBooks.com, ISBN 1889409197
A Garden Of Weedin' is a collection of poetry, essays,
and garden lore for the "greenthumb philosopher". The
poetry is funny, moving and beautiful; the observations
on life and gardening tweak the mind and the imagination;
and the multimedia art is innovative and intriguing.
Scattered throughout are quotations from people who
have written about the garden and nature, and there are
recipes for using some of the most interesting of the
weeds. A Garden Of Weedin' is highly recommended reading
for the gardener and anyone who enjoys poetry inspired by
gardening, and the effects that acts of gardening can have
for the human heart and the human soul.
This review courtesy of the BookWatch
web site: http://www.execpc.com/~mbr/bookwatch
This book can be purchased directly from LadybugBooks.com
Or from Amazon.com
Reviewed by Jim Cox, Midwest Book Review
Women on a Wire : A Collection of Poems
edited by Georgia Jones
Price: $11.95
LadybugBooks.com; ISBN: 1889409162
Women On A Wire is the work of thirty poets who have
never met except in the on-line internet environment.
Women On A Wire is an anthology of poems that grew out
of the artistic nurturing of on-line communities in our
new computer age. These poems are what happens when
women begin to break through the isolation, a precursor
to an artistic renaissance which the world has not seen
in centuries The poems range the gamut of emotions, if
there is any universal element it is there respective
abilities to create memorable word pictures for the mind
and heart. All royalties from Women on a Wire will be
donated to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
Unique and original!
Or from Amazon.com
He Mail / She Mail : The Meaning of Life in E-Mail
by Elliot Grant, Christine WhiteRaven Olinger
Price: $8.95
Paperback - 128 pages
LadybugBooks.com; ISBN: 1889409170
Reader comments from Amazon.com:
A reader from Shippensburg, PA USA , October 5, 1998
Just Plain Fun
The authors of delightful dialogue have captured the
spirit of late night conversations with old or new found
friends. The slightly irreverent tone of some of the
discussion is just the kind of atmosphere that adds to
a sense of spontaneity. As a Christian pastor I found
the religious sensibilities of the authors a bit
unconventional, but refreshing. Grant and Olinger
reflect a concern for the real issues of faith while
avoiding the trap of doctrinal boredom. He Mail/She
Mail is an invitation to laughter and an invitation to
a gathering of friends.
Thanks for the fun.
A reader from Smithtown, NY , August 8, 1998
An entertaining and amusing read, that is hard to put
down. A book that is based on conversations on E-Mail
between a man and a woman. I thought that this would be
the usual man vs. woman; sexist vs. feminist...WRONG!
This witty and refreshing book is totally unique. I
became engrossed and fascinated by both Elliot and Raven.
It is really the story of two people who are openly sharing
their very different backrounds with each other, through
their entertaining anecdotes of family and childhood.
It was impossible to put down.
Vandi@firstcontl.com from Dallas, TX , April 14, 1998
Brilliant, cathartic, light hearted - great universal
appeal. A series of e-mail messages between two friends,
comparing life, thoughts and a new theory of gravity.
This book can be purchased directly from LadybugBooks.com
Or from Amazon.com
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