Wendy Wolf entered an iron lung at the age of four and emerged a polio survivor whose life illustrates the challenges of opportunity and acceptance people with disabilities face and the triumphs and successes this extraordinary woman achieved. Though she came close to death, she survived the iron lung and 7 subsequent surgeries, ultimately suffering almost total loss of use of all four limbs. She went on to earn 3 degrees, improve the lives of hundreds of children through her services as a Speech Therapist in New York and Mexico and Arizona, found the first Independent Living Center in Arizona, found a unique introductory service for people with disabilities, raise two foreign born special needs children largely as a single parent, advocate for many issues to improve the lives of people with disabilities, and become Ms. Wheelchair Arizona 2006 and, at the Ms. Wheelchair America 2007 Pageant, win the Nicki Arde Award for her lifelong history of advocacy. More than the story of an extraordinary woman overcoming a severe disability, this is the honest portrayal of a girl with self esteem issues accepting an abusive relationship out of desperation, and battling for her own and her children's survival. It is the story of a girl whose maternal instincts lead her to accept the challenges of adopting a Brazilian boy from an abusive background and a Korean girl with cerebral palsy, and raising them to become self sufficient contributing members of society. It is the story of a girl with limitless hope and courage who survived countless rejections and still sought to help others and still believed that love conquers all. If you have a disability, or a family member or friend or co-worker with a disability, they will recognize parallels with their life in this biography of Wendy Wolf. They will feel her angst and empathize with her struggles that echo in their own lives. If you are a caregiver or health care professional, you will find this biography of Wendy Wolf a doorway to understanding that will improve your communication and performance in dealing with people with disabilities. Wendy Wolf's biographer, William Karl Thomas, has had his other works described as "championing the underdog" and "telling his stories through the eyes of strong women." His novels cover such topics as the survival of three women during the Korean War ("The Josan and the Jee"), and a black female journalist, an intimate friend of black entertainment and political celebrities during the civil rights era, whose life takes a dramatic turn when she crosses swords with a cynical white male publicist ("Cleo"). Even his non-fiction, such as his professional memoir describing his ten year collaboration with the most controversial comedian of the twentieth century ("Lenny Bruce: The Making of a Prophet"), was described by The Manchester Guardian as "reads like a Bogart script." His works are noted for historical accuracy in dealing with "the high points of America's social evolution in the twentieth century." The brief dedication of Wendy Wolf's biography reads, "This book is dedicated to the more than 250,000 post polio survivors in America, 20 million post polio survivors worldwide, 32 million people with disabilities in America, and 650 million people with disabilities worldwide, all of whom want what every human wants, the opportunity to be independent, productive, accepted, and loved, and to have 'A Place For Us.'" Giving "A Place For Us" to a person with a disability delivers the message, "I understand, I care." Giving "A Place For Us" to a relative or caregiver or medical practitioner delivers the message, "Please understand, please care." Giving "A Place For Us" is giving the gift of love.
Author Biography:
William Karl Thomas was born 1/25/33 in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, a small Gulf Coast town in which Tennessee Williams lived and wrote about in his works, and which was devastated when Hurricane Katrina made landfall there in 2005. In 1951 Thomas married his former high school teacher and, after a four year childless marriage, was divorced. His media career began when, at the age of thirteen, he invested in a press camera and began to sell photos to newspapers and photo stories to magazines. Still in his teens, as a cocktail pianist in New Orleans French Quarter, he met and began to collaborate on screenplays with Frank Ray Perelli. His career was interrupted by four years in the Air Force, which included a year of combat in Korea during The Korean War, and duty in El Paso, Texas, Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Oxford, England. In his early twenties he joined Perelli in Hollywood while Perelli was managing Lenny Bruce before Bruce's rise to fame. Thomas began collaborating with Bruce in writing the comedy material on Bruce's first three albums and writing three screenplays, "The Leather Jacket," "Killer's Grave," and "The Degenerate." Thomas also collaborated on and ghosted other screenplays for Perelli and others in Hollywood. He also became a cinematographer and was cameraman and Director of Photography on productions in Mexico, Arizona, New Orleans, and Jamaica, West Indies. Thomas' first book was the memoir of his ten year collaboration with Bruce titled "Lenny Bruce: The Making of a Prophet," published in English and Japanese editions. His second book was a childhood memoir titled "The Genteel Poor." His third book, a novel titled "The Josan And The Jee," tells the story of three women who survived The Korean War. His fourth book, a novel titled "Cleo," tells the story of a black female journalist during the Civil Rights Era. His fifth book is the biography of a disability advocate named Wendy Wolf and is titled, "A Place For Us." His sixth book, "Hollywood Tales from the Outer Fringe," is an anthology of twelve short stories. His seventh book, a novel titled "The Piano Man," deals with New Orleans and the entertainment industry circa 1950's-1960's. His soon to be released eighth book is a science fiction novel titled "Immortal," the first in a trilogy. William Karl Thomas currently lives in Tucson, Arizona. where he occasionally teaches writing and film production and continues work on a variety of book, film, and media projects.
