In P.S. This Accident Has Changed Everyone
and Everything, Kathleen Griffiths has provided a
useful reference book for family members of head-injured
persons. The title comes from a letter from one such family
member; short segments from the experiences of relatives
and friends dot the text, fleshing out the personal side
in an otherwise “meat-and-potatoes” text. Dr.
Griffiths is commended for her translation of the basics
of brain injury (from neuropathology to medical assessment
and rehabilitation) into plain English, so that
fairly technical information is accessible to the layperson.
This is perhaps the greatest strength of the book. Clinicians
will find the book particularly helpful for family members
of severely injured persons with a lengthy period of coma
and/or posttraumatic amnesia, and for whom some degree
of significant residual impairment is highly likely.
Coping With Mild Traumatic Brain Injury evoked
mixed reactions, once my initial excitement to see such a book
passed. Written by a psychologist who has survived a combined
acquired and traumatic brain injury (cerebral bleed and associated
car accident), and coauthored by a writer, the book does an
admirable job of describing possible problems that occur following
brain injury, along with numerous practical suggestions for coping
with these. Excerpts from interviews with other BI survivors are
included throughout the book to illustrate problems and solutions.
Other strengths include the glossary and resource appendices at the
end of the book.