The Man Who Couldn't Eat

Reading this graphic medical memoir, Dan John Miller sounds like he's overacting at first. But once he begins to unfold his remarkable skill with dialogue, he settles into a comfort zone that finds him sounding more authentically engaged with the humanity and pathos in the author's story. The treatment for Jon Reiner's gastrointestinal problems (Crohn's disease) requires a three-month period of intravenous-only feeding followed by a severely restrictive diet in perpetuity to prevent flare-ups. He holds back no details in describing his embarrassing symptoms and drastic life adjustments. But his ordeal is moving and instructive because of the humble way he connects with the support of others, his lack of self-pity, and the universality of the discipline and emotional balance he had to find to tackle these challenges. T.W. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine