Saving Beauty - by Harvey A Kaplan (Paperback)

About the Book

Saving Beauty is a deeply personal narrative of a marriage transformed by the emergence of a serious illness. Dr. Kaplan shares the story of loving a woman with multiple sclerosis. In a tale of love, sensitivity and strength, Dr. Kaplan examines the psychological and social effects of disability with the wisdom of a training psychologist.

Book Synopsis

Does love have its limits? Are couples challenged beyond what they can handle when one becomes ill? How does one cope in the face of a devastating, debilitating disease that has come to steal your loved one from you?

Saving Beauty is a deeply personal narrative of a marriage transformed by the emergence of a serious illness. Dr. Kaplan shares his touching story of loving a beautiful woman ravaged by multiple sclerosis. A tale of love, sensitivity and strength emerge from the pages as Dr. Kaplan examines the psychological and social effects of disability with the wisdom end expertise of a training psychologist.

Saving Beauty is not only about facing the unexpected, it is also about exploring the meaning of soul, and learning how to muster courage and acceptance while dealing with life and death issues. Dr. Kaplan provides pragmatic insight into celebrating life, even through the devastation and pain. Saving Beauty examines how circumstances, good and bad, shape our characters and destinies, as it champions the importance of hope.

These memoirs capture the redemptive power of love in the face of despair. With a surprising conclusion, the reader discovers how pain and loss can become catalysts for amazing soulful transformations.

Dr. Harvey A. Kaplan is a psychotherapist who lives and practices in New York City.

Review Quotes

In Saving Beauty, Harvey Kaplan has written a very beautiful and moving book. There is a nobility about his disabled wife, Suzanne, as surely as there is in Harvey, her loving and empathic caretaker. The reader feels deeply for the difficult path taken by both of their lives, and perhaps never again will take a loved one's state of health or presence for granted, or, indeed, our own. The book is engrossing reading, as we watch Suzanne's beauty and strength diminish over the years, and observe Harvey gradually becoming a deeper and more compassionate human being. Kaplan writes frankly, openly, and sincerely. As a result, he has created a moving and heart breaking book. Alma H. Bond, Ph.D., Http: //al ma_bond.tripod.com, author of 15 published books, including Margaret Mahler: A Biography of the Psychoanalyst. These days, so many more of us confront the transient nature of life. In fact, it seems one must love transience in order to love life itself. Dr. Kaplan's book about his marriage, his wife, Suzanne, and the love they shared is moving but its analytic precision enhances its emotional power, creating a memorable and special experience for the reader. Saving Beauty is an absolutely marvelous book. It is at times sad and at times moving and humorous. Throughout Dr. Kaplan writes of his love and marriage to Suzanne with a consistently high level of analytic precision. Richard Bey, radio and TV Host Saving Beauty is a wrenching memoir of loss and a passionate love story at once. Harvey Kaplan writes directly from the heart and with uncommon insight and honesty. Hilma Wolitzer, author, Doctor's Daughter and Summer Reading An exceptionally intelligent, sensitive and brave account of serious illness as it impacted a marriage. Dr. Kaplan's book is a dramatic contribution to our lives that challenges many of our cherished assumptions about health and illness, love and devotion. The ingenuities Kaplan and his wife (also an analyst) brought to the amelioration of their unrelenting dilemma, and their struggles to extend their lives together, make for an extraordinarily moving narrative. David Hoddeston, Ph.D. Professor English, Rutgers University