Cheating Destiny: Living with Diabetes, James S.
Hirsch, Mariner Books, 2006.
Although this book is somewhat outdated in terms of technology, it is an excellent book that not only tells the story of Hirsch’s own experiences with diabetes but also his young son’s experiences after being diagnosed with type 1.
In addition to his personal narrative, Hirsch brings in a great deal of history behind the introduction of insulin and the people who were and are affected by its discovery.
He also writes about the realities of diabetes in America and some of the firsthand experiences of the trials and tribulations felt by those who have the disease.
Mayo Clinic: The Essential Diabetes Book, second edition, Mayo Clinic, Oxmoor House, 2014. This is a comprehensive guide to diabetes by experts from the first and largest integrated, nonprofit group practice in the world.
American Diabetes Association Complete Guide to Diabetes, American Diabetes Association, fifth revision, 2014. This complete guide to diabetes gives many of the basics behind diabetes, especially for those who have just been diagnosed.
Think Like a Pancreas: A Practical Guide to Managing Diabetes with Insulin, Gary Scheiner, Da Capo Press, 2012. Written by a person who has had type 1 diabetes for over a quarter century, diabetes educator Scheiner interprets the ins and outs of having diabetes, along with his personal observations about having diabetes.
What are some books that help parents who have children and/or teens with diabetes?
Several more recent books help parents understand and cope if their child has diabetes. These are only a few fine book sources:
American Diabetes Association Guide to Raising a Child with Diabetes, Jean Betschart Roemer, American Diabetes Association, 2011. This book is written by a diabetes educator who has intimate contact with diabetes, as she has had type 1 diabetes for over 45 years. The book not only has basic information about diabetes and how to encourage children to take care of themselves with diabetes but also sections on how to cope, and help a child cope, with the diagnosis.
Raising Teens with Diabetes: A Survival Guide for Parents, Moira McCarthy, Spry Publishing, 2013.
A much-needed guidebook for parents, especially as teens and tweens go through not only a diagnosis of diabetes but also natural changes in hormones as they reach puberty.
It explains how hormones versus blood glucose levels vary and affect a young person with diabetes.
In particular, it also looks at how diabetes can affect social situations, family dynamics, school safety, and even some tougher topics, such as drugs, alcohol, lying, depression, sex, and rebellion, especially in terms of having the disease.
What are some children’s books that explain diabetes?
There are so many books that help children understand what it is like to have diabetes, too many to mention here. The following lists only a few of the more favored ones, many of which are not only good for young children to read but their parents, friends, and teachers also:
Taking Diabetes to School, Kim Gosselin, JayJo Books, 2004. This book is older, but still has some good information for preschoolers and up. It’s not only informative to a child but also to his or her classmates (a read-aloud book).
Even Superheroes Get Diabetes, Sue Ganz-Schmitt, Dog Ear Publishing, 2007. Again, an older book, but the concept is great for younger children, especially if they have diabetes or even know someone with diabetes.
The Great Katie Kate Discusses Diabetes, M. Maitland DeLand, Greenleaf Book Group Press, 2010. This book is for ages six to nine and is a good resource to help children not only understand the disease but also help with their treatments.
Diabetes and Me: An Essential Guide for Kids and Parents, Kim Chaloner and Nick Bertozzi, Hill and Wang, 2013. Although for kids age eight to twelve, it is also a great resource for parents who have a child with diabetes.
What are some books that explain either type 1 or type 2 diabetes?
There are several recent books that explain some of the factors involved in having type 1 and type 2 diabetes. These are only a few sources:
The Mayo Clinic Diabetes Diet, written by weight-loss experts from the Mayo Clinic, Da Capo Lifelong Books, 2014. This helpful book is from one of the major clinics in the nation, written for a person diagnosed with prediabetes or diabetes.
Type 1 Diabetes for People Who Don’t Have It, Lisa Powell, Lulu.com Publishing, 2010. As the book title implies, this is for people who don’t have type 1 diabetes but want to know more, especially for friends, family, and others who want to know more about a friend’s or family member’s challenges with diabetes.
Taming the Tiger: Your First Year with Diabetes, William Lee Dubois, Red Blood Cell Books, 2009. This is an older book, but it still has some good and valuable insight to a person’s first year with the challenges of type 1 diabetes. Dubois also has type 1 diabetes and has written several other books, columns, and articles on the subject.
The First Year: Type 2 Diabetes: An Essential Guide for the Newly Diagnosed, Gretchen Becker, Da Capo Press, 2006. Although this is an older book, it has some good tips. For example, it offers an in-depth discussion of type 2 diabetes, along with shorter chapters that are broken down into manageable sections.
Your Type 2 Action Plan, American Diabetes Association, 2015. This book not only helps with diabetes education but also diet, exercise, and how people with type 2 diabetes can better manage their health.
What are some books that help a person with diabetes eat more healthfully?
Not everyone with diabetes can eat the same foods. To help with dietary decisions and to understand the reasons for a diabetic diet, the following lists only a few of the specialized books available:
What Do I Eat Now?: A Step-by-Step Guide to Eating Right with Type 2 Diabetes, Patti B. Geil and Tami A. Ross, American Diabetes Association, 2015. This is a good, recent guide to eating, especially for those who have just been diagnosed with pre-diabetes or have diabetes.
The Prediabetes Diet Plan: How to Reverse Prediabetes and Prevent Diabetes through Healthy Eating and Exercise, Hillary Wright, Ten Speed Press, 2013. This informative book, as it says in the title, offers ways of eating healthfully, along with exercising, to help people diagnosed with prediabetes or who have the potential to develop diabetes.
What are some books that explain the relationship between exercise and diabetes?
Although most exercise-and-diabetes books have much of the same information as an exercise book for people who don’t have diabetes, there are some differences. The following lists a few of those books:
Diabetic Athlete’s Handbook: Your Guide to Peak Performance, Sheri Colberg, Human Kinetics, 2009.
As the title promises, this handbook has a great deal of useful information about how exercise affects a person with diabetes and how to cope with the effects.
The author is an exercise physiologist who has had type 1 diabetes since she was four years old.
The book not only talks about blood glucose management and workouts but also focuses on special activities not often included in other exercise books, such as ballroom dancing and fencing.
The “I Hate to Exercise” Book for People with Diabetes, third edition, Charlotte Hayes, American Diabetes Association, 2013. This book gives tips to people with diabetes who have a hard time fitting exercise into their daily routine.
What are some books that explain diabetes in relation to gender?
Although there are not many books that explain diabetes in relation to gender, here are a few worth mentioning:
The Smart Woman’s Guide to Diabetes: Authentic Advice on Everything from Eating to Dating and Motherhood, Amy Stockwell Mercer, Demos Health, 2012. This book is written by a woman who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she was 14. The book takes personal experiences with diabetes, what Mercer and other women she interviewed experienced, from adolescence to adulthood. She covers many female topics, too, including menstruation and pregnancy.
A Woman’s Guide to Diabetes: A Path to Wellness, Brandy Barnes and Natalie Strand, American Diabetes Association, 2015. This book helps a woman with diabetes with the day-to-day challenges, as well as how to cope physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Sex and Diabetes: For Him and for Her, Janis Roszler and Donna Rice, American Diabetes Association, 2007. Although this book is not as new as some, it still carries some interesting topics, such as the physical and emotional ways diabetes can affect a person’s sex life. For example, there is often a connection between erectile dysfunction in men and diabetes (for more about this, see the chapter “How Diabetes Affects the Reproductive System”).
What are some books that explain the technology available for people with diabetes?
Although these books often become a bit out of date, mainly because of new technology, they do give the reader insight as to what technology is available to those who have diabetes. The following are only a few examples:
Insulin Pumps and Continuous Glucose Monitoring: A User’s Guide to Effective Diabetes Management, Francine R. Kaufman with Emily Westfall, American Diabetes Association, 2012. This book, as the title promises, is a compendium of what is out there in terms of insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitors. It is a good resource for people with diabetes who may not know how or even why such machines are used, along with information about what to know about the technology before a purchase is made.
Pumping Insulin: Everything You Need to Succeed on an Insulin Pump, John Walsh and Ruth Roberts, Torrey Pines Press, 2012. This book has everything about using insulin pumps from what they are to how to use them for children, while exercising, and when pregnant.
What are some magazines for people who have diabetes?
Several magazines offer information and support for people who have diabetes. The following lists some of them:
Diabetes Self-Management , This bimonthly magazine for people with diabetes is published by Madavor Media, LLC, 25 Braintree Hill Office Park, Suite 404, Braintree, MA 02184. The magazine can be reached for subscription information at 855367-4813, or via online at http://www.diabetesselfmanagement.com/subscribe/ .
Diabetes Forecast , This monthly magazine is published through the American Diabetes Association. For subscriptions, call 800-806-7801, or subscribe online at http://www.diabetesforecast.org/about-forecast/subscribe.html .
Diabetic Living Magazine , This periodic magazine is published as a Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Publication, published by Meredith Corporation. For subscriptions, contact the magazine at 866-261-6866, or if ordering online, link to https://secure.diabeticlivingonline.com/order/?containerName=i63vuri57&psrc=MN_I63VURI57_R3 .
WHERE TO FIND DIABETES INFORMATION
Where can a person with diabetes look for education and information about diabetes?
Several groups specialize in diabetes education. The following lists some suggestions, including phone numbers and addresses (along with email and websites)
• To find a Certified Diabetes Educator in a certain region and information about diabetes, contact the American Association of Certified Diabetes Educators at 200 W. Madison St., Suite 800, Chicago, IL 60606, phone: 800-338-3633, at https://www.diabeteseducator.org/ .
• The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (formerly the American Dietetic Association) has a great deal of information about diabetes and can be reached at 120 South Riverside Plaza, Suite 2000, Chicago, IL 60606, phone: 800-877-600, at website: http://www.eatrightpro.org/ .