Blog Archives
The Aristocrat
The Aristocrat by Regine Dubono is a short story about a girl named Marianne Maywee, who lives with her family (including her younger sister, Paula) in Nice, France. One day an older man appeared in their lives and introduced himself as their godfather, Mr. Giles. Marianne and Paula go on many outings with Mr. Giles, until the day he does not come to their house as expected. Marianne learns that he’s in the hospital and she goes to visit him. Will this be the end of their enjoyable outings together?
I enjoyed reading the descriptions of the sights Marianne saw on her outings and the places she visited with her sister, Paula, and Mr. Giles. The book was an interesting and quick read, but I wished that the story had been longer. The ending was too abrupt, and there were still questions that I had hoped to have answered.
I was confused by the hint of romantic interest for Marianne from Mr. Giles. I wasn’t sure if he actually had romantic thoughts regarding her or if it was only an incorrect impression she got from some of their interactions.
I encountered a few run-on sentences, some issues with grammar and a few typos and inconsistencies; (On one page, it was stated that Marianne and Paula were born eleven months apart, but then on the next page, twenty months separated their ages).
Overall this a quick and interesting outing with Marianne and Mr. Giles.
Pages: 23
www.regine-du-bono.com
The Weird Consequences of a Bedbug Incident
WEIRD – or Weird Consequences of a Bedbug Incident, by Regine Dubono is intended to help struggling families see things from a fresh perspective.
Desiree, the focal character in the story, suffers from several disabilities and regularly undergoes treatments for many of them, including mental illness, physical disabilities, and many others. Despite her many conditions, however, she was also highly talented in many ways.
Regine Dubono calls into question the modern psychiatric practice of creating within people a sense of weakness which should therefore be treated with any number of serious and life-altering psychiatric drugs.
The author brings a lot of things to focus through her story, but one of the most powerful is the fact that there is serious repercussions that come from taking these types of medications. Most notably, feelings of being helpless and dependent on the prescribed cocktail of pharmaceuticals. Even more, though, how damaging the wrong drugs can be for a person.
In fact, Desiree suffered the unfortunate fate of being experimented on through pharmaceutical trials on more than one occasion, ending up in states that seemed utterly hopeless, prompting ‘professional opinion’ to recommend Desiree to permanent hospitalization. It was only when she was allowed to stay clear from the drugs and given the personal agency to operate certain aspects of her life that she showed any real signs of improvement and comfort.
The moral of the story is clear and a much needed one at that. Parents, as well as anyone else acting as caretaker for a disabled person, should keep a close eye on the treatment programs and medications that are often administered. Are they doing more harm than good? Are they helping at all? Whatever the case may be, the author’s mission in writing this diary of events outlining Desiree’s life and experiences is to provide anecdotal evidence. The evidence suggests, among other things, that entrusting medical professionals to decisions related to the best interests of the patient is not always the best approach.
In terms of accessibility and style, the majority of Weird – or Weird Consequences of a Bedbug Incident is provided in diary form. As such, it reads as more of a collection of personal notes as opposed to being a dramatized novel. The situations are genuine. The times and places are all accurate. And the notes offered for all the various situations the author faced are about as eye opening as anything else in this category. This is certainly a unique work that deserves attention.
Pages: 220 | ASIN: 1329529731
The Mad Scientists of Planet Terrorista
The Mad Scientists of Planet Terrorista seems a bit of a mouthful and I thought the plot would be outrageous. As it turns out the plot is outrageous, but surprisingly that does not equate to being terrible and I found myself to be enjoying the story line and characters right from the start.
The story picks up immediately after Hyacinth’s incredibly advanced daughter, Bella, goes missing. Hyacinth hires none other than Sherlock Holmes (who has been cryogenically frozen for a number of years) to help her track down her daughter’s whereabouts. It takes a decade, but eventually Sherlock does locate Bella, who lives on another planet and now goes by the name Brazillia. Holmes enlists the help of Hercules Poirot (say what?!) to help him come up with a magical disguise for Hyacinth to wear on planet Terrorista in order to see her daughter. This disguise ends up being an “interplanetary everlasting butterfly” that allows Hyacinth to travel with ease between her home planet, Debonnaire, and Terrorista. Hyacinth uses her disguise to gain access to the facility that Bella is kept in with many other abducted children, and discovers that the mad scientists have been doing medical testing on the children. Having been subjected to all kinds of untested and unsafe drugs, Bella is in a pitifully unhealthy physical and mental state. If that isn’t a crazy way to kick off a story, I don’t know what is!
From this point, the story continues on with Hyacinth rebuilding her relationship with Bella and trying to help her regain her health and freedom. The story is fast paced and rather abrupt in places, but this is clearly due to it being written as a television script and not a novel. The entirety of the script includes lots of outside references to characters from other stories (Holmes and Poirot, obviously) and a lot of really clever word-play (such as the radio station ‘siriusly sinatra’) that make the story interesting and fun to read. On a more somber note, the story is really about mental illness and encouraging people to see those who suffer from mental illness differently. Mainly, to see them as worthwhile and beneficial to society rather than simply a burden.
My only real complaint about the story is that the inclusion of Sherlock Holmes and Poirot, (while initially drawing me into the plot), don’t seem to really fit in the story. Both are famous crime solvers, sure, but do they fit into an interplanetary story line? I am not so sure. Still, while seeming oddly out of place, the characters no doubt make the story better and are essential to the plot. I would venture to say that those characters would be just as worthy with different names. I still really enjoyed the whole thing.
Pages: 484 | ISBN: 1387010484
Very Gifted
Regine Dubono Author Interview
The Mom and Her Autistic Daughter details the life and hardships you encountered when caring for an autistic adult daughter. Why was this an important book for you to write?
I wanted so much to help her because the child I remembered she was was very smart, very gifted in the arts (dance, music, painting), so sensitive to your feelings, so compassionate. The drugs had turned her into a disabled monster.
There is ample discussion given to the drugs that autistic people are often prescribed. What are some common misconceptions people have about this topic?
The drugs only serve to mask symptoms and give the false impression that they are solving the problem.
Do you plan to write more books on this topic?
Yes. I will continue this fight as long as I live. My next book may be titled: “After the Respite”.
Author Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter
![The Mom and her Autistic Daughter-2 by [dubono, regine]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51NWSps%2B-IL.jpg)
Desiree has been given a status of emergency placement and Terry is her designated ICM. Attempts to place Desiree in a DDD licensed supervised apartment are tedious and difficult for she has e-bursts and night incontinence. Her issues are personal anger, and high anxiety. And perhaps because she was prescribed anti-depressant drugs, she can become violent. Unlike parents of mentally ill young people, Dubono pulled Desiree out of the shelter in an attempt to heal her, while awaiting the DDD placement.
The Mom and her Autistic Daughter
![The Mom and her Autistic Daughter-2 by [dubono, regine]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51NWSps%2B-IL._SY346_.jpg)
The Mom and Her Autistic Daughter by Regine Dubono is a fitting title for this book. Dubono explains the life and turmoil of Desiree, an adult with autism, and her mother. Desiree’s medicines’ effects and side effects are explored. The struggle to find Desiree a long term living arrangement becomes a source of contention between Desiree, Desiree’s mother, and her caregivers. Her mother finds it difficult to find balance for herself and her daughter while playing a deck that seems stacked against them.
The author delves into Desiree’s everyday life which feels tumultuous at best. Desiree has parts of her life she enjoys such as shopping and manicures, but everything apart from that feels tense. In working in Special Education I have found in the past that this is pretty typical of autistic children. I assume that would generally carry over into adulthood as it has with Desiree. My students have had areas they excel in and become almost obsessive about their particular interests. Anything else feels boring or daunting. Any deviation from their schedule can also cause a tailspin or meltdown. These are things that readers who have not worked with people with autism may not know and may learn from the book.
I’ve also had a bit of experience in dealing with drugs and their side effects while caring for my father. Dubono explores how drugs may “fix” one issue, but cause many more. One drug may also cause further symptoms that need to be controlled, thus producing the need for more drugs. These are frustrating waters to navigate. Readers may get more of a grasp of how many pharmaceutical companies and drug-pushing doctors work in this aspect. This part of the book is especially pertinent in today’s social climate.
Dubono’s explanation of the struggles in finding Desiree a permanent and sufficient placement especially hit home for me. Many readers who have dealt with this kind of thing will be able to sympathize with the accounts she gives. It is extremely hard to find caregivers for adults. It would be exponentially harder to find care for those who are prone to have outbursts and labelled as “difficult.” Clean and suitable facilities and genuinely caring and qualified caregivers aren’t always readily available. My family knows that from experience. Anyone who has dealt with this will find her accounts relatable.
The structure of the book feels somewhat lacking and feels repetitive at times. One letter in particular that is written by the mother is repeated almost verbatim in another part of the book. I had to flip back to make sure I hadn’t lost my place. There are quite a few grammatical and spelling errors throughout the book. There are also many abbreviations that are left unexplained. There is substance in the experiences and relationship of the mother and daughter, but the book doesn’t flow as well as I would have liked it to. I think the book would benefit greatly from an editor and proofreader.
There are important lessons to be learned here. This is a story that should be told as a cautionary tale and to help parents or guardians not feel alone in this situation. Desiree’s voice should be heard, I just think the book could use some revision and restructuring.
Pages: 123 | ASIN: B07H5RCYB5
The Mad Scientists of Planet Terrorista
Transcending time and space, Hyacinth enlists the help of Sherlock Holmes to find her daughter who disappeared mysteriously at age three. Sherlock locates her on a distant planet Terrorista. She was abducted by mad scientists sponsored by their government to study the mechanism of planet Debonnaire Neuroleptics as these interfere with communications between inhabitants of these planets through what is called on debonnaire hallucinations.
LITERARY TITAN 