Against Medical Advice: Book summary and reviews of Against Medical Advice by James Patterson & Hal Friedman

Against Medical Advice Summary

Cory Friedman woke up one morning when he was five years old with the uncontrollable urge to twitch his neck. From that day forward his life became a hell of irrepressible tics and involuntary utterances, and Cory embarked on an excruciating journey from specialist to specialist to discover the cause of his disease. Soon it became unclear what tics were symptoms of his disease and what were side effects of the countless combinations of drugs. The only certainty is that it kept getting worse. Simply put: Cory Friedman's life was a living hell.

Against Medical Advice is the true story of Cory and his family's decades-long battle for survival in the face of extraordinary difficulties and a maddening medical establishment. It is a heartrending story of struggle and triumph with a climax as dramatic as any James Patterson thriller.

Against Medical Advice Reviews

"Inspiring...a testament to the importance of family and the resilient nature of the human spirit." - George Pelecanos.

"Both harrowing and heartbreaking, but also a story of astonishing courage. This book stands as a testament to the amazing power of one family's unconditional love for each other." - Tess Gerritsen.

"Against Medical Advice is a true story that reads like the most riveting of pageturners. Read it and feel at gut-level what it's like to be a child whose life is almost destroyed by a hellish array of nightmare medical symptoms. Best of all, watch what happens when an entire family stands together against all odds, armed with strength, perseverance, and love for one another." - Lisa Scottoline.

"A work of naked truth, as disturbing as it is important - Against Medical Advice turns Tourette's Syndrome inside out and shows us what it is like to be trapped inside a brain that has a nightmarish mind of its own. This true story of Hal Friedman's son, Cory, is a gift of honesty, huge courage, and hope, and a reminder that against all medical advice and odds, human beings can prevail." - Patricia Cornwell.

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Against Medical Advice Reader Reviews

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Rated of 5 by Beverly Cregger
Against Medical Advice
A wonderful book. Cory is an amazing young man to have endured the pain and suffering that he went though. He has a wonderful family, too.
I loved the book.

James Patterson & Hal Friedman Author Biography

After initially being turned down by twenty-six publishers, Patterson's first novel, The Thomas Berryman Number (1976), was published and went on to win the Edgar Award for Best First Mystery Novel. However, it was not until the success of Along Came A Spider (1992) that the former chairman of advertising company J. W. Thompson left to take up writing full time. 

As of 2006 it was estimated that he has sold about 130 million books worldwide.  In North America alone he sold 12 million copies in 2006.  In 2005 he had five consecutive #1 New York Times bestselling hardcovers and is the first author to simultaneously hold the #1 spot on both the New York Times adult and children's bestseller lists.

A prolific author,...

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