The Story of Christy Brown

by Christy Brown

Book Overview

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0671773496
• ISBN13: 9780671773496
• Release Date: August 1971
• Publisher: Pocket
• Length: 143 Pages
• Weight: 0.20 lbs.

Customer Reviews

A TESTAMENT TO THE RESILIENCY OF THE HUMAN SPIRIT...

This is the story of a young man who was born in Ireland in 1932, after a difficult birth and with a severe disability that the doctors of the time were unable to name. They urged his parents to disavow him, as he was, they believed, an imbecile with a severely spastic body. Moreover, his parents then had five other children, all healthy. Christy's mother, however, refused to institutionalize him, keeping him at home and treating him as she would her other children. It would not be until years later that she would learn that Christy's affliction was severe cerebral palsy. Imprisoned in a world all his own and seeming without means to communicate, Christy, at the age of five, made an attempt at communication that was to change his life forever. By breaking the communications barrier, Christy demonstrated that he could learn and understand. From then on, his capacity for learning was prodigious. Who would have thought that within his severely contorted and convulsed body lay a razor sharp mind and a thirst for knowledge? Certainly not the medical community, which had been so willing to consign him to institutional living. Armed with his left foot, the only part of his body over which he seemed to have some control, Christy Brown would demonstrate to the world who he really was. He was, after all, not the imbecile that the medical community had originally thought but an intelligent and sentient human being. This is Christy Brown's triumphant and inspirational story of his battle to learn to read, write, and paint, all with the aid of his left foot. It is an inspirational story of his quest for fulfillment. His yearning to be as others are is palpable, and his struggle for acceptance beyond the borders of his home and his physical limitations are well articulated. Christy Brown gives the reader a birds-eye view of what it is like to be a person with severe cerebral palsy. First published in Great Britain in 1954, when Christy Brown was twenty-two, this book, written with his left foot, is a testament to the resiliency of the human spirit.

My Left Foot by Christy Brown

This book gives an uplifting account of Christy's battle with adversity. It is very emotional demonstrating hope and the love that everyone can use and learn something from. It is a incredible story of beating the obstacles that stand in our way. Sometimes people think that life is hard and unfair, it makes them want to give up but when you read this book you will come to realize; this is a story about a boy afflicted by cerebral palsy who's had a hard life but yet he still doesn't give up, he had to succeed and accomplish thigs with only his left foot. I would definitely recommend this book. It was written from the heart and shows the world through the eyes of a innocent person afflicted by cerebral palsy. This book is truly enlightening. After reading My Left Foot, it led me to understand more about what it is like to suffer from cerebral palsy and how hard it is for them to challenge it. Christy's life story gives readers hope about their future. I wouldn't mind reading this book over again.

The Christy Brown Story

The autobiography by Christy Brown began on June 5,1932,in theRotunda Hospital. Christy's birth was a difficult one as his mothercame very close to death during the birth,even after his birth Christy's mother was sent to recuperate for some weeks and he wasn't baptized until his mother was well enough to bring him to a church. During Christy's birth nothing seemed to go right even after his birth mother found something to be very peculiar about him,as his head would often fall backwards during his feeding time. Christy's life started off very painfully with this unknown and very disturbing disability but his mother believed him to be just as normal as her and set out to prove it. On one afternoon of a "cold,grey December day" Christy,(who was sitting next to his sisters),became very attracted to a yellow piece of chalk and wanted it desperately,the only problem was that his sisters were holding on to the "long,slender stick of vivid yellow". Becoming very agitated Christy,without thinking or knowing exactly what he was doing,grabbed the chalk from his sisters hand with his left foot,Christy,with his mother's assistance,then began to write the letter 'A'. This would prove to be Christy's first time using his left foot and writing the letter 'A',with this momentous occasion Christy could now express himself and not be trapped in his mind of torment and constant put down. Christy would not stop just there,nor would his mother,the next big challenge became the alphabet as this would open up many new worlds for Christy and may have started him on his love for writing. Christy spent many days in the front bedroom of the house trying to learn the ABC's with mother's help and soon mastered the many letters in the alphabet and became uninterested in this mundane way of learning. As Christy was growing older he began to associate with other children through the help of his brothers,as they would push him along the streets of Dublin in a rusty old go-car called 'Henry' and Christy soon forgot about his learning,Christy spent many many happy and unforgettable years in that cart which freed him from the harsh reality of himself,which he would soon come to face. Christy remembers the many times he would spill out of the cart because his friends and brothers would often go at a bend at full speed,but this did not bother Christy because he was free,he no longer had to deal with his thoughts,and I am sure that he would prefer a crash to hearing his merciless mind tear him apart. Christy was happy with this life of taking bends at full speed and crashing to the ground with his friends and brothers,but,unfortunately this would not last long enough.

A struggle of a boy from during his journey from childhood..

MY LEFT FOOT by Christy Brown is a true story of a young boy who grew up to be a man in a small town along with his handicaps. The look of pity Christy saw in a child's eyes, love a affection Christy got from his mother and a friend, and the help of Dr. Collis are the major steps that influenced Christy's journey from childhood to adulthood. It seems as Christy Brown always tried to hide from the society because he received pity and sympathy for his handicap from it. But when he decided to fight against his handicap, he only received encouragement; pride, not pity.How cruel a simple look of pity could be? According to Christy's experience, it could be the most bitter and crushing thing one can ever experience. Christy was abnormal but he never thought about that. He always seems to enjoy life with his brothers. He knew that something is wrong somewhere, but what it is, he never thought about that. Life was a jolly good show for Christy until a friend, Jenny, looked at him with pity in her eyes. That simple look took away many things from Christy's life including his peace of mind. She made Christy realize how helpless he is. Because of the love and affection Jenny gave Christy, he had forgotten himself. "I (Christy) had almost forgotten myself. I had come to believe that there is no `difference' between myself and other people, except in my mind. It was great pleasure to lose myself in such a dream-world, in such an impossible paradise. It was pure joy to blind my eyes to every unpleasant fact about myself, even for a few weeks. But - it (look of pity) made the coming back reality all the more violent and bitter." (Page 74, lines 22-29)After that incidence, Christy tried to avoid company. He made no new friends for almost three years after that. He quitted all his activities, and in his words, he would go out hardly once a year and even then he would go only to some place out of the city where there would be no one else but his family. He hated to receive pity and yet he believed that it is the only thing he will receive from the outside world. After that `look of pity,' Christy totally boycotted the society and locked himself up in his room, painting with his left foot, listening to the music, reading books, or simply thinking about his disabilities. He shut the outside world for himself because wanted to escape the sympathy and pity.The bitter realization of his handicap could have taken Christy's life if his mother's love and Katriona Delahunt's affection wouldn't be there. Christy tried to commit suicide after that `look of pity' by throwing himself out of the window, but when he thought about all the love and affection he had received from his family and a friend, he stopped himself. It was impossible for Christy to live with a broken heart Katriona Delahunt made it possible for him. Katriona encouraged him to write, read, and paint. She made Christy feel important by asking him about his pai

WOW!

A truly amazing book about the troubles overcome by a boy with cerebral palsy. I would definetely recommend this to everyone!