Ghost Boy

Ghost Boy, The miraculous escape of a misdiagnosed boy trapped inside his own body

Date Review Posted:  February 2015

Authors:  Martin Pistorius

Release Date:  2013

Web Site (as applicable):  http://www.martinpistorius.com/

Related Blog (as applicable): 

Rating:  CCCCC  (A case could be made that I would only review the best of the best because if while reading a book it does not hold my interest, I would not finish it and therefore would not review it.)

Format:  Life Story Narrative

Reason For Reading THIS book:  Saw it discussed on a TV talk show and the subject fascinated me AND FOR GOOD REASON - IT IS A GREAT, GREAT STORY!

Number Of Times I Have Read This Book:  One

Brief Summary of Content:   Consider this:

You are a 12 year old normal boy (or girl) and you begin to become sick and get worse and worse and no one seems to know what is wrong with you.  You go into a coma, your consciousness is gone, you ability to move any part of your body is gone.  You are literally in a vegetative state and your future looks extremely dim.

That is the scenario.  But it gets worse.  Very gradually at first and more rapidly as time passes, you begin to regain your consciousness but have no way to let anyone around you know that you are not longer in a mental coma because you have still lost your ability to move any part of your body.  You can see, you can hear and more importantly you can think.  What you can't do is remember things and you can't move.

WOW!  Sounds like a great fictional story but this is real and the book is written by the "boy" who experienced this horrible situation.  Imagine hearing the conversations of the people at the side of your bed.  If you have ever known anyone who has suffered from a stroke and appears not to be aware, you can understand part of this scenario.  What you probably cannot understand is how that same person might "feel" if he or she can hear every word you say in his or her presence.  Unless you are expressing your loving concern for the individual, you are probably not going to like what you are saying IF you knew the person understood you.

On one particular visit by Martin's mother, she expressed verbally thinking Martin could not hear her a question as to why he just doesn't die.

It is difficult to write a review of this book because it reads like a fictional novel and you don't want to give away the story or the ending.  I would prefer you read the book because it confirms what I have always expected, a lot of people who appear not to be able to hear and understand you, like stroke victims, can hear and understand you.  I would prefer you read the book to understand how caregivers acted in his presence thinking he could not hear or understand their words and/or actions and believe me when you read about them, you will be as disgusted as I was when I read them.  In some cases the activities of supposed caregivers is inhuman.  INHUMAN, think about that for a minute.

But then SURPRISE.  I discovered that this is not a historical novel about the medical trials of a 12 year old boy who was thought to be unconscious for 12 more years.  It is actually a love story in far more ways than one.  It came as a total surprise to me and at times it was very difficult to read through the tears that welled up in my eyes as I am certain will happen to you as well IF you read the book.

Final Test:  Would I read the book again?  That is a great question.  The book was so emotional to me while reading it, I am not certain that I would read it again, not because the content is not worth it but rather the content thorough "sunk in" as I read it and a second read would not enhance its value to me.  Would I give the book as a gift?  ABSOLUTELY and most likely will.

Next Review:  Not sure at this time.