In 1983, Jane Bernstein had everything she ever wanted: a healthy four-year-old daughter, Charlotte; a happy marriage; a highly praised first novel; and a brand new baby, Rachel. But by the time Rachel was six weeks old, a neuro-ophthalmologist told Jane and her husband that their baby was blind. Although there was some hope that Rachel might gain partial vision as she grew, her condition was one that often resulted in seizure disorders and intellectual impairment. So began a series of medical and emotional setbacks that were to plague Rachel and her parents and strain the marriage to the breaking point. Spanning the first four years of Rachel's life, Loving Rachel is a heartbreaking chronicle of a marriage and a compelling story of parental love told with searing honesty and surprising humor.Loving Rachel includes a new foreword by Stefi Rubin, a licensed clinical psychologist and family therapist who teaches educators of young children with special needs at Wheelock College in Boston.''This is a story of courageous love that rises above misfortune; of parental love, immeasurably patient, hopeful, buoyant; of marital love that is tested, stretched and strengthened through adversity. . . . Parents of disabled children, or any parents for that matter, will find this an inspiring tale.''--New York Times Book Review ''Compelling. . . . An absorbing family drama that is real and wrenching. . . . Straightforward and affecting. . . . Bernstein's writing is intense and evocative.''--Kirkus Reviews (starred review) ''A probing meditation on why we care for our kin.''--Los Angeles Times Book Review
