IRONBOUND PRESS :: DEVIL'S DANCE

Huntington’s Disease is a rare, genetic disorder first described by George Huntington in 1872 ("Heirloom from generations away back of the dim past.") It was originally called Hungtington’s Chorea because the patient’s constant, writhing, uncontrollable, dance-like movements. (The term Chorea is taken from the Greek word for dance). The condition is further characterized by sudden and severe personality changes, such as paranoia and depression, encroaching cognitive losses and ultimately dementia, not unlike what Alzheimer patients experience. Generally, HD will develop somewhere between the ages of 30 and 50, though not necessarily. The disease is passed on from generation to generation as an autosomal dominant defect, which simply means that if one parent has it, it is fifty-fifty for each offspring. If one does not inherit the gene, he/she will never show symptoms and his/her children and all future generations will not develop it.

Dr. Richard R. Karlen, a retired dentist, has been interested in Huntington’s Disease for some time for personal reasons. His novel DEVIL’S DANCE, in spite of its ominous overtones, is a romantic story with considerable action and suspense. Dr. Karlen and IRONBOUND PRESS hope that through the success of this book, we might induce a greater public awareness of the nightmare of having a degenerative disease where there is no cure.

Though there are other books that describe HD, including several biographies of Woodie Guthrie (probably the most famous person who suffered and died from HD), DEVIL’S DANCE is one of the few novels ever published in which HD plays a prominent role. IRONBOUND PRESS takes pleasure in offering DEVIL’S DANCE as its first major publication.