Alida Brill

Alida Brill is a feminist social critic. She has written and spoken on such diverse topics as medical and sexual privacy, the ethics surrounding the right to die, the role of gender during periods of economic transition, intolerance and prejudice, and the conflict of personal versus public politics in a democracy.

She is the author of Nobody’s Business: The Paradoxes of Privacy, and the editor of A Rising Public Voice: Women in Politics Worldwide . In 1983 she was co-author, with Herbert McClosky, of the landmark book, Dimensions of Tolerance: What Americans Believe About Civil Liberties. Her essays and commentaries have appeared in a variety of anthologies, journals, magazines and websites.

Alida has suffered from autoimmune illness since adolescence. It was eventually diagnosed as an atypical form of Wegener’s Granulamatosis. This is the first time she has chosen to chronicle her experiences about a life lived with illness.
http://www.globalsister.org/profile/AlidaBrill
http://www.wcbs880.com/topic/play_window.php?audioType=Episode&audioId=4188820

Reviews and Comments

"An extraordinary meditation on illnessa poetic, powerful and groundbreaking work that illuminates the resilience and strength of the human spirit."

Dave Isay
executive director, Storycorps, and editor, Listening Is an Act of Love

"DANCING AT THE RIVER'S EDGE is about the trials and tribulations of chronic disease you won't be able to put it down once you pick it up."

Paul A. Volcker
former Federal Reserve Chairman

"A deeply personal exploration on both sides of the medical scenethe patient who suffers and strives to retain her 'self,' and the physician who struggles to maintain a balance between knowing the truth while attempting to understand its implications."

Virginia Ladd
president and executive director, American Autoimmune Diseases Related Association

"Whether you are doctor or patient, you see a bit of yourself in [this book]. . . . It demonstrates how profound the bond between doctor and patient can behow much power it imparts."

Susan Golick
founder, S.L.E. Lupus Foundation

"A book unlike any other; this slim volume probes the intricacies of a magical relationship, that of a patient with her doctor. A heart-wrenching dialogue that carries profound and life-altering insights for us all."

Dr. David Sachar
head of gastroenterology, Mt. Sinai Hospital, and world's leading expert on Crohn's Disease

"A must-read for anyone who has traveled to the 'other planet' that is chronic illness, or loves someone who is making this arduous journey . . . a life-affirming and deeply moving book."

Nancy Matsumoto
staff contributor, People; former contributor, Health, Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, Newsweek, and Time; coauthor, The Parents' Guide to Eating Disorders

"It delves into the intricacies and intimacy of chronic illness . . . it illuminates the spirit. Important for those suffering from chronic illness and [their] families."

Lauren Shuler Donner
film producer, You've Got Mail and the X-Men series, a lupus patient