Dropping the P Bomb by Emma Lawton Review

An Uplifting Account of Life After a Parkinson’s Diagnosis

Have you ever experienced that feeling you get when your body just wouldn’t do what your brain asked it too? Maybe you over did it with some form of exercise and a few hours later your legs just didn’t seem to want to work anymore. Or perhaps, you had such a bad hangover that your body was left feeling weak and a little shaky the following day?

For many around the globe, these symptoms are not after affects of a night out or a virus. For many, these were the first signs of something a little more sinister.

More than 10 million people around the world suffer from the medical condition Parkinson’s Disease, yet despite Parkinson’s being anything but rare, it seems very few know the facts surrounding the condition.

Today (11^th of April) is World Parkinson’s day. The aim of which is to raise awareness for Parkinson’s disease and to promote a greater understanding of the condition.

So what is Parkinson’s Disease?
It is a condition that reduces the body’s ability to process and send messages through the central nervous system to the brain.

It can cause a range of symptoms but the most common ones are tremors and slow and stiff movements. Unlike many other diseases no two cases are the same. The symptoms and degeneration process differ greatly for each individual and it is typically a disease that is associated with the older generation.

I would like to say that all of this knowledge was within me to spout out before today, but in actual fact, it took The Glass House to ask me to review this book to spur me on to do a little research into the topic.

Now if you’re anything like me, you’ll be straight on doctor Google as you read this frantically searching about Parkinson’s disease. But I urge you, instead of consulting Doctor Google, pick up Emma Lawton’s book Dropping the P Bomb.

I have to admit I was a little anxious about reading and reviewing Dropping the P Bomb. Somewhere in the back of my brain was a little thing known as my conscience and it kept telling me ‘remember these are real live people’. They aren’t made up fictional characters or some completely over exaggerated version of a person the author once knew. Instead, this book is all about Emma and her experiences of life in the first year after she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. This was the real deal!

Emma Lawton a graphic designer from London was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at the age of 29. Her inspiring book is a compilation of her journal entries written in the first year of life after her diagnosis. The book is uplifting yet darkly humorous.

Emma’s wicked sense of humour and ability to make light of any situation is immediately apparent when we learn, on the very first page, that she isn’t going to be ‘kicking the bucket’ or ‘pushing up daises’ anytime soon. In fact, I would go as far as to say she was actually relieved to have Parkinson’s disease (something she has spoken about here on The Glass House previously). For someone who had just been diagnosed with a lifelong degenerative neurological condition I would have expected feelings of shock, anger or denial – not relief!

I quickly realised that Emma is an amazingly positive and upbeat young woman with a ‘can do’ attitude.

Dropping the P Bomb is so much more than a set of journal entries. It is educational and provides the opportunity for the reader to learn more about Parkinson’s disease from first-hand experience. The book details the highs and lows Emma experienced through the first year of life after her diagnosis; the changes the diagnosis brought to her lifestyle, living arrangements, social interactions and her new found medication regime.

Emma’s positive attitude sees her defying this disease and refusing to let it run or ruin her life. Life is there to be lived to its fullest and Emma is seizing the day.

Given the sensitive nature of this book, I expected it would be heavier and more difficult to read, but I was completely surprised. Emma’s candid journal entries are extremely well written and highly entertaining. She is gifted at drawing in the reader and engaging us in her humorous recounts of the struggles she overcomes in her daily life.

Emma constantly entertains the reader as she makes fun of herself and her life. I love it when people are confident enough to freely put themselves out there. So many moments and little sayings from this book will stay with me forever, and that is down to Emma’s positive attitude and clever writing

I learned a lot about Parkinson’s disease from reading Emma’s story and take out of it a much better understanding of the disease. But more importantly than that, the book changed my perspective on life. Instead of always looking for the negatives in life or dwelling on little things, I will now consciously choose the find the positives in all situations. Life is far too short to dwell on the little things.

For me, the only issue I have with Dropping the P Bomb is that I was left wanting more. I wanted to find out what happened next in Emma’s life and where she is today. I have to admit; I did a little bit of detective work and yes that does mean I stalked her on Google. I was disappointed not to find anything to hint or suggest that Emma might have been writing a sequel. Emma, if you’re reading this, I beg you, please, please, please think about writing a follow up!

Dropping the P Bomb is must read book. So ladies and gentlemen, clear your schedules, grab a copy of Dropping the P Bomb and let’s continue to raise awareness for Parkinson’ disease.

(Note from The Editor: Emma Lawton has discussed her diagnosis with us previously at The Glass House. To read her articles, you can check out her Author Page here. To read more about Emma and follow her journey as she continues to raise awareness, you can find here on her personal website.)