CPA Ontario

Every life is a unique story. In the autobiography, Mind if I Sit, Neville Cohen was an exceptional human being. Throughout his adventurous life, Cohen played many roles, as a son, a brother, a friend, a lover, an engineer and a chairman. The narrative starts in the early 1950s when Cohen’s life was dramatically altered by a car accident. Cohen’s emotional transition after the car accident is described in detail. Cohen’s passion for life and sense of humour are apparent throughout the book. Nevertheless, Cohen tells his own stories with honesty and this is what makes Mind if I Sit enjoyable. He neither exaggerates his strengths nor focuses on the mistreatments and discriminations done to him. He frankly reveals his frustration toward love and relationship. His struggles in life after the car accident are obvious in that respect. “I had been told that I could lead a comparatively normal life sexually, but the thought of marriage did not appeal to me. I was old-fashioned enough to believe that the man should be the dominant partner… I cursed the wheelchair and its silly glamour.” Readers are taken through Cohen’s hospital stays. Many things happened, some were funny, the others were more serious - but all very realistic. Afterwards, Cohen returned to school and finished his studies with ease. Then, the story leads us to an amazing adventure – Cohen’s preparation and crossing of a major trans-African safari. Readers are taken with Cohen onto a journey through a beautiful and mysterious continent. On the journey, Cohen met new friends, learned that that elephants could be dangerous, travelled in Rhodesia, Zambezi and Tanganyika and experienced the African culture with curiosity and appreciation. The wheelchair did not hinder Cohen’s enjoyment when he met and travelled with some pygmies! The book is very informative about the social and political situation in Kenya, Nigeria and other countries in that area. It is clear that anything described with ease must have been very challenging for Cohen to accomplish in reality. “I was determined to go on, although my spirits were down in my shoes. It was the thought of having to face the folks back home, and admit that after all our grand talk we had had to give up half way, that made me so insistent.” Cohen and his friend completed their journey ultimately and returned back in London after three months in Africa. Other adventures waited for Cohen. He found a job and worked for Marconi in London. During that time, he managed to represent South Africa at sports games and won the first gold medal for the breast stroke. One trans-African trip was not enough for Cohen. Readers were exposed to his travel journey once again. At a point he said: “It was one of a few occasions when I said to myself: ‘What the hell is a paraplegic doing travelling through Africa?’” In the following chapters, Cohen tried to live an active and productive life. He looked for a job, contributed to his community, played sports and travelled. There are a few events that are worth special attention, including participating in the 1976 world championship in power boat racing. Newspaper headlines “Paraplegic wins international race” brought Cohen fame but he pointed out that “it all helps towards convincing society that disabled people can achieve distinction in ‘normal’ surroundings. We are all striving for our place in society and in doing so, perhaps we do things we wouldn’t normally have done.” It was also exceptional that Cohen decided to respond to a newspaper ad, which invited people to participate in a unique race named Tip to Top, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the South African Air Force and the first flight from London to Cape Town. Chapters are devoted to describe Cohen’s preparation and contribution to the race. They revealed Cohen’s imagination, creativity, resourcefulness and problem-solving skills. The story inspires us to come to the realization that we can all live our dreams if we work toward our goals diligently and consistently. There are a few books that portray one’s experience handling dramatic events in life, but Cohen’s perspectives are unique in the way they were written. Cohen’s message is inspiring but inimitable. “Adversity brings out a person’s true character. What I’ve found repeatedly, meeting thousands and thousands of people in a similar position to mine, is that the traumatic event brought about their disability is in fact a watershed, and that for those who are determined and rebellious, life goes only one way – upwards.” It is a simple, yet clever book - good reading.

If you are interested in purchasing a copy, please contact CPA Ontario, Radka.poliakova@cpaont.org, 416-422-5644, X 224. All proceeds will be split between CPA Ontario and QuadPara Association of South Africa.