Devil's Dance - Softcover

Richard R. Karlen

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0966083105 ISBN 13: 9780966083101

Publisher: Ironbound Press, 1998

Synopsis

"If I chance to talk a little wild, forgive me:/I had it from my father."
William Shakespeare, "Henry VIII"

Harry Stone's life is falling apart. At age forty-four, an English professor, he begins to dress in black and white and ride motorcycles in the night. After getting one of his students pregnant, he is forced to resign from the University. Unable to tolerate his strange, sometimes cruel behavior, his wife, Sandy, throws him out of the house. His younger brother Roger, an internist, is puzzled by his actions until he discovers that Harry is suffering from HUNTINGTON'S DISEASE, a rare genetic condition which he, himself is at risk to develop. Narrated by Roger, Devil's Dance is ultimately the story of brothers locked in a love-hate relationship under the shadow of this deadly illness.

About this title

From the Author

I first became aware of HUNTINGTON'S DISEASE (HD) in the mid 1980's, when a close friend, who was at risk for HD, began to behave uncharacteristically. He was alternately seen as being "stressed out, "depressed", "phobic." I witnessed over the course of several years the unhappy effects that his bizarre behavior had upon his family, until a definite diagnosis was finally confirmed. While it was this experience that led me to write DEVIL'S DANCE, it should be noted that DEVIL'S DANCE is not biographical, and that the story and characters in this book are fictitious and should not be considered representative of HD victims and their families.

The action of DEVIL'S DANCE takes place in the early 1980's. Since it wasn't until 1983 when there was an initial genetic breakthrough in the discovery of a DNA marker near the Huntington gene, and in 1993 when the gene, itself, was discovered, it is not unfair to state that DEVIL'S DANCE is in a very real sense an historical novel. Today, not only can a diagnosis be made with HD quickly, and with little margin of error, but with the advent of new drugs and a better understanding of the disease, there has been considerable progress in treatment. We see HD patients living longer and with an improved quality of life than existed previously, and it is not unreasonable to believe that one day a cure will be found for this terrible illness. Hopefully, DEVIL'S DANCE will bring to the public a greater awareness of HD, and thus be of some assistance in hastening that day.

Review

"Although the characters in DEVIL'S DANCE are fictitious, the devastating effects HUNTINGTON'S DISEASE has on its victims and their families are not. The Huntington's Disease Society of America thanks Dr. Karlen for supporting us in our mission to h families through education and research." -- Karen Johnson, President, Huntington's Disease Society of America/NJ Chapter

"DEVIL'S DANCE hits home for anyone connected with Huntington's Disease. It also serves as an accurate account for the uninitiated of the havoc the illness wreaks. Finally, DEVIL'S DANCE functions as an exciting, intriguing, suspense-crime novel, a real page-turner." -- Hugh Sherry, Huntington's caregiver and parent of two at risk children

"In DEVIL'S DANCE, Richard Karlen offers a vivid and compelling window in the experience of Hungtington's Disease, and the tragic impact such an illness can have on a family." -- Musa Mayer, author of ADVANCED BREAST CANCER: A Guide to living with Metastatic Disease

Edition details

• Publisher: Ironbound Press
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0966083105
• ISBN 13: 9780966083101
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 281