Readers and writers: Two books take clear-eyed view of health care system’s flaws

Two books that explore the deep flaws in our healthcare care system are top of the pile in contemporary times along with fiction set from St Paul s Seventh Street to Vietnam The authors are Minnesotans or have regional connections Because We Must by Tracy Youngblom University of Massachusetts Press Entering his room I also entered a new world one that was shrouded in the unfamiliar healthcare specialists and surgeons sedatives and transfusions trach and feeding tubes changes in medications therapies and demanding diagnoses long-term care facilities and rehab centers and Lord knows what else after that first night though a stranger there I made that new world my home I live there now in the land of recovery from Because We Must Courtesy of the University of Massachusetts Press Tracy Youngblom s heartbreaking but ultimately hopeful memoir of life after her son Elias car crash in is riveting reading as this Minnesota poet takes us into her family s life First seeing her son lying so broken in the hospital she wonders whether he will survive He does but head injuries lead to the young man s blindness and a new way of navigating the world Through healthcare crises and recovery Youngblom was there for her son On the day of the crash Youngblom was rushing to finish preparing for a class she was going to teach when she met a uniformed officer at her door telling her Elias had been in an accident while driving home to Coon Rapids from Fargo His car had been hit head-on by a drunk driver Youngblom thought she was prepared for seeing her son in the hospital but she wasn t His head was swollen to an unrecognizable size a small watermelon Both of his eyes were swollen shut his eyelids bulged red and purple with bruising Dark lines of stitches along with bruises crisscrossed his arms and his face including one crooked deep gash on his left cheek that met his mustachioed upper lip twisting it upward Through years of Elias s rehab learning Braille and certainly living on his own Youngblom was the one on whom Elias relied with resilience grace and humor His mother faced her own challenges about her marriage and religious faith as she fought for her son s care and coordinated with other family members Invariably she tried to strike a balance between wanting to protect Elias while also letting him lead his own life as he became an adult Now he is married and lives in Fargo where he continues his passion for drum corps music Youngblom will read in celebration of winning the University of Massachusetts Press Juniper Prize at p m Wednesday at Magers Quinn Hennepin Ave S Mpls in conversation with Lindsay Steffes winner of the Juniper Prize for her novel Gichigami The prize recognizes outstanding works of literary fiction Who Cares The real individual experience by Melisssa Winger Independently published Melissa Winger has been a person care advocate since undertaking the Herculean task of changing the nation s vitality care system to one in which the recipient is treated as a human being Her memoir could be a companion to Youngblom s because they had numerous of the same experiences under different circumstances Winger was an -year-old single mother when she gave birth to Evan who has a rare genetic disorder He is nonverbal and has endured countless surgeries because of more than health issues From the beginning Winger tried to advocate for her child but nobody took seriously a young mother who needed help For instance when Evan was hospitalized as a baby trained professionals took care of complicated procedures such as dealing with a feeding tube But when he was distributed Winger was expected to do these procedures herself with no help Along with her personal experiences Winger references studies from reputable organizations that show the twisted mass of regulations and paperwork that knot the vast world of vitality care discussing individual safety biological devices and prescriptions testing home care healthcare records crisis care funding sufferer and family-centered care and vulnerable-adult abuse Evan now has been diagnosed with acute kidney problems and Winger must continue her often-exhausting fights for the best care available for her son This book is so fact-filled and clear-eyed that it should have been published by a major publishing house It should be in the hands of all of us who are expected patients as well as healthcare professionals Backwashed by Pete Gallagher Beaver s Pond Press Courtesy of Beaver's Pond Press There s specific kinkiness and lots of colorful characters in this novel set in and around St Paul s Seventh Street The twisty plot is so complicated that it s hard to know who is playing whom and why The main characters are Dion Drury and his bisexual sister who never learned why their father was killed and why their mother disappeared years earlier Dion works as a civilian employee of the St Paul police impound lot at night and his sister is a bartender at one of two restaurants that are essential meeting places in the story What happened to the siblings parents is being investigated by Kady L Orient a young cop drawn to Dion while trying to make a name for herself as well as a police lieutenant with a damaged eye who s the right-hand man and fixer for the walrus a ward politician who talks like the encyclopedia and is not exactly ethical in his dealings Add a corpse in the St Paul sewer system the sultry owner of one of the restaurants who s married to the councilman a big young tow truck driver whose dad was a house painter and the piano-playing uncle with whom the siblings lived after their parents were gone and you ve got a juicy story of corruption deal-making and secrets set in familiar places St Paul readers will enjoy visiting What can I say Evan reported her This is West Seventh Street The truth takes a little while sometimes Escaping Limbo by Mike E Elliott Beaver s Pond Press Courtesy of Beaver's Pond Press Growing up Catholic in St Paul is almost a literary subgenre and former St Paulite Elliott does it right in a coming-of-age story about Francis Paulson and his wild friend Izzy set in While never belittling those who take their faith seriously the author offers humor For instance the title comes from a confusing conversation his grieving mother has with the priest after she delivers a stillborn baby The priest assures her the baby s soul is safe in limbo but when he tries to explain this place using a Thanksgiving feast as a metaphor it ends up being about pumpkin pie Francis who tells the story looking back on what happened in one year is an altar boy in the limbo of adolescence He wants to help Izzy get over the death of his older brother which has sent Izzy s father into violent behavior Meanwhile Francis is saving money for a canoe trip to northern Minnesota with Izzy while defending his girlfriend Susan from Izzy s insults He s also dealing with his little sister s fascination with fire and missing his beloved grandmother founder of the family s candy factory This tender story is a tribute to friendship and a young man questioning everything he was taught by his school s nuns and priest The author divides his time between Minnesota and Arizona Devil s Thumb by Dan Jorgensen Speaking Volumes LLC