The
POLIO
HOLE
The story of the illness that changed America
SHELLEY FRASER MICKLE
Copyright 2012 Shelley Mickle,
All rights reserved.
Published in eBook format by eBookIt.com
ISBN-13: 978-1-4566-1277-1
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.
PRAISE FOR THE POLIO HOLE:
“The Polio Hole is a vividly told, heartwarming account of Shelley Fraser Mickle’s childhood battle with the dread scourge of polio, set artfully in counterpoint with the ultimately successful medical search for an effective preventive vaccine.Written with grace and humor, totally free of self-pity, this is a story to cherish and remember.”
–Louis D. Rubin, Jr., Literary critic and historian, editor and novelist, author or editor of more than fifty books, recipient of the National Book Critics Circle Lifetime Achievement Award, charter member of The Fellowship of Southern Writers, esteemed figure in American letters for more than four decades
“ This story of a determined child’s fight to beat polio’s debilitating breakdown of her body is Shelley’s own. We share the sights and sounds as Shelley reveals her awakening sensitivities to everything from family dynamics to race relations. She weaves into this an account of the scientific and personal competition that occurred between Salk and Sabin as they developed their vaccines to prevent polio. Readers will develop an increased awareness of how the poliovirus affects the body and how vaccines work, as well as an appreciation of how disability can actually become enabling.”
– Parker A. Small Jr. MD, Professor Emeritus, University of Florida College of Medicine, Charter Member, National Vaccine Advisory Committee, National Medical School Basic Science Teacher of the Year Awardee
“Shelley Fraser Mickle’s memoir, The Polio Hole, is a wonderfully, informative narrative reminding us of a time when America was momentarily paralyzed with fear for its children and subsequently mobilized by mothers to defeat the epidemic of polio in America. Beautifully expressed, intertwining Shelley’s personal experience with polio and the race to find a vaccine, The Polio Hole is a must read. Donating a portion of the proceeds from the sales of this book, Shelley joins Rotary International as it works to ‘close the final inch’ to eradicate polio from the face of the earth.”
–Tony Domenech, President Rotary Club of Gainesville, Florida, District 6970
“Contrasting the voice of her own child-self with that of a journalist or historian, Shelley Fraser Mickle chronicles the frightening polio era. A prime example of the old rule that writers should write what they know, she introduces a largely unknown plague through her own descent into the Polio Hole. Those who know her will assert that the child’s voice is authentic; she still has the spunk of that six-year-old!”
–Marilyn Bishop Shaw, Reading Specialist and author of Soloman
TEL: 352.213.5740 • WWW.WILDONIONPRESS.COM
PRAISE FOR SHELLEY FRASER MICKLE’S PREVIOUS BOOKS:
REPLACING DAD - (A l999 CBS Movie)
“Quirky and likable characters amuse and engage the reader.”
—New York Times Book Review
“Mickle’s easy, forthright style transforms a familiar tale into winning fiction.”
—Starred Review, Publisher’s Weekly
THE QUEEN OF OCTOBER - (A New York Times Notable Book)
“This is a remarkable first novel, bursting with warmth, Shelley Mickle achieves a great deal more than laughter. She succeeds in creating characters the reader grows to love.”
—Chicago Tribune
“Impressive.”
—The New York Times Book Review
THE KIDS ARE GONE; THE DOG IS DEPRESSED & MOM’S ON THE LOOSE
“Shelley is the consummate storyteller. She presents each piece with a delightful sense of humor, yet the core of her stories illuminates some basic aspect of the human condition.”
—Henry Pensis, WUFT, NPR, Station Manager
THE TURNING HOUR
“What you will ultimately take away from (this novel) is a greater appreciation of the things you love about your own life.”
—Amy Auguston, Redbook Magazine’s Editors’ Picks for Fall 2001
THE ASSIGNED VISIT
“This believable and complex story has stayed with me long after the surprising and gratifying ending.”
—Cassandra King, author of Making Waves, The Sunday Wife, and The Same Sweet Girls
BARBARO, AMERICA’S HORSE
“I will be shocked if another book brings you truly as close to Barbaro as this one.”
—Richard D. Coreno, Berea, Ohio, Amazon Reviewer
For the world’s stolen childhoods, with thanks to Rotary International for their passionate dedication to burying the Polio Hole, worldwide.
Also by Shelley Fraser Mickle
NOVELS:
The Queen of October
Replacing Dad
The Turning Hour
The Assigned Visit
RADIO ESSAYS:
The Kids Are Gone; The Dog Is Depressed & Mom’s on the Loose
NONFICTION:
Barbaro, America’s Horse (for ages 9-12)
Parts
