The following review is part of the Cerebral Palsy: 'A Story' book tour. In the next few days I shall be sharing more reviews with you.

Thank you to @ZooloosBT for putting such a successful tour together and to all the reviewers that took part in the tour. I appreciate your time.

The Review

"This book is an unexpected departure from a more “traditional” memoir. The author, Ilana Estelle - a lifelong sufferer of what was eventually (in her late forties) diagnosed as Cerebral Palsy complicated by another late diagnosis of Autism (two conditions which often co-exist).

Ilana Estelle takes the reader on a thoughtful journey consisting mainly of the detailed notes, learnings, and self-help guidance that allowed her to transform from her angry and frustrated youth, to a fully-informed and deeply psychologically self-aware adult, eager to share her hard-won insights in the spirit of compassion for those it could possibly assist.

Articulated with careful detail, the author has done an impressive job of pulling together a laypersons guide to living a life (regardless of the challenges faced), that is tuned to be spiritually, emotionally, and physically richer.

At the same time, the author has provided a glimpse into the heartbreak of her childhood, followed by years of confusion and trauma, as in the absence of any sort of helpful medical insight, she struggled to understand her condition, and what she could only, without any information to frame what she was experiencing, tragically identify as her failings.

As her truth was eventually revealed to her, a path to a new beginning, fuelled by greater awareness and understanding of how (because of an injury occurring at birth) her brain differed structurally from those around her, and what emotional, cognitive and mobility implications (most of which she was unaware of ) would explain her past challenges and provide her a new focus.

Fascinating in both its depth and the insights provided by this deeply reflective and neuro-divergent view of the possibilities opened up by self-awareness, kindness, focused effort and an optimistic look at the power of self-transformation."

For anyone interested in grabbing copies of either of my books, you can order paper back or Kindle copies on Amazon, or through the following link https://linktr.ee/Ilana_Estelle

Ilana Estelle is a mental health and wellbeing advocate who combines educational insight with her personal experience of living with physical, mental, and emotional disabilities. She holds diplomas in Counselling, Diet and Nutrition, Nutritional Therapy, Psychotherapy and Counselling, and Stress Management. Through her writing, Ilana supports others in navigating their emotional, mental, and physical health challenges. In addition to writing for The CP Diary, her work has appeared in healthy lifestyle magazines. Ilana is also the author of three books: Cerebral Palsy: A Story – Finding the Calm After the Storm, Spirituality, Healing and Me, and Survival: The Covid Years – Time for Change.

Most people who read this blog

went on to read these blogs next
Date 11 October 2025
Author Ilana Estelle

Healing Within: Embracing Our Broken Pieces

Healing Within: Embracing our Broken Pieces Today, I’m thinking about how we all walk through life, carrying pieces of ourselves that sometimes feel broken, disconnected, or distant from the world around us ...
Read more
Date 1 September 2025
Author Ilana Estelle

Resilience and Strength: My Journey in Books

Life is full of challenges we cannot control, yet it is within those very challenges that we often discover our greatest strength. Through my writing, I have shared a journey shaped by disability, spirituality, and ...
Read more
Date 7 July 2025
Author Ilana Estelle

Why Books Still Matter in the Digital Age

Books in the 'Digital Age' In a world of fast content – reels, tweets, blog posts – you might wonder: Why read a book anymore? I ask myself this too, especially since I blog regularly and share thoughts that go beyond what’s ...
Read more
1 2 3 52

2 comments on “Book Review by Bookly Matters”

  1. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this review of your book ‘Cerebral Palsy A Story,’ as it elucidates well the book’s unique qualities of positive reflectiveness. I’ll say it again, your wonderful book is worthy of a place on anyone’s book shelf.

    I am really looking forward to reading more reviews over the next few days.

  2. Thank you. Yesterday I concluded the book tour for Cerebral Palsy: ‘A Story.’ There are some cracking reviews, which I am hoping to put out on my website in the next few days.

    My book can help you turn around the way you look at and live your life. As you have said, for the price of two cups of coffee what have you got to lose?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Subscribe to receive regular updates

Enter your details below to be the first to receive updates on new articles on my blog.