I had to overcome several barriers in approaching this book. First of all, it's by Jenny McCarthy. Second, I learned of this book by the furor it created on online autism communities, especially after the Oprah appearance. Third, I knew going into it that she suspects vaccines are the cause of autism for her child, and I don't think enough evidence supports that statement.

That said, I read it, and it wasn't a horrible book. My little guy is high-functioning autistic and turns 3 a week from today and will also be starting special needs preschool this week. My son and Jenny McCarthy's son have several things in common, such as their incredible memories and the knack for finding shapes rather than the complete picture (during testing, my son was supposed to identity which picture had a car - he pointed to the car, but identified the circles and rectangles). I know exactly how it feels to see your child asked the simplest of questions and have them instead focus on placing objects in a tidy row. However, I am very thankful that I don't have to deal with seizures or the weakened immune system. I don't think I could handle that.

I do envy her money and her access to the best of care. The cost of gluten-free casein-free foods is horrible and they are not easily available. I can't hop on a plane to get the best doctor in the US, or pay out of pocket for therapists. The bureaucracy in Arizona for getting care is atrocious; my son kept getting lost in the system, and has been eligible for four months but no therapists are available. When Jenny McCarthy speaks of the "window" for getting care and making improvements, I know exactly what she means, and I am frustrated and enraged at how little help there is in getting help.

I don't know if autism can be "healed." That subtitle bothers me some. Is it like an alcoholic being an alcoholic, even after being sober for twenty years? I just want my son to function and be able to make eye contact with other people, drink out of a cup, or eat a wider variety of foods. Is that asking for "healing?" My husband read through this book as well, and has now vowed to take a more active approach in helping. ( )

As a whole, I found this book to be wonderful, raw and honest, sometimes painfully so (for her, not for the reader-- the honest served to give great creditability to the book). Unfortunately, I found McCarthy to be a bit preachy at times, as though she believed that she was the only parent who was doing right by their child. However, by the end of the book she conceded that what had worked for her son wouldn't work for every child with autism, which gave the entire work a much better tone, as though she were a parent sharing her story of success rather than a celebrity telling people how to "save" their children. ( )

A must-read for anyone who has or knows a child or friend dealing with any childhood illness or developmental challenge. Wish humor, outright honesty and bravery, Jenny bares her soul about the most difficult time in her life. The book is inspirational, tragic, hopeful and even darn right funny. ( )

This was an interesting account of Ms. McCarthy's journey to help her son become healthy. I don't know a lot about the controversy surrounding her views on autism, but I think she was honest about how she felt during the experience of Evan's most frightening health crises and she offers hope to others who may be struggling with similar situations. I don't know a lot about autism, but it seems to me that her son suffered from more than just this disorder. Yeast infection afflicts many who aren't autistic, so that portion of her treatment of her son seems to be something other than autism. In addition, Evan showed signs of autism from an early age, even before some of the more disturbing symptoms began, which leads me to think that perhaps his allergies complicated some of his reactions. Still, I admire her determination to find out what was going on with her son and get him the help he needed and be willing to try anything that might work. As a side note, I am a member of the "Mormon" church (or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). I found her references to her experiences with the Mormons to be amusing! I appreciate that she was willing to give those Mormon missionaries a listen (speaking as a former missionary who appreciated the "kindness of strangers"). We're probably not as strait-laced as Ms. McCarthy thinks we are, though certainly there are choices that she has made in her personal life that we try to avoid. And I have to take exception to the idea that we teach "fire and brimstone" to anyone who doesn't join the Mormon church. We don't really believe in that for anyone, although we do believe that God wants more for his children and then we often want for ourselves! All in all, a straightforward and plain speaking book about one parent's experience with autism so far. Good luck to Ms. McCarthy and Evan as they continue their journey with autism. ( )

I enjoyed this book. I would have preferred that the author not use so many swear words in the telling, though I can understand her frustration with the medical community. This book is a candid look at the world of parenting an autistic child and the challenge of finding help for your child. We also have an ASD child and so it was good to read about someone else walking the same journey through BioMedical treatment. I was hoping for more technical medical advice, but I still enjoyed hearing about their experience with Autism healing.Highly recommended. ( )