Talk:Tori Murden

Tori's book infuriates woman who lives with chronic, debilitating physical pain.

As a person who lives with chronic pain caused by cancer treatment, I have figured out why Tori Murden McClure's book is so irritating to me. For some reason, as she describes being thrown around in her boat on the Atlantic, the reader is led to believe that she has broken her back, her shoulder, her arm, and many other bones. When she is rescued, she is too "tough" to tell or show anyone about her injuries and even refuses an asprin. Then, when she reaches land, she tells the reader that she will not let doctors evaluate her most severe injuries.

Okay, Tori, you are one tough chick. We are first introduced to this "phenomenon" when you describe how you spent your childhood beating up on crowds of boys in a righteous defense of your younger brother. But you did not break a single bone on that boat- I'd bet my crippled legs on that.

I have an idea why an otherwise educated, somewhat amiable, though a bit full of herself, woman would spend so much time writing about how she was so severely injured and just as much time saying that she refused all treatment. Tori seems to equate mental and physical weakness as one in the same. Broken bones need castes. A broken back may require surgery. From the injuries that she describes, strong narcotics would help alleviate the pain. There is nothing wrong with this. Even strong, tough people need treatment when physical injuries are as severe as those described in the book.

Maybe Tori is overcompensating for the fact that she feels guilty for not completing her journey. In an otherwise engaging book, this reader is left feeling that Tori Murden McClure is grosely overinflating the severity of her injuries. This is a slap in the face to those of us who do have serious physical ailments and suggests that seeking treatment for physical injuries is accepting defeat.

74.136.132.54 (talk) 00:37, 5 December 2010 (UTC)