The Book Of Better

Book excerpt: Over thirty years ago, Chuck Eichten was diagnosed with Type I diabetes. Now he’s created the book he wishes someone had given him, compiling the (sometimes unconventional) lessons he and his doctors have learned about what you should do to make life with diabetes better—and also what you shouldn’t (or, as Chuck advises his readers, “Save time, learn from the idiot”). The Book of Better doesn’t look or sound like any other book on the diabetes shelf. Empowering and entertaining, it covers topics like “What is Diabetes, Exactly?”; “The Bottom Ten Worst Things about Diabetes” and “The Top Three Best Things about Diabetes”; and “How to Have Diabetes and Not Have a Food Obsession.” Years of living with diabetes convinced Chuck that he and others like him don’t need to feel like patients when they are reading about their condition. Like anyone, they want to understand, but they also want to be inspired, amused and entertained. Diabetes may be a painful challenge, but it can also be funny, and preposterous, and an opportunity to learn. Ultimately, Chuck’s upbeat message is that diabetes is something we can make better. Infused with personality, humour and empathy, The Book of Better shows how people with diabetes and their families can make life excellent.