The Book Of Kehls (2005)

This heart-wrenching tale of a family struck by muscular dystrophy across five generations is not for the faint of heart. Operating on the belief that ''what can't be cured must be endured,'' Christine Kehl O'Hagan writes bluntly about the ravaging effects of the illness that took her son, brother, two uncles, and two nephews. We witness the various coping mechanisms employed by her non-stricken family members: her father's drinking as well as her own initial denial, subsequent crying jags, anger at a callous doctor, and eventual readjustment to normal living. What shines through in The Book of Kehls is O'Hagan's clear-eyed honesty, mordant humor, and, most of all, love of God and family that provided her emotional strength.