2nd Edition - Stronger After Stroke - Your Roadmap to Recovery

Excellent book. After my wifes stroke I learned more than I ever wanted to know about the brain. I'm glad I did as it made the transition easy. The stroke changed our lives and the book gave us the tools to make the changes easier.

Very informative and easy to read. A great resource book for stroke survivors and their caregivers. After dad's stroke, this book made me realize that there is always hope if you choose to persevere. Now he realizes the same and does his therapy religiously.

This book takes a very inspiring approach to stroke recovery, and was good as a general pep-talk for me aa a caregiver. However, I was hoping to get some good concrete suggestions, Unfortunately, there is almost nothing here for folks with aphasia or other language processing issues.

Very interesting book. Thought there would be more useful and new info to learn though. Quite a bit of information in the book didn't apply to my brain stroke and the effects I experienced, so I skipped a few chapters.

From the majority of reviews, this book has helped many and probably will continue to do so. I was hoping the focus would be more on things one could do to help the stroke patient adapt better, but the focus is more on recovery, and not all stroke patients reach the same levels of recovery. So, it was interesting, but not helpful in my particular case. I was searching for information such as how to move the patient, get the patient situated in bed, in a wheelchair, types of therapy a caregiver could try using at home (the book touched on this, but most of the therapy required special equipment). Most insurance plans only cover so many days of therapy, I wanted to learn things that I could actually do to help make the person stronger, or at least to maintain strength once the formal therapy ended and the patient returned home with a caregiver. I was looking for a book with diagrams on how to move the patient, discussions of emotional and personality changes, etc. So,it was not the fault of the author, it was just not quite what I wanted. Unfortunately, I accidentally permanently deleted the book, so I was unable to look through it again before writing this review.

My father in law suffered a stroke last month. I searched for a book that he and my mother in law could read together. They both told me this book was a great choice as it explained to them what had actually happened to my father in law but also provided great information on recovery. I have not read the book, but one of the reasons my father in law suffered a stroke was because he's blood pressure was too high due to alcohol consumption. In this book it says it's ok to have 4 oz of alcohol a day so my father in law has started drinking again. So I'm hoping I didn't start up the drinking with him by giving him this book.

I have a brother in law who recently experienced a stroke. This book helped explain terminology and recommendations for therapy and exercise. The route to recovery confirmed by experience is stubborn repetitive retraining of nerves and muscles, rerouting nerve stimulus. Don't give up, don't listen to the naysayers and stay positive message.

I have a brother in law who recently experienced a stroke. This book helped explain terminology and recommendations for therapy and exercise. The route to recovery confirmed by experience is stubborn repetitive retraining of nerves and muscles, rerouting nerve stimulus. Don't give up, don't listen to the naysayers and stay positive message.

Although the writing style tends to be repetitive, there is an excellent chapter on Constraint Induced Movement Therapy and a thorough explanation of what happens to the brain during and after a stroke.

boring for the most part...repetitive.....and being i have had a stroke;ndu learn what works and will not work for you. everyone has a different recovery and it does not take doing something thousands of times for your brain to get it...i have personally learned this.

I just received this book and started reading it. Before getting to the real content of it, I am very very annoyed by the poor print of this book - there is not even one sentence that is not broken by spaces that broke a word or two. For example, "Understanding these building blocks of r ecovery will ...". The space between the r and ecovery. It's everywhere! Some other words have the letters printed on top of each other! Ugh!!

No matter how good the book is, how can the publisher publish a book with this kind of print?!! I have never seen a book with such poor print quality!

I would give 1 star to the print of the book. I know this might not be fair to the book. I will read the book and then give my comments.

Update on August 30, 2013:

The publisher contacted me and sent me a copy of the book which does not have the printing problem. I very much appreciate it! It is puzzling how/why 2 copies of exactly the same book (same paperback edition) could have such different quality .... But I am not going to try figuring out how printing works .... Want to thank the publisher for making the effort to correct the problem. Now I can continue to read this book!

I didn't think Pete Levine could improve his first book, but I love what he has added to this revised edition!! So many doctors tell stroke survivors we get about all we're going to get back in 6-12 months, which is not true! Levine begins this book explaining neuroplasticity. This book defines what's needed to drive neuroplasticity change. In other words, it tells survivors what we have to do for recovery! Pete talks about the super survivor who is motivated and willing to work hours every day, which is necessary for recovery. The brain needs repetition to reroute and it can take a long time BUT there is hope because our brains can reroute and change until the day we die. We aren't done unless we quit trying!! How motivating is that!! And the book filled with strategies of recovery in all areas. It is the most inclusive book I have ever read concerning strokes. Every survivor ( and doctor) should read this book. It's an easy read, includes a glossary, and offers information on what other helps are available. I am a survivor who has gotten almost full recovery by doing the constant repetitive tasks, working 6-7 hours every day, seven days a week for 27 months and it was worth every minute of it. Pete Levine has given us all the best advice you will ever get ,in this book and I thank God for people like him who have dedicated their lives to helping stroke survivors!!

