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emmakowalski's review against another edition
3.0
my mother have this book. it's weird (not the book). first introduction to root beer
rtemple11's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
kristinaray717's review
3.0
I saw the tv movie when I was young, somewhere between six and eight. I cried and cried. I saw the book somewhere shortly after and bought it. I read it a few years later when I was ten or eleven. I cried and cried. I can still remember how deeply I felt after reading this book.
polyhy_14's review against another edition
4.0
Losing a child would have to be a parent's worst nightmare. In this account, the author, a professional sports writer, chronicles the brief life of his child Alex, and her journey with cystic fibrosis. I originally picked it up in a sale because I was interesting in learning more about the disease. I got a lot more than I bargained for; a very young child trying to live as normal a life as possible while dealing with a severe health issue and gradually coming to terms with her impending death. What emerges is a normal child, her father doesn't white-wash her, but at the same time there is a growing maturity way beyond her years and a care for and response to the needs of those who are closest to her. The writing thankfully doesn't wallow in sentiment, but it is profoundly moving.
desiree_zeuxis's review against another edition
4.0
This book overall was very tender yet jarring. It was honest. It's not entirely in chronological order but rather more thematic. I think it could have benefitted from more chronology as her disease progresses. The writing was a bit off at times in terms of sentence structure which had me rereading some sentences for clarity. Overall this short book was both effective and affective.
"We talked more of love. That constituted the conversation, love."
"We talked more of love. That constituted the conversation, love."
cidimcdonald's review against another edition
5.0
I have read this book many times. It reminds me to be focused on the important things in life.
guida315's review against another edition
5.0
Heartbreaking
I'm not much a reader of sportswriters, but I had read DeFord's An American Summer, which is on my list of top ten books. So, I knew I wanted to read more by him.
This book is brilliant and heartbreaking and beautiful. There's no gentleness in Alex's death and sentimentality in DeFord's writing, and the book is exceptional for that lacking.
It's hard to read; I cried straight through the last 20% of it. But I feel as though I'm a bit better of a person for knowing about Alex.
I'm not much a reader of sportswriters, but I had read DeFord's An American Summer, which is on my list of top ten books. So, I knew I wanted to read more by him.
This book is brilliant and heartbreaking and beautiful. There's no gentleness in Alex's death and sentimentality in DeFord's writing, and the book is exceptional for that lacking.
It's hard to read; I cried straight through the last 20% of it. But I feel as though I'm a bit better of a person for knowing about Alex.
elevetha's review against another edition
3.0
The terribly heartbreaking story of young Alex Deford, who suffered and died from cystic fibrosis. Written by her father, Alex's story is one of a crippling disease and tutus. Of painful therapy that hurt her parents just as much to impose and deliver her therapy as it was for her to take it. Of week-long hospital stays. Of root beer Alex never drank. Of dancing in the hospital halls, all the while hooked to an IV pole. And of Alex's incredible personality and strength.
"I've often thought about that, Mother. Just what it would be like not to have a disease. I wouldn't even ask for forever. Just for a day I'd like to wake up one morning, and not have any pain or be sick or anything. Just once to be free."
regina_confettibookshelf's review against another edition
5.0
It's hard to say how many times I read this book when I was growing up, or how many times I watched the subsequent TV movie. What I do know is that there are moments that are burned into my memory, as if I had lived through them myself. Upon re-reading this now as an adult, it's easy to see why Alex's story made such an impression. It's tragic and heartbreaking, but it's also told skillfully by her loving - and talented - father Frank Deford. In my eyes, "Alex: The Life of a Child" is a modern classic.
POPSUGAR Reading Challenge 2017: A book you loved as a child
POPSUGAR Reading Challenge 2017: A book you loved as a child