Title: Beyond Barriers
Author: Anne Davey Koomans
Publisher: Readers Magnet, LLC
ISBN: 978-1951775353
Genre: Biography
Pages: 264
Reviewed by: Lisa Brown-Gilbert

Read Book Review

A poignant testament to a life that exemplified unconditional love, faith, and dedicated persistence, Anne Davey Koomans’ Beyond Barriers lovingly commemorates the exceptional life and times of her husband David M. Davey; a force to be reckoned with when it came to helping others, particularly the disabled.

This loving, eloquently told narrative, draws the emotive attention while tracing the incredibly inspiring life of David M. Davey, who in his youth was heartbreakingly struck at 12 years old with Polio during the 1940s Polio epidemic. Emotionally scarring accounts of the horrors he faced during his treatment phase leave indelible marks on the psyche while reading about his time in the Iron Lung, the painful treatments he endured, and especially the instances of listening to the “death wagon” coming down the hall in the hospital ward leaving all those within hearing range terrified and whimpering.

Moreover, incredibly after surviving the treatments, David was sent home, with a grim prognosis with little promise for a future. However, with powerful determination and faith in God’s purpose for his life, he went on to disprove the prognosis by setting precedent by attending High school and also by becoming a member of the honor society and class president, as well as gaining a scholarship to Wayne State University.

Furthermore, David continued to negate the adversity of his bound condition with dedication and love for others. Believing his calling was to help other wheelchair-bound people have the opportunity to make a living, he went on to foster a very distinguished career as the CEO of Goodwill industries in Battle Creek Michigan, and also helped to pioneer changes for wheelchair equipment, accessibility, barrier-free areas, and rehabilitation programs. He also was involved with writing state and national accessibility laws and working with Senator Bob Dole on the national barrier-free architectural and transportation board.

Overall, He was a man who held a profound desire to show people wheelchair-bound people were not limited in the ways usually preconceived by people, a fact which his life epitomized on multiple levels, including romantically when he met and married the author of his biography Anne Davey Koomans who started out as his executive secretary. Theirs was a love that was truly unconditional.

Beyond Barriers was a great read, that I wholeheartedly recommend. I found myself rapt within this well-written, biographical tour de force, following the frustrations, stigmatisms, and triumphs of David M. Davey’s life. Altogether, moving, inspirational, and starkly truthful, this book bears important messages for us all, wheelchair-bound or not, concerning perceptions, exceeding limitations, unconditional love for self, as well as others, and having the mettle to bear it all. In particular, my favorite chapters was chapter 6, Our Posterity, written by Dave shortly before his death; he shares cherished memories of his children, it was very touching, actually tear-jerking, to say the least. Additionally, another favorite chapter was chapter 22, Yes Men in Wheel Chairs have a Sex Life, which beautifully presented an honest look at the stigmatisms about the carnal needs and desires of a wheelchair-bound person, who ultimately is the same as any other man or woman.

I would recommend Beyond Barriers by Anne Davey Koomans for a true inspirational story. I have been inspired myself to remember that everyone struggles with challenges and setbacks. David M. Davey has shown me that giving up should never be an option.