Stronger After Stroke is motivational, inspirational, insightful, practical and all inclusive! Every stroke survivor should read this book. The author states that if after your stroke, you've accepted your decline the book isn't for you. It's for survivors who want to get better!

It's refreshing to read a book that focuses on recovery rather than adapting one's lifestyle to the stroke. The author states throughout the book that the most important person in the recovery process is the survivor and that it takes hard work for possibly years. One must persevere with patience and never give up. Our brains have the ability to rewire but it takes repetitive, meaningful movements for that rewiring to take place. Levine explains how the brain works and how recovery works with specific tasks to aid in recovery.

We have to take charge of our own recovery. Levine suggests we need to be researchers and read up on the latest stroke recovery research and lists websites to do that research. He also believes survivors would benefit from clinical trials. A large portion of the book is about different treatment options. I really like the author's descriptions of so many varied treatment options. There are wonderful suggestions of what to do in addition to regular therapy.

Another large portion of the book has specific exercises and strategies for recovery that can be done at home. They are practical, easily understood and great suggestions. The author states that recovery takes motivation - people who are motivated make progress but one has to stay motivated when the going gets tough. Setting goals, measuring progress and celebrating every step of progress is crucial and writing it down on a calendar helps us keep track. I love the way he explains terms stroke survivors hear but may not understand. He even included a glossary in the back of the book.

Levine provides tips for caregivers, suggests ways to prevent another stroke, and explains spacsticity and what to do about it. He discusses pros and cons of medications and what to talk about with your doctor. We all deserve quality of life and the author suggests several ways to achieve that but emphasizes it takes a lot of hard work and dedication.

Lastly, Levine discusses many of the recovery machines on the market. He lists the names and websites and what each machine does. This is extremely helpful and a must for stroke survivors. Clinical trials are available and free!

Stronger After Stroke is an all-inclusive book, as you can see. I'm a stroke survivor and have done just about everything Levine suggests. It's been three years and I have gained most everything back. It took 18 months of therapy every day to get my right hand working and was well worth it. His book is an invaluable tool that every stroke survivor, caregiver, physical therapist, occupational therapist and doctor should read. The book is a God-send.

Not due to lifestyle, but rather through having a "tortuous Basilar Artery" (which has shed tissue from time-to-time), I have had four CVAs and several TIAs in the past few years, (some actually while in hospital), incurring - at some time - most of the symptoms of having had a stroke.
I am a voracious collector/reader of books on strokes, and while I find most books (including this one) of some help, I am yet to find one which deals with "cognitive deficits", i.e. to all intents and purposes, I do not "look" like I have had a stroke (although as I have stated previously), I have experienced most symptoms at some time, only for them to eventually become "annoyances" rather than issues.
My deficiencies are severely cognitive.
Any book on stroke(s) is of some help; but, each stroke is different and each one affects the victim in different way.
My advice therefore is, to read this book and take from it what you can.

I am a stroke survivor who has greatly benefitted from this incredible book. this is the best book written to date that I am aware of for us stroke survivors. It really is a guidebook on the practical methods of rehabilitation that allows the stroke survivor to put the process of rehab in his or her own hands, so to speak. Essentially, improvement in recovery is a choice as outlined in Peter's book. it is a matter of long-term patience and persistence but it is possible to improve no matter how far out from a stroke one is. I would say that this book should be required reading for any therapist, Neuro Resident, stroke survivor or care-giver to better equip them to accurately educate their stroke patients during their recovery process. great job Peter! Thank you

peter levine's stronger after stroke second edition is informative and inspirational and gives you a great start on the road to recovery. definitely worth reading if you have suffered any kind of brain trauma or know someone who has.

I bought this book hoping to get some useful tips to help in the recovery of my eight year old son, who suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury in 2007. I was immediately taken with the book, and how much hope it offers not only stroke patients, but also TBI patients. Thank you so much for writing a book that gives us, as caregivers, a plan of action and insight when maybe traditional therapy methods are not getting us the progress we think we can be seeing. This book reaffirms the basic principle that if there is a will, there is a way.

"Stronger After Stroke" is easy to read and extremely motivational. The reader can tell that Peter has been invested in working with survivors and getting the most out of recovery. He gives detailed information on making a plan, current, cutting edge treatment options, exercise, controlling spasticity, and staying invested in your success. As an occupational therapist, I highly recommend this book to all my stroke survivors and have been using it as a tool for a support group. Thanks, Peter, for this excellent resource!!

I could have saved myself two years of research and asking questions if this book had come out a couple of years ago. If your doctor or therapist doesn't seem to know anything useful about stroke rehabilitation then read this book and quote it back to them. I am using the techniques described in my recovery. Ignore the ADL's, you want to go for full recovery

I wish this book would have been available after I stroked in April of '07. I read and researched so much about stroke from many different sources. This book covers it all in one place and is for the motivated stroke survivor. It is definitely a "must read" for stroke survivors, caregivers, and their family/friends. I rate it the highly coveted 5 stars